City launches Jobs Connect, an expanded workforce development programme

Today, the City of Cape Town celebrated an exciting new chapter for the people of Cape Town with the launch of the Jobs Connect Workforce Development Programme. This is a work placement initiative, funded by the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department, that drives forward the City’s goal of creating job opportunities for our residents, which is at the heart of this programme. Read more below:

Jobs Connect has two distinct purposes: to link businesses, particularly SMMEs and corporates to the appropriate talent; and to provide knowledge, training and employment opportunities to job seekers across the City, particularly those who do not have the means to access such opportunities.

With this programme, the City is looking to expand on the successes made under the Outcomes-Based Workforce Development Programme initiated in December 2017.

By May 2020, 30 710 residents had been recruited and assessed, with 11 644 people trained in work readiness (almost double the target number), 3715 people had been placed into jobs, and 450 people placed into internships or learnerships.

But as our city grows, so does the need to expand on opportunities and access.

This need has only been made more critical and urgent by the devastating global pandemic.

On behalf of the City, in my capacity as Mayco Member for the Economic Opportunities and Asset Management Directorate, I look for initiatives that will foster real economic growth and sustenance for the people of Cape Town.

Often in my interactions with businesses, one of their biggest struggles is sourcing the talent and skills that they need to maintain and grow their operations. At the same time, we have many thousands of people who are eager to work, but who haven’t received enough training or guidance in how to make themselves attractive to companies or quite simply don’t know that these opportunities exist.

This is why the directorate and I came up with Jobs Connect, to answer both needs.

How will it work?

Residents can access the digital platform via jobsconnect.leelyn.co.za or through the link they receive on WhatsApp via the Invest Cape Town website.

Once on the website, they will be prompted to register their details, and complete a literacy and numeracy assessment, the results of which will be added to a digital CV.

The entire process is paperless but residents can print out their CVs and assessment results when applying elsewhere as well.

The platform enables residents to access jobs based on their skills and the areas where they live. Similarly, business owners can register their details on the database by contacting Leelyn Management at info@leelyn.co.za or 021 558 1552.

The City continually invests in programmes and initiatives such as Jobs Connect that will lead to employment opportunities.

We recently also launched the Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator Project, through this programme that will train, pay stipends and do job placements for residents in the Business Process Outsourcing or call centre sector as well as the clothing and textile sector.

In fact, there are already industries and employment opportunities currently available on Jobs Connect, including:

• Logistics Industry- Drivers/packers/warehousing agents
• Fast food Industry  – cashiers /cooks/chefs
• Retail Industry – cashiers /packers/salespeople
• Telecommunications – call centre agents
• SMMEs- contract workers/receptionists /drivers

These opportunities are entry-level jobs and do not often require matric.

Job hunters should also check out the short courses which will be on offer such as:

• Work readiness training
• Problem-solving
• Time management
• Team building
• Customer care
• Webs design
• Project management

Longer courses will also be available and will include:

• Business management
• Business leadership
• Business studies
• Entrepreneurship studies
• Cloud practitioners

The programme will be rolled out throughout the City with physical activations in specific communities.

Residents will be targeted through Whatsapp, community liaisons and NPOs who are on the ground.

I am immensely proud of and excited about this expanded initiative that will see our beautiful City make further inroads into the fight against unemployment and poverty.