Cape Town: Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism of City of Cape Town – Alderman James Vos, spent time in engaging with businesses that have benefitted from Jobs Connect. By doing this they gained insights into how the programme is helping then in finding the right skills to grow and succeed.
Jobs Connect is the leading workforce development programme of Cape Town. It continues to be a game changer for the job seekers and also for the small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) of the City of Cape Town.
According to the recent FinScopeMSME SA 2024 Survey, SMMEs are critical to South Africa’s economy, that will account for 80% of the workforce and will generate more than R5 trillion in turnover.
Vos said that it is essential for Cape Town SMMEs to find the right skills for growth. He said, “I’m proud that we can bridge the gap between work-seekers and businesses who really need the right talent to succeed in their mission”
Optix is a Woodstock-based fleet logistics company with 400 employees working in it and being a standout example of how the programme is helping local businesses. Just within two months of posting their requirements on Jobs Connect, Optix received more than 1,600 applications which shortlisted 100 and hired over 30 Cape Town residents.
Considering this, Senior Operations Manager at Optix – AJ Prollius said that finding the right staff has always been a challenge for them, but Jobs Connect has transformed the recruitment process.
They simplified their search and delivered the candidates who truly fit the requirements of their business needs. Support from Jobs Connect has made the staff smooth and more efficient, allowing them to focus more on growth.
Alike large companies such as ‘Mr. Price’ to smaller enterprises like ‘CTP Cartons & Labels’ which is a manufacturing group in Epping, more than 400 businesses have been benefitted from Jobs Connect.
General Manager at CTP Cartons and Labels – Eugene Van Rensburg stated that Jobs Connect has been a game changer for them. Their contact at Leelyn which is a service provider administering the platform, have been incredibly helpful and efficient in referring the most suitable applicants.
At present, around 100,000 Capetonians registered on Jobs Connect, comprising of the new registrations from recent activations in communities like Manenberg.
Alderman Vos noted that unemployment is a deep challenge in the communities. For many of them, the cost of job hunting was up to R1500 per month, which is a clear significant barrier.
Jobs Connect removed many of obstacles, that were streamlined, user-friendly and cost-effective platform. James Vos expressed that he is grateful to all the Cape Town businesses for using Jobs Connect. He is glad to know that they used it to find the local talent and contribute towards the strong shared mission of creating economic opportunity and growth across the city.
