Cape Town: City funded Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator celebrated graduation of 130 young Capetonians. The project, was also funded by the National Skills Fund which was designed to ensure the skills pipelines for high-growth industries that will drive demand.
Reportedly, the training for the group was administered by the City of Cape Town’s Special Purpose Vehicle, Cape BPO. The learners received a monthly stipend over the duration of their training which was funded by both the city government and the Western Cape Provincial Government while the skills development was conducted by the BPO Skills Academy, Ucademy, OMNI HR Consulting and People Solutions.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth – Alderman James Vos said that over the three years in which the Accelerator programme was administered, about 2,700 Capetonians were equipped with essential training. They are now armed with accredited qualifications that make them ready to jump into jobs in the call centre industry, in fact many have already.
As per the sources, the qualifications will include:
- NC: Call Centre Support NQF Level-3
- NC: Call Centre Support NQF level-4
The NQF levels have received the work readiness training and psychological as well as behavioural support to boost their personal development.
City of Cape Town has also recognised the investment and employment growth of the call centre industry, as it also funded CapeBPO to run other skills development initiatives, such as:
- The Afterschool Programme
Where Grade 11 and 12 learners gain first-hand exposure and training in the BPO industry. - The Sunday School
Where unemployed youth will attend a three-week course followed by an open industry recruitment.
Alderman James Vos said that the Cape Town has become a go-to hub for international companies looking to expand their call centre footprint. In order to grow a skilled workforce and create a business-friendly region ready to welcome investors, there is no small part due to the consistent work that the city has done with partners such as CapeBPO.