Over 3000 Gauteng youth benefit from GCRA – Lulaway internship programme
A partnership between the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), an agency of the Gauteng Department of Education, and leading youth employment engine, Lulaway has opened doors for over 3,000 young people, offering them work experience through paid internship programmes in private companies in Gauteng.
“Since the beginning of 2018, almost R15 million in stipend funding has been dispersed to interns. This partnership has assisted over 3000 young jobseekers since the collaboration began in 2016,” says Lulaway CEO, Jake Willis.
GCRA CEO, Mr Rufus Mmutlana says the mandate for the GCRA is skills development for both the public sector and the youth of Gauteng. The role of the Academy is therefore, to contribute to socio-economic transformation. Working with Lulaway on the private sector placement project, the GCRA provided internship funding for youth residing in Gauteng.
“Through skills development partnerships such as the one with Lulaway, we are pleased that many companies have offered employment opportunities to our youth in various industries, as we strive to reduce the unemployment rate in Gauteng Province,” says Mr Rufus Mmutlana.
With almost 2 million youth out of work in the province, the highly successful project continues to be a beacon of light for the participants. Rueben Chauke, age 26 years from Cosmo City says that he is extremely grateful to have found employment at Cartack.
“I had been looking for a job with all my heart for the longest time. When I eventually got it, I felt like the luckiest person in the world. Everyone wants to be employed. It’s not nice to wake up and not have a purpose or have to worry where your next loaf of bread will come from. But with the internship programme, I know that I have a job to go to, and come month end, I have a paycheck,” says Cartrack general worker, Chauke.
Thandu Maku, aged 32, lives in Alexandra describes life as being very hard before he began work as an intern at Kevro.
“Before the programme, life was very difficult because I was struggling financially and couldn’t get myself through school. When I was selected as an intern at Kevro I was very excited because it was something I had always wanted to do – working in the graphic design and art space. The fund from the programme is assisting me to pay for my marketing course,” says Maku.
Glacia Mahlangu, age 22, also lives in Alexandra and says that having a job, allows her to provide for her child.
“When I landed the job at Krispy Kreme, I was so happy. Lulaway really are the best. When they first tried placing me in the GCRA programme, I wasn’t available. But they didn’t give up on me. With the money I receive, I can take care of my family, my son and myself. I wish to commend the work done by the GCRA and Lulaway, for investing in the youth such as myself. I wish they may continue to help others as well, because it allows them to stand on their own two feet,” Gloria Mahlangu says.
Employers involved in the initiative include Bidvest Protea Coin, Stallion Security, Roco Mammas, Cartrack, Krispy Kreme, KFC and iTalk financial services.
“This showcases the real impact that can happen when funding is channeled towards the right sources. Internships are the best mechanisms for job creation, but implementation in the private sector requires a trusted reliable partner. It’s not about reinventing the wheel, but about actualizing funding which has already been allocated. This partnership serves as a model of what is possible for our youth when collaboration occurs, and we look forward to seeing more of this with the YES initiative,” says Lulaway CEO, Jake Willis.
Collaborating with Uber to accelerate economic opportunities
The obvious synergy between recruitment agency, Lulaway, and ride hailing service, Uber, is set to accelerate economic opportunities in the country.
The two organisations have joined forces to create South Africa’s maiden recruitment and training centre in Cape Town’s Century City, which is dedicated to registering and training Uber’s driver-partner applicants.
“With South Africa’s unemployment rate at 26.7 percent and some experts projecting it will reach 27 percent later in the year, we need to come up with smart solutions to provide opportunities for jobless South Africans. Initiatives such as the Uber-Lulaway partnership, where two innovative companies use cutting-edge technology to drive socio-economic growth, is one way of addressing the challenge,” says Executive Chairman of Lulaway, Andile Mkhosana.
Moving away from the convention of potential drivers having to register on Uber’s website or app to become driver-partners, Lulaway handles the registration process and recruitment of the drivers. This process simplifies linking the driver and vehicle owners or Uber partners. It also provides the driver-partners with world-class work-readiness training, part of Lulaway’s mandate to implement an outcomes-based, high-impact workforce development programme over the next three years in collaboration with the City of Cape Town.
“We have streamlined the process for drivers to apply to become Uber driver-partners. Our applicant system is a sophisticated and tech-driven way to register and track applicants in the entry-level sector.”
“At the centre, our staff assist all applicants to register via our online secure portal and upload the necessary documentation. They complete basic online Lulaway assessments and then go through work-readiness training to help them be successful once they start work. The application process is now centralised and standardised, meaning the highest levels of data accuracy and efficiency are applied,” explains Mkhosana.
He adds that there is a great demand from existing Uber driver-partners, and Lulaway will be linking the vehicle owners and existing Uber driver-partners.
“Our database has over 300,000 pre-screened candidates listed. This means finding drivers is easy for us and we can recruit drivers when necessary. We provide the missing link between the driver and the partner and accelerate linking economic opportunities and small business seekers. Our positioning means that finding a driver doesn’t have to be a laborious, time-consuming endeavour. We provide a detailed CV with all the documentation so a partner can decide if the driver is right for them.”
This training centre, although currently only based in Cape Town, aims to help grow the country’s existing 12 000 driver-partners.
“Partnerships between government, the private sector and youth employment organisations such as Lulaway can drive job creation for South Africans and build a shared vision in which unemployment is truly eradicated,” says Mkhosana.
Alon Lits, General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa explains, “We are excited about this partnership as drivers are the core of our business, and everyone deserves a fair chance to participate in our economy, and through partnerships like these we know it will be made possible.”
Uber does not employ the partner-drivers, but through using the Uber App, it connects people who provide transportation services with others who need rides. The drivers who use the Uber app are totally free to choose if, when and where they accept rider requests. They are not obligated to work a required number of hours or shifts.
“Uber plays a pivotal role in job creation in a country where unemployment is a national crisis, and this synergy is a perfect example of what is possible through collaborations of this kind. Combining the forces of Uber and Lulaway, we hope to accelerate the impact we are making. We see this as a pilot project, and the model can be taken nationally once its benefits have been quantified,” says Mkhosana.
Lulaway team members at the Uber centre
Project Highlight: W&R SETA Graduate Placement Programme
Funder: W & R SETA
Number of beneficiaries: 800
Duration: 2016/17
Lulaway has been allocated 8000 graduate stipends to place, manage and disburse payment for the year 2016/17, starting 1st May 2017.
Lulaway co-ordinated the recruitment, registration, screening and placement of 800 N6 graduates within Boston City Campus in their call centre and at campuses countrywide.
As part of this initiative, Lulaway hosted a groundbreaking Speed Interview event in order to facilitate employment of the learners.
Read more about this initiative here: Speed Interview trend offers hope for job seekers
Project Highlight: NYDA Jobs Programme
Project Beneficiaries: 11 441
Project duration: 2016/17, 2017/18
Geographic Location: National
As a key partner to the NYDA, Lulaway has realised the following objectives of the JOBS programme:
- Developed the online JOBS portal where all job seekers CV’s are uploaded and accessed by NYDA JOBS officers;
- Digitised existing paper CV’s collected over time by the various NYDA provincial branches;
- Managed the incorporation of the JOBS portal into all NYDA branches countrywide.
- Facilitated the placements of over 3000 unemployed youth (18 – 34) throughout the country between April 2016 – Feb 2017.
Project Highlight: Absa ReadytoWork
Client: Absa
Project Duration: 2017- 2018
Geographic location: All 9 provinces
Beneficiaries: 4000 job seekers screened, trained and registered, 2000 job seekers subsequently placed in relevant jobs
Absa ReadytoWork was launched as Absa’s CSI project aimed at preparing youths and unemployed for work as well as assisting them to secure job placements within the workplace where they can utilise the work-readiness skills they’ve acquired.
Lulaway has been selected by ABSA as its partner in the roll-out of facilitated ReadytoWork training throughout South Africa as well as facilitating the job placements for the trained candidates via Lulaway’s online recruitment platform.
Read more about this project by LulaLAB here.
Project Highlight: City of Cape Town – outcomes-based workforce development programme
Client: City of Cape Town
Geographic location: Cape Town
Targeted Beneficiaries: 30,000 job seekers screened and registered, 4000 job seekers placed in opportunities
Lulaway has been awarded the tender for the implementation of an integrated programme targeting those who have the greatest barriers to accessing and retaining employment in the City of Cape Town.
With a focus on youth and those living in high-density and traditionally marginalised areas, to the programme will co-ordinate actions in order to increase efficiencies and effectiveness of services for both employers and jobseekers.
At the core of the programme is the use of Lulaway’s E-recruitment portal that is linked to and Job Centers where job seekers will be able to access jobs within their communities, whilst the employers will use the simple digital interface to screen and track applicants, schedule interviews and select the candidates best suited for the job from the comfort of their office.
Project Highlight: Tshepo500K – development and maintenance of job seeker database
Client: Gauteng Provincial Government
Beneficiaries: 120 000 Gauteng residents registered and assessed, 5761 placed
Project duration: 2015-2016
The Gauteng Tshepo 500,000 is an employment creation and entrepreneurship development programme aimed at training, skilling and mentoring 500,000 young people through a set of projects aimed at empowering Youth, Women and people with disabilities.
In order to reach as many youths as possible whilst tracking the efficacy and ROI of the programme, Tshepo 500K utilized Lulaway in the development and maintenance of its ‘opportunity seeker database’.
The ‘Opportunity seeker database’ is an online portal, hosted on the Lulaway platform. Opportunity seekers can register on to the database through one of the many Lulaway opportunity centres throughout Gauteng.
Lulaway to establish 20 new Job Centres in Cape Town
Lulaway is to establish 20 new Job Centres in areas within the City of Cape Town where youth employment is most needed. The opening of these Job Centres is part of Lulaway’s strategic expansion of its national network of over 200 Job Centres, and the appointment of Lulaway by the City of Cape Town to implement a city-wide outcomes-based, high-impact three-year programme.
The programme aims at addressing some of the key barriers identified by the City that bar the unemployed residents from accessing job and training opportunities. The programme aims to screen, train and place unemployed residents into temporary and permanent training and employment opportunities.
The programme will focus on residents, particularly youth, located in the high-density, traditionally marginalized areas of the Cape Flats, Khayeltisha, Gugulethu and Langa.
The project comes as a beacon of hope to a city where the general unemployment currently sits at 25% and a youth unemployment rate of 36%.
The goals of the programme include the assessment of 30 000 unemployed residents, provision of training to 6000 relevant candidates in work-readiness skills and the subsequent placement of 4050 residents in various employment opportunities.
The integrated programme will achieve the required outcomes by strategically addressing the unique challenges facing the City and its unemployed residents.
“A key challenge we were tasked to solve is the lack of an integrated and co-ordinated employment services eco-system. There is a disconnect between job seekers and employers and the services and programmes they require. The impact of this absence is most evident areas with high populations of unemployed youth such as in Gugulethu, Khayelitsha, Langa, Cape Flats, Atlantis, Samora Machel and its surrounds. As a result, discouraged youths often turn to crime and other destructive behaviours in order to support themselves and their families”, says Lulaway CEO Jake Willis.
“Another crucial challenge is lack of access to jobs and available opportunities. The City’s dispersed population means that certain areas are geographically excluded from the formal economy. This is a pattern we encounter across the country especially in the non-urban township areas.”
“Finally, the City experiences a lack of integration and communication between all relevant stakeholders. This leads to under-resourced employers, unspent funds by government and unemployed residents which results in overall socioeconomic despair”.
Project Highlight: 500 graduates to begin year-long learnership programme at Boston City Campus
500 graduates will begin a year-long funded learnership on July 1, 2017 at Boston City Campus (Boston), a leading tertiary college and business school. These learners will work in the Boston call center and receive experiential training in functions such as debt collection, lead generation and sales. The learners will receive a recognized qualification upon completion and will receive invaluable practical work experience.
This project is the result of a three-way synergy between the W&R Seta, Boston and Lulaway. Lulaway was responsible for securing the funding from the W & R Seta on behalf of Boston. Lulaway is also responsible for sourcing the candidates and all the administrative and payroll aspects of the program.
CEO of Boston, Ari Katz, believes that learnerships and internships offer real world work based experience and result in learners being more equipped in work place skills. “We aim for a high throughput rate; and foster an environment where learners can find employment post the placement. There are theoretical and experiential components to the program which will increase the long-term employability of these learners.”