On Thursday, 16 May 2024, Provincial Minister of Mobility, Ricardo Mackenzie, joined a recruitment open day in Somerset West organised by The Agentsy BPO and Signature Wealth.
These companies have partnered with the Western Cape Government’s (WCG) ‘Getting YOU to Work’ programme, enabling them to offer their interview candidates free travel vouchers.
Each ‘Getting YOU to Work’ travel voucher includes 12 free bus rides with Golden Arrow Bus Services, on weekdays between 8am and 4pm.
Minister Mackenzie said, “We know that the cost of transport is a major barrier to accessing work opportunities. This is why we are piloting the ‘Getting YOU to Work’ initiative – which removes the transport barrier – as part of the WCG’s ‘Growth for Jobs’ strategy. The latest statistics reveal that the unemployment rate in the Western Cape is now 21.4%.
While this is by far the lowest in the country, it is an urgent priority for us to keep reducing this figure and get these people employed, particularly young people who are trying to enter the job market for the first time.”
Minister Mackenzie emphasised the role of employers, saying, “Over 80 employers have come on board so far and it has been incredible to see the impact of the travel voucher. I am meeting more and more beneficiaries who have successfully landed a job without having to shell out money they didn’t have for transport to get to interviews. Thank you to all the companies who have registered to participate. We invite more businesses and NGOs to partner with us as we tackle unemployment in our province.”
CEO of The Agentsy BPO, Farah Lippert, said, “We had over 150 people here today attending rapid interviews for positions in our growing call-centre industry. Many of them would not have been able to get here without the free travel voucher. Thank you to the Western Cape Government for creating this programme, which assists us in our recruitment efforts.”
Information about ‘Getting YOU to Work’ is available at www.westerncape.gov.za. For queries, call 0860 142 142 or email [email protected].