Premier Alan Winde and Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, attended a ‘Day of 1000 opportunities’ recruitment drive, at the Athlone Stadium, in Cape Town, yesterday.

The event provided a platform for more than 1 500 young people from Athlone and the surrounding areas, to be interviewed for placement in training programmes in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector, which includes a monthly stipend to assist them to gain the skills they need to succeed.

Following interviews, 1 000 selected students will be given an opportunity to be trained within the chosen host company and provided with a monthly stipend. This is a Western Cape initiative, in partnership with CapeBPO, the Jobs Fund through the National Treasury, the College of Cape Town, the BPO Skills academy, Future ED, SA Youth Mobi, the Department of Labour as well as the City of Cape Town.

Minister Wenger said, “It is a great joy to be here for the Day of 1 000 opportunities. While we, as a province and a country, face significant challenges, it is days like these that really give me hope that, together, we are taking the action needed to ensure that our tomorrow, is better than today. This is a perfect illustration of our Growth for Jobs Strategy in action, through partnership and innovation – hand-in-hand with the private sector.”

Speaking to a group of young candidates ahead of their interview, Premier Alan Winde said, "the opportunities offered to you today are the first step towards your future. This will empower and equip you with invaluable experience in a sector that is growing exponentially in our province and country. If you are nervous, that is great. It means you want to succeed."

Premier Winde added, “With each person taking part in this programme there is a story: a story of a young person discovering their potential, a story of youth embarking on the next chapter of their lives. Today, stories of young people finding dignity and hope through a job are being written right here through this initiative. This programme is vital to boosting job creation, ensuring that our youth become a part of the solution to reducing poverty."

The BPO sector contributes significantly to the Western Cape provincial economy, including:

• Creating approximately 10 000 new jobs between March 2022 and March 2023
• Contributing roughly R20 billion in annual Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the economy of the Western Cape; and
• Generating more than R66.5 billion in FDI into the Western Cape between 2012 and 2023.

“If we look out over this stadium, we are witnessing the real power of partnerships between the public and private sector that will drive economic growth and job creation in the Western Cape. What is really impressive is that between 70% and 80% of those who participate in the training are retained by the host company, creating meaningful employment,” continued Minister Wenger.

Concluding the event, Minister Wenger thanked the many partners in attendance, saying, “Helping you succeed is my top priority, and my greatest passion, because when you succeed, so too will the province, the country, and her people.”