1 166 full-time jobs created in the BPO sector through skills development programmes

8 April 2021

I am pleased to announce that 1 166 full-time jobs were created in the Business Process Operating (BPO) sector through the Department of Economic Development and Tourism’s Work and Skills programme in the last financial year. This means that 69 per cent of the 1 700 young people who took part in the programme have been offered full-time contracts with companies in the BPO sector in the Western Cape. 

And, as a result of the success of our Work and Skills programme, we have allocated a further R98,82 million over the medium term to provide 3 000 unemployed youth with experiential learning opportunities in the BPO sector.

We are proud of the success of our Work and Skills programme which partners with government, civil society and business to create experiential learning and work placement opportunities for unemployed youth in the Western Cape.    

Through these co-funded programmes, we provide stipends of between R3 000 to R3 500, to support 4- to 12-month work placements for young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years, giving them on-the-job training in critical skills areas.   

On Tuesday, I visited WNS, a global BPO company based in Cape Town where 234 young people have been offered permanent work placements following the completion of their on-the-job training.

I met with a few of the beneficiaries of our Work and Skills programme and it was great to hear directly from these young people how the programme has changed their lives, prepared them with the necessary technical and soft skills for the workplace, and given them hope by providing them with a permanent job.

The high level of unemployment amongst school graduates with good communication skills offers a significant talent supply opportunity to global players in the BPO sector, and so we have seen an exceptionally high up-take of young people moving into permanent employment following their work placements in the BPO sector. 

Furthermore, the BPO sector is a great example of business resilience and adaption, which despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, has created 7 354 additional jobs in the last year in the Western Cape. 

The Western Cape is an attractive destination for global BPO companies as a result of our highly skilled talent pipeline who offer high empathy, cultural affinity and niche domain skills. We also offer world-class infrastructure and enabling environments together with investment incentives and good quality of life.

This is why the BPO sector is one of the key sectors that we are showcasing as we present a common message to the world: that both Cape Town and the Western Cape are open for business.

And we will continue to prioritise our skills development initiatives in this sector so that we can create more jobs, especially for young people, in the Western Cape. 

Issued by Francine Higham, Spokesperson for the Provincial Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities (Responsible for the Provincial Treasury and the Department of Economic Development and Tourism), 8 April 2021