Sewing the seeds of job creation

Through the Department of Economic Development and Tourism’s (DEDAT) Skills Development and Innovation Programme, the Western Cape Government partners with several companies to provide young unemployed people with on-the-job skills training.

This week, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger, accompanied by officials from DEDAT, visited two of several partner companies, K-Way and Green Thread, factories to meet some of the 23 learners gaining invaluable work-place experience in the clothing manufacturing sector.

“While the Western Cape has the lowest unemployment rate in South Africa, the fact remains that far too many people are not able to find work. At the same time, I often hear from businesses that they struggle to find employees with the right skills they need. This is where DEDAT comes in, to provide a critical link between the needs of industry, academia, and unemployed young people.” said Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities, Mireille Wenger.

Working with the private sector, the Skills and Innovation programme runs DEDAT runs various programmes in the Cape Town metropolitan area including Atlantis, as well as various rural towns such as Darling and Caledon, aimed at providing opportunities to unemployed young people.

By funding monthly stipends, topped up by the respective companies, unemployed young people are given the opportunity to receive a combination of structured or accredited training coupled with on-the-job experiential workplace exposure from between 4 to 12 months.

Companies are then required to provide either permanent or contract work to between 70% and 80% of those trained, depending on the needs of the company, with 100% of learners placed in some cases.

For the financial year 2023/2034, the project aims to support to up to 200 beneficiaries that receive workplace experiential learning and training on various interventions that will differ across the various occupational fields and employers.

Minister Wenger continued, “It was such a pleasure to meet with some of the young interns at both the K-Way and Green Thread factories. They are doing some impressive work and coming up with stunning designs. I was also very heartened by the overarching philosophy of ‘People First’ so evident in my conversations with all the senior staff at both factories, as well as the deep commitment to working for a better tomorrow.”

K-Way’s Sewing School prides itself on providing opportunities for unemployed people to learn a trade and become machinists in the factory. New recruits are exposed to an entire year of training and learn ‘from the ground up’, from where fabrics start, how to operate machines efficiently, and most importantly, how to perform each garment process in the factory.

As part of Cape Union Mart Group, Green Thread Manufacturers makes popular clothing brands including Poetry and Old Khaki, launched in 2022 with a goal to produce 65% of products locally by 2030. The studio is a creative hub facilitating the growth of local clothing design and production and has created over 300 jobs in the manufacturing field.

“We are very mindful of the high unemployment rate in our country and this partnership with DEDAT will not only provide critical skills and knowledge to our learners but will also foster employment opportunities for future growth” said Belinda Wolffe, Cape Union Mart Group Manufacturing HR Manager.

Minister Wenger continued, “One of the seven priority focus areas of the Western Cape’s new ambitious economic action plan, the Growth for Jobs Strategy, is ‘Improved Access to Economic Opportunities and Employability’. Our aim is to enable a thriving society where capable, economically active citizens are able to access economic opportunities and employment. This includes developing the skills of the future in our workforce, and where barriers to accessing information – to developing competencies and skills, and to finding work – have been reduced or removed.”

“The Western Cape Government is deeply committed to increasing employment, especially among the youth. Through internships, young people develop the relevant and appropriate experience and skills required by industry. By working with the private sector and with tertiary institutions we can address the skills gap and provide many more opportunities.” concluded Minister Wenger.