MOT South Africa upskills and capacitates youth
MOT South Africa partners with high schools, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and community organisations in the Western and Eastern Cape to upskill and capacitate youth, educators and people working with youth. MOT was introduced at educational institutions in South Africa to address the high dropout rate, lack of discipline and substance abuse, to inculcate sound values and positive behaviour, and to ensure the holistic development of the youth. The MOT programmes are filling a gap that exists in society of teaching and developing positive behaviour and values, and helping young people to critically consider their choices and behaviour.
MOT SA offers the programmes at no cost to the institutions, educators and youth who participate in their programmes.
IT Thynk Students to business programme
Due to the need for skilled IT professionals in South Africa, IT THYNK approached Microsoft in September 2016 to sponsor a program that would provide: internationally recognised accreditation to IT graduates from Tshwane University of Technology; a skills development programme for unemployed graduates; and business opportunities for skilled IT technicians and software developers. Microsoft partnered with IT Thynk’s students-to-business programme and a total of 59 graduates have received technical and soft-skills training from September 2016 to date. Out of this group 121 Microsoft exams were written and 75 of those exams were passed (61% success rate). Twenty-four graduates now have jobs and 18 are on the programme until February 2018. The program has had a 58% placement rate (excluding 18 graduates who have not completed their programme).
The Dream Factory Foundation
The Dream Factory Foundation’s #BeTheDream programme empowers secondary learners (13-19 years) at risk of dropping out to be resilient and achieve better outcomes at school by providing them with mentors, curricula that incorporate a sense of purpose; and facilitate points of connection through entrepreneurial and employability interventions that enable them to achieve their dreams. Beneficiaries are engaged up to twice a week for two to three hours.
The programme was birthed towards the end of 2011, when the founders were working in under-resourced schools in the Western Cape and were confronted with the realities of lack of access to quality education, high levels of unemployment, lack of exposure to sustainable livelihoods and poverty faced by young people in these schools. The two founders felt a deep call to impact the lives of young people positively by empowering them to transition successfully into adulthood and make a full, active contribution to society.
Sophiatown BizCre8 Programme
Funded through the Green Fund — an initiative of the department of environmental affairs (DBSA) — and managed by the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Sophiatown BizCre8 Programme is developing a model of intervention to support youth enterprises. The project is now coming to the end of three years and has established an affordable programme reaching over 200 youths annually who have a business idea or a fledgling business with potential to grow and create jobs, using sustainable methods of production, and that contribute to community needs as well as market opportunities. The DBSA indicates when a project has reached its targets and has a proven approach that supports real entrepreneurial potential, to be realised at a pace that young people can manage.
Skills are developed; mentoring and coaching for the entrepreneur and then business activation processes kick in including market access, marketing and branding support for those businesses that are ready to take the next step. The model provides space, IT, Wifi and moral support on their journey to establishing businesses, as well as networking, access to funding networks and a chance to enter high-growth incubators.