Organization connects job seekers with employers
Fiona McLean has teamed up with other Good Samaritans to volunteer to assist people who are unemployed in the community with job opportunities to fight poverty in Gauteng.
For 29 years, the Employment Bureau has been helping people with basic skills to get employment and it has helped many people in the Fourways and its surrounding areas.
The bureau’s Fiona McLean and her team of volunteers are determined to help job seekers.
“We connect prospective employees with job seekers to assist in alleviating the immense poverty in Gauteng,” she said.
“We are a voluntary service and have no actual records. However, we are averaging at the moment two job seekers employed per week. This has diminished since Covid for various reasons. We were averaging before Covid, three to four job seekers employed per week.”
Fiona told Fourways Review that getting onto their database was an easy task. “Employment Bureau is run purely by volunteers. We assist job seekers who have skills but don’t necessarily have any qualifications. The job seekers’ requirements for us to register them include a valid South African ID or if a foreigner, a valid work permit reference from a previous employer.
“Because the Employment Bureau is purely a voluntary organisation, we cannot check references, it is purely an introductory service and we recommend that before an employer offers employment, the reference is checked with the previous employer/employers.”
The job seekers are given a sandwich and a cup of soup upon arrival and then wait for possible employers to arrive and request an interview with them.
“Our service for the employees is free of charge. We ask the employers for a R200 donation which is utilised in purchasing sandwiches and food ingredients for our soup kitchen every Tuesday morning where we feed on average, 80 homeless people per week.”
When asked what keeps them motivated to continue volunteering for the benefit of the community she said, “The absolute elation when a job seeker is employed is such a joy and the reason we keep the bureau open.”
And recently, the bureau has reason to be elated. “We work very closely with a patisserie at Prison Break Market. They have employed at least 10 job seekers in the last year, offering them positions from salespeople to waitresses.
“They have been incredibly supportive of the employment bureau, not only financially but also in upskilling the employees, therefore making them sustainable.”
Details: Employment Bureau’s Fiona McLean email fionamcleanbanks@gmail.com
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