A state of the art contact centre officially launched in Jabulani last week.
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The launch is the result of a public-private partnership and year-long collaboration between customer experience partner, Merchants, AMANDLA Social Enterprises, the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) and the Gauteng Department of Economic Development (GDED).
The new Jabulani contact centre is a direct response to a long-standing challenge in the area: a lack of sustainable employment closer to home.
By expanding inclusive economic opportunities in Jabulani, this pioneering project not only creates new jobs, but strengthens the circular economy, taps into local Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprise (SMME) services, and introduces new businesses to the growing precinct.
Located behind the Jabulani Mall, this spacious new infrastructure will result in significant job creation especially for those under the age of 25 and seeks to support further opportunities for the youth of Soweto.
The recruitment process for the centre has been facilitated through Merchants’ MyCalling platform, which matches job seekers to suitable roles through behavioural profiling rather than traditional factors like educational background.
“The BPO industry is an important industry for job creation in South Africa, as we can hire impact workers who have no previous experience or tertiary education and upskill them for success, equipping them with important skills like problem-solving, empathy and interpersonal communication.
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“We are both proud and excited to be adding this new centre to our network, as we continue to work hard on building a strong talent pipeline for the country,” says Dr. Sydwell Shikweni, Transformation Director at Merchants.
Soweto accounts for 40% of Johannesburg’s population and suffers from 53% unemployment. Without viable local opportunities, residents lose money and time traveling far distances to seek or commute to work; small businesses and local services also miss out on consumers who spend income where they work, outside the community.
Through the new centre, employees will also receive extensive training and ongoing support to ensure their success.
In addition, the project will support several local SMMEs as suppliers to the centre.
“We are incredibly proud and excited to see this centre become operational,” says Florian Zech, Founder and Joint Managing Director, AMANDLA Social Enterprises.
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“Everything we do at AMANDLA is geared toward making access to opportunity more equitable for young people.”
Job seekers will receive practical on-the-job training and gain the soft skills needed to navigate the modern workplace.
The contact centres will open opportunities to work with international companies and receive work remotely.
Carey Lucas-Jooste, Head of Innovation at the DBSA, echoes the excitement shared by the partners.
“The launch of the centre is a great example of how partnerships and collaboration can unlock sustainable development solutions that provide spaces within underserved communities for economic inclusion.”
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