Thirteen unemployed jobseekers have been given the opportunity to learn new skills as part of the City of Cape Town’s Corporate Contact Centre Learnership Programme.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Demetri Qually inducted the jobseekers to the programme on Monday, 3 June 2013.
The programme was advertised in June 2012 and will commence in June 2013. The City received approximately 59 000 applications for its five learnership programmes, 13 of which were selected for the Call Centre Operator Learnership.
Staffing Direct, an accredited service provider, has been appointed to provide the formal contact centre support learnership training and the learners will also be assisted by an internal team who will act as mentors and coaches. They will spend 70% of the learnership gaining practical skills in the Call Centre, while 30% of the time will be spent on learning theory. The City will also supply students with a monthly stipend to assist them with transport and food costs while studying.
The learners will be taught the necessary computer skills, business skills, organisational skills, and soft skills required to serve Cape Town residents and businesses.
“History has taught us that there is no tool more powerful than an education. It has the power to not only transform the lives of individuals, but the state of nations. No matter how difficult the road life leads you down, no matter what difficulties you face in your life, education can never be taken away from you.
“When we become educated, we not only equip ourselves with the most powerful tool in the world, but we empower our children and our communities to continue our legacy. Although an education does not necessarily precede greatness, it is the mustard seed of hope for future generations to come. For it is truly the ladder of opportunity,” says Alderman Demetri Qually.
Once they have achieved the necessary level of expertise, the students will be mainstreamed into the Contact Centre and work side-by-side with permanent Call Centre agents, responding to calls from the residents and businesses of Cape Town.
