Cape Town - The City of Cape Town’s Job Connect platform has joined a long list of initiatives by the local government that have been awarded notable accolades for advancements in their fields.
The City’s Jobs Connect platform was awarded the Chapter Head Special Award from the Tamil Business Warriors for its use of technology in bringing opportunities to unemployed residents in Cape Town.
The City’s Jobs Connect platform is a flagship workforce development program under the Economic Growth Directorate. Its digital format allows people access to opportunities online.
The platform, which is administered by Leelyn Management, was one of four projects shortlisted for the organisation’s Chapter Head Special Award.
The City’s Economic Growth Mayco Member James Vos said it was exceptionally gratifying for Jobs Connect and the team behind it to be recognised.
He said: “The City launched this project after I tasked our Enterprise and Investment Department to create an easy-to-use, accessible platform that connected work-seekers with employers.
According to Vos, studies show that with everything that goes into finding a job, from sourcing opportunities to printing out CVs and transport to drop off applications or go to interviews, job-hunting can cost an unemployed person in South Africa up to R1 500 a month.
“Jobs Connect reduces much of that stress with a streamlined job seekers’ application process by creating a user-friendly, low-cost online platform,” Vos said.
Once users have registered on the platform and been assessed, they can go through the platform to see what training and leadership opportunities are available.
Job seekers are also able to drill down to opportunities by area. Individuals who are selected for an interview are then automatically notified by Jobs Connect via SMS or WhatsApp. To date, 97982 people have signed up and been assessed on the platform.
Jobs Connect user, Eric Kobo who registered on the platform in September 2022 was able to secure a position as a shift supervisor for a cleaning company, a month after joining the site and creating his CV profile.
Kono said: “I had a good experience using Jobs Connect and would recommend it to others.”
Western Cape Regional Manager of the Jumpstart training programme at Catalyx social development agency, Anthea Mesias said the platform has been equally rewarding for businesses, many of whom don’t have the resources to focus on recruitment alongside their other daily operations.
She said her organisation works with the Jobs Connect team to find suitable candidates for their workshops.
“Jobs Connect has been such a good experience. The service is speedy, and we’ve found our collaboration with their team to be beneficial,” said Mesias.
Genesis CITI I-Can Centre Executive Director Llewellyn Scholtz said: “The platform has been helpful for their students. What makes Jobs Connect different from other initiatives is that it’s focused on Cape Town, and job-hunters can refine their searches to the areas of the Mother City.”