The Metropolitan Trading Company (MTC) has from January to March 2022, assisted about 53 youth in the Johannesburg area with job opportunities.
The 53 youth were hired under the following service providers, InvesTong Group, Relisafa Transport and Projects, Under Ground Communications, and Purple Wire, to name a few. These entities rendered various services, namely: ODTR (based fibre monitoring system), network and storage hardware solutions, construction, security and cleaning, as well as ITC Consulting and services.
MTC runs the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) programme on a quarterly basis, and is pleased with the progress made in the communities and with the youth who has been fortunate to be part of this job opportunities/creation and work experience.
The EPWP is a key government initiative, which contributes to government policy priorities in terms of decent work and sustainable livelihoods, education, health, rural development, food security and land reform as well as the fight against crime and corruption. EPWP subscribes to an objective that says, ‘Decent employment through inclusive economic growth’.
The EPWP was established and mandated to create work opportunities according to the set targets and across all its four sectors, which includes Infrastructure, Non-State, Environment and Culture, and social sectors. One of the prescripts of the EPWP is to use labour-intensive methods which allow the drawing of a significant number of participants into the programme to do the work.
“Public works programmes can provide poverty and income relief through temporary work for the unemployed to carry out socially useful activities,” said Katleho Photolo, MTC Field technician.
MTC was also able to create job opportunities by inviting various black owned entities to submit their documents in order to ensure that the CSI programs would run smoothly, whilst following the BBBEE mandate.
One of the EPWP candidates said that this temporary job has assisted him to build his CV as he has zero work experience and finding a job is difficult with no experience, and most importantly they gained ICT skills.
Metropolitan Trading Company views this EPWP as a corporate social initiative and as one of the levers that can be used to prepare the country to meaningfully participate in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This can be achieved through providing digital and ICT skills to as many people as possible.
14/04/2022