From January 2020, young people from Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Mfuleni and surrounding areas in the Western Cape will have the opportunity to engage in a free 10-week Youth in Business programme. The programme is run by the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi) and aims to equip the youth with the skills necessary for their companies to become economically sustainable.
Areas covered will include admin, finance, accounting, tax, e-commerce, graphic design, document management, digital marketing, social media, HR, project management, legal advice, payments, banking and more. Fezeka Mavuso, manager of the Khayelitsha Bandwidth Barn noted that the modules will be taught by knowledgeable facilitators with years of experience who themselves have implemented these tools in their businesses. “As a result, these young entrepreneurs will benefit from a network of highly skilled facilitators and mentors with real experience” said Mavuso.
Additionally, they will be exposed to networking opportunities with other businesses, industry experts and coaches to assist them in growing their businesses and will have access to the co-working space and lab at Khayelitsha Bandwidth Barn where the training will be hosted. Three groups, each comprised of 35 youth-owned businesses will be introduced to digital programmes and platforms to support their business activities .They will also take part in an online programme that will run for 10 months to help them improve their entrepreneurial skills and build their businesses.
To qualify for the Youth in Business programme, entrepreneurs must be aged between 18 and 35,have operational businesses which are 100% black youth-owned. Applicants must reside in the following locations: Khayelitsha, Mitchells Plain, Mfuleni, Philippi, Langa, Delft, Eerste River, Macasssar and surrounding areas and must have a desire to learn and introduce technology into their business.
Eligible candidates can submit their applications on the CiTi website
Applications close on Friday, 20 December 2019.
