The Water and Sanitation Directorate’s Informal Settlements Basic Services Branch provides a janitorial service for toilets placed in informal settlements. This helps to keep toilets clean, which is essential to the well-being and health of residents who rely on them for dignified sanitation. Janitors are also required to report any issues with the toilets, such as blockages and vandalism, so that they can be attended to by the maintenance team.
The objective of the new job–creation and upskilling programme is to benefit 955 youth janitors between the ages of 18 and 35. Janitors are currently employed directly by the City or indirectly through City-appointed contractors.
This opportunity will only be available to those employed on contracts to service full-flush toilets. This will include an 18-month work contract to provide janitorial services in the informal settlement where the employee resides or in a surrounding area in close proximity.
During the employment period, successful candidates will be able to complete accredited training (with NQF credits) in the following fields: plumbing, computer literacy, customer relations, driver’s license and financial literacy. A certificate of competence will be issued after each training module has been completed.
Janitors are required to work six days a week, seven hours a day from Monday to Friday and five hours a day on Saturdays. Training sessions will be scheduled during normal working hours in the week.
The skills–development project aims to:
• Reduce the rate of unemployment in informal settlements
• Help address the current skills gaps and provide opportunities for unemployed youths and other marginalised groups.
• Equip participants to be more marketable for future job opportunities by providing them with at least one year’s work experience, which most organisations require when they recruit staff.
• Build confidence, self-reliance and social integration.
• Empower individuals with life skills which they can use in their everyday lives (e.g. driver’s license and plumbing skills).
• Improve the work ethic and the quality of service delivery through insights gained in customer relations training.
‘The Water and Sanitation Directorate seeks to reduce unemployment among the youth through its new 18-month employment contract for janitors. Extending the duration of contracts from one year to 18 months, has been driven by the need to invest more into uplifting the lives of young people and the desire to position them for a brighter future. On this programme, not only will they be employed for longer but they will also attain certified training and relevant work experience, which gives them a competitive advantage for further job opportunities.
This is part of our commitment to building a City of Hope and we encourage unemployed youth to register on the Jobseekers Database to be eligible for short-term EPWP job opportunities such as janitors,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
How to apply
Jobseekers need to register on the City’s EPWP jobseekers database at their local Sub council office to be eligible for available short-term job opportunities in that area. EPWP opportunities are allocated on a randomised basis. Candidates will be subjected to a written assessment prior to selection and recruitment and priority will be given to candidates who demonstrate the ability to read and write.
