The City of Cape Town has appointed 16 students as call centre agents at the 24-hour Customer Relations Call Centre. The City, in partnership with CapeBPO, has made this opportunity possible and sourced these students from areas across Cape Town to provide them with a 12-month learnership programme that offers practical experience within the workplace

CapeBPO is the City of Cape Town and the Western Cape's strategic business partner responsible for the growth and development of the BPO industry in Cape Town.

The City is the host employer for this learnership and once the training at the City's call centre has been completed, the students will receive a Contact Centre Learnership Certification, an equivalent to NQF4.

'It gives me great pleasure to see these deserving individuals receive an opportunity to prove themselves in the workplace. Many of these students were unemployed qualified graduates who needed an opportunity to enter the job market. Through partnering with CapeBPO, the City gained access to a list of capable and ambitious candidates who want to make their mark and pursue their career goals by using this opportunity to their full advantage. We believe this learnership will provide them with a solid stepping stone in their career path. I am looking forward to seeing them flourish during their time at the City,' said the City's Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.

The newly-appointed Call Centre agents started in June 2022. These determined students are from Grassy Park, Retreat, Khayelitsha, Kraaifontein, Delft, Dunoon and Gugulethu, among others.

Robyn Abrahams, 25, from Retreat, is one of the students who has been appointed.

'Being an employee at the City of Cape Town is every unemployed person's dream job. When I was appointed as a learner through the City, it was like a dream becoming reality, as I've heard many successful stories that come from these learnerships. Believe me when I say I cried happy tears when I received an invite to the induction. The City of Cape Town has no idea what this opportunity means to me and my family.

'Within these 12 months I am only aiming to achieve greatness. My short-term goal is to put theory into practice, and to leave our customers happy. My long-term goal is to become a permanent employee of the City and utilise my Diploma in Human Resource Management to the benefit of the City and the residents,' said Robyn .

Zusange Mjakada, 23, from Grassy Park, also received this learnership opportunity and believes that it will help her learn and develop new skills.

'When I was at the University of Cape Town, I always dreamed of working for the City of Cape Town; now that I am part of the team it feels like a dream come true. This learnership is a great stepping stone in my career and I am grateful for this opportunity. Over the next year I will bring forth my best abilities and I will work very hard to prove that I am a great asset,' said Zusange.

The City partners with various organisations in Cape Town to facilitate these learnerships, which forms part of the staffing strategy.

Apart from this Customer Contact Centre learnership, the City offers another three learnership programmes each year. These include:

• Metro and Traffic learnership

• Public Management for People with disabilities learnership

• Records and Archives Management learnership

The City will communicate details about these programmes to residents as needed. For more information, interested applicants can also visit the Careers section on the City of Cape Town's website.

'I also want to use this opportunity to inform jobseekers that the City will never ask applicants a fee to apply for a job or any other opportunity. Thus, should you receive a message asking you to pay for a job, or a learnership, or any other opportunity at the City of Cape Town, you should know it is fraudulent,' said Alderman Uys.

Source: City Of Cape Town