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Recruitment initiative targets remote areas

Tessa Reed
By Tessa Reed, Journalist
Johannesburg, 14 Jun 2012

The Gauteng Provincial Government and Lulaway, an online recruitment platform, plan to unveil Lulaway recruitment centres to help jobseekers hoping to find formal employment in the entry and semi-skilled sectors.

Lulaway says 20 government-funded Lulaway booths will be opened in government centres in Gauteng before the end of this financial year. The company adds that consultants at these booths will help jobseekers compile CVs and upload their information onto an online database.

According to Errol Freeman, MD of Lulaway, the company was founded to address labour market inefficiencies in SA within the entry-level and blue-collar labour markets. He explains that the majority of the country's youth grow up in remote areas, while businesses are located in cities. He adds that the initiative is also targeted at those who have limited or no IT skills and no access to computers.

The company says applicants at its own centres are charged R20 for registration and R15 for their applications. However, Freeman says the provincial government will be providing a R25 subsidy for applicants at the Lulaway booths at government centres, reducing the cost to jobseekers to R10.

According to Lulaway, registration includes documentation scanning, photographs of the candidate, printing a colour CV, as well as uploading the applicant's data onto the platform. The company says applications include psychometric testing and skill level and job-related assessments. Once assessments are complete, candidates are automatically applied to all relevant positions. Jobseekers are also promoted on the company's site.

Freeman says the Lulaway system also provides employers with access to screened jobseekers. A facility is also provided for employers to communicate with applicants, individually or en masse via SMS.

Overcoming the digital divide

According to Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Worx, the initiative is a great concept that has already been proven in education. He adds that technology is also ready for this initiative and the booths are a great way to overcome the digital divide separating people in remote areas from the job market.

However, Goldstuck argues that R10 is a lot for jobseekers in remote areas and there needs to be transparency so that these applicants know what they are getting for their money. He adds that the initiative is also dependent on the integration of the Lulaway system into the job market. Goldstuck suggests that the success of the initiative will therefore depend on promotion that targets both businesses and jobseekers.

On 28June, Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane, the Department of Health and Social Development and Lulaway will host a breakfast, during which business leaders will be presented with the opportunity to invest in this initiative.

For further information regarding the breakfast, contact Errol at errol@lulaway.co.za or call (082) 809 0978.

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