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Cape Town plans to boost BPO sector skills

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 06 Oct 2020
Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management, alderman James Vos, at the CapeBPO event.
Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management, alderman James Vos, at the CapeBPO event.

The City of Cape Town will partner with the National Skills Fund, an entity of the Department of Higher Education and Training, as well as industry, to fund training and stipends for candidates in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

This, as the city reinforces its commitment to grow the BPO sector and develop those already employed.

Alderman James Vos, the city’s mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management, made the announcement at yesterday’s“The day of 1 000 opportunities” CapeBPO event.

According to the COT, CapeBPO is one of its strategic business partners set up to upskill and place residents in the BPO sector.

Yesterday saw CapeBPO provide a bridging training course to 1 000 youth from Athlone to prepare them for work within the BPO sector.

“The city is proud of our partnership with the National Skills Fund, as well as our other partnerships, which enables the upskilling and placement of young people in employment opportunities,” says Vos.

A report by consultancy firm McKinsey recently revealed that SA’s BPO market has the potential to create 775 000 jobs by 2030, noting the sector is valued at R7.8 billion.

Furthermore, the annual 2020 Front Office BPO Omnibus Survey conducted by global firm Ryan Strategic Advisory shows SA is one of the top two preferred BPO destinations in the world, after India.

The Western Cape capital city has also recorded gains in the sector, becoming a call centre nucleus on the continent.

In June, the COT revealed it has attracted R954 million worth of investments in the BPO sector since the start of this financial year (July 2019).

Vos explains: “I believe that for our city to compete globally and experience inclusive socio-economic growth, we must continue investing in skills and training for the sectors that are poised for substantial increases from employment and trade perspectives, instead of training for the sake of training.

“The city has a wealth of services and targeted interventions to attract, retain and expand businesses. By working with high-growth sectors to implement proven strategies, we help businesses reach their full potential and employ more people, especially in these difficult times.”

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