Johannesburg, 29 June 2021: National Government has called on all citizens and corporations to participate in Youth Month by recognising the present and future role of the youth in shaping the socio-economic landscape of the country.
The recent unemployment statistics pertaining to young people is cause for concern. The 2020 fourth quarter Labour Force Survey found that about 8,6 million young people aged between 15 and 34 years are not educated nor are they employed
Taking its lead from National Government, Twizza has, since 2016, initiated various development and empowerment initiatives to combat youth unemployment. These include among others, the Twizza Graduate Programme (Work Experience), Internships, Learnerships as well as extensive apprenticeship programmes.
Twizza cares about the communities it operates in and has taken the opportunity to give back to these communities. The proudly SA company does this by providing access to formal learning and workplace experience to local unemployed youth. Twizza has partnered with the FoodBev SETA and has maximised on funding offered by the SETA, whilst ensuring compliance to the Skills Development Act, by providing upskilling and skills development opportunities to unemployed youth.
Twizza offers three levels of youth opportunities:
- Twizza Graduate Programme:
This is a post-graduate opportunity that aims to expose newly qualified graduates to a working environment for the purpose of offering them on-the-job experience. The duration of the programme is a year.
- Internship Programme:
Twizza offers under- graduate students the opportunity to embark on projects which form part of the practical work-related experience required to obtain their qualification. The duration of the programme is between 6 and 12 months.
- Learnerships:
Learnerships at Twizza are work-based learning programmes that lead to an NQF registered qualification.
In the last 3 years Twizza participated in both Employed and Unemployed learnerships. The focus of the learnerships has been on Generic Management (Supervisory Skills), Food Handling, Stores and Warehousing as well as Food and Beverage Packaging.
To date, Twizza has enrolled 34 Employed Learners into NQF4 (Generic Management), NQF 3 (Stores and Warehousing) as well as NQF4 (Food Packaging Qualification) to enhance employee engagement and increase employee growth and promotion opportunities.
“We have got to start moving to systems that drive apprenticeships and vocational training from school level because the number of young people hitting 25 with the prospect of lifetime unemployment in South Africa is massive,” says Gwen Francis, Chief Human Resources Officer at Twizza.
Gwen continues: “The internship programme has helped close the skills gaps within the technical department, ensuring effective succession planning for retirees and current employees while enhancing the technical capabilities at Twizza plants. We have also created employment opportunities for unemployed youth.”
In the last few years Twizza has recruited graduates and interns across the Engineering, Quality Control, HR as well as Finance Functions. Despite the current restrained economic climate, Twizza embarked on a Youth Employment initiative within the Commercial space where Sales Activator roles were created for newly qualified graduates. A total of 9 graduates were employed and spread across various regions through SA.
The new graduates are exposed to an intense induction programme followed by a continuous learning journey through the e-Learning Platform as well as on-the-Job Coaching in order to set them up for success. At Twizza, our initiatives provide the necessary support for young people to take on their challenges and win.
Creating more opportunities for young people, and supporting young people to access these opportunities is a priority for Twizza. What we do as Twizza contributes towards improving the lives of young people and help build a South Africa we are proud to be a part of.
More about Twizza:
Founded in 2003 by Ken Clark in the Eastern Cape, the carbonated soft drink known as Twizza opened its second factory in 2012 in Middelburg Mpumalanga, and then a third plant opening in 2015 in Cape Town. Today, boasting one of the most sophisticated production lines in the country, Twizza’s extensive distribution network spans South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana and Mozambique.
Video: Twizza Recognises the Role of the Youth in Shaping the Future
More Info on Twizza Recognises the Role of the Youth in Shaping the Future here: http://twizza.co.za
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Alan Straton
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