Avo Solutions
South Africa faces a great challenge and obstacle in unemployment. Every quarter we hold on to our seats in anticipation of the unemployment statistics. What has become clear is that a shift for many of South Africa’s youth from looking for a job to creating one is necessary. The Give Yourself a Job programme is a small business development programme that equips individuals with critical basic practical business skills to start and run a business. As our managing director Henry Sebata always says, “South Africa has too many problems for unemployment to be one of them.” This is the mindset and ethos upheld by the programme over a 14-week period where a cohort of 25 individuals develop key business acumen and the appetite for entrepreneurship.
Participants during this period cover a number of topics, such as identifying low-barrier/low-capital opportunities, analysing opportunities, and developing a network of support. One of the participants who have done exceptionally well for themselves is Atang Ramabele, who says attending give yourself a Job training gave him a totally different perspective on entrepreneurship. “Many people think they need a lot of money to start a business, but there are a lot of businesses that they can start with just a little. I never thought that natural resources could be used to make money. I saw an opportunity and a gap in my community and our country to produce charcoal. We now have eight employees, and I hope to hire more people and expand to different provinces,” He said. Atang further said knowledge is power. He learned from business ideas shared in the programme about securing funding and marketing his business to different targets. He wishes people, especially youth, knew there are so many ways to give themselves a job. People could be employed, creating opportunities for more people and helping develop their communities.
The programme has helped thousands of people begin to see themselves as entrepreneurs with a real shift towards employing themselves and others rather than just waiting for a job.’ This is crucial as small and informal businesses in South Africa account for about 60% of employed individuals. The success of a small business is the success of the country as a whole and the responsibility of society.
