Skills project to create job opportunities for women, youth in Cape Clothing Sector

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Article found on BizCommunity

The Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator has launched in Cape Town, designed to create employment opportunities for youth and women in the city’s clothing and textile sector over the next three years.

The skills project is the result of a partnership between the City of Cape Town and the Craft and Design Institute (CDI), and is made possible through the National Skills Fund’s partnership with the City.

Goal to train 200 machinists

The plan is for CDI to recruit between 40 to 60 SMMEs to participate in the project and the goal is to train 200 machinists for the sector. The project will enable SMMEs to take on machinists at a greatly reduced cost to their business while creating learning and work opportunities for unemployed women and youth.

The learners will develop skills that include pattern making, pattern cutting, garment making, and sewing with 75% of the time spent in the business supported by 25% classroom time provided by the training provider.

The programme is designed to offer National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level training and workplace opportunities for unemployed youth and women as part of a 12-month learnership, with a view to the SMMEs employing the women at the end of the project. The learners who are recruited for the project must reside within the City of Cape Town metropolitan area, while the businesses may operate outside it.

Creative SMME businesses in the clothing and textile industry, who are building, or on the verge of building, production capacity are strongly encouraged to apply. Applications close on 21 October 2021. This project has been developed in consultation with emerging and growing businesses operating in the clothing and textile sector, and accredited training service providers.

Alderman James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, commented: “Together with the City’s enterprise and investment department, we fund strategic business partners, such as the CDI, in high-growth sectors to secure the skills pipelines businesses need to succeed.

“The youth and women will be supported through an accredited learnership (NQF level 2) in either clothing, footwear, leather, and textile production. SMMEs will be able to create a job profile to suit their individual business needs and recruit participants from the learnerships with little cost to the business. Thanks to tax rebates and incentives, a business can reduce the cost even further.”

Sustainable business development

Erica Elk, group CEO of the CDI, said: “This is not just a skills development project – the CDI is also placing emphasis on the development of the business and its capacity to not only host trainees but hopefully absorb them after the learnership is completed – we are aiming to grow the participating business for long-term sustainability.”

Twigg added: “Urban Management, through its public employment and skills development unit (Corporate EPWP) co-funds the project with R10m per year. This amount is dedicated at ensuring that all participants receive adequate stipends, while they undergo their respective training. The project comes at a time in which government has clearly identified public employment programmes as one of the most strategic and readily available tools needed to drive increased economic inclusion.

“For the City, this partnership also means an evidence-based reorientation of the focus of the City’s EPWP into creating platforms that not only allows for participants to gain work experience while earning – but, creating platforms that allow both the economy and participants to identify and close skills gaps that will open opportunities for growth on a sustainable level.”

Apply by clicking here.

5 tips for small businesses to emerge resilient from the pandemic

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Article by Jim Magats on BizCommunity

 

Small businesses play an important role in our communities and economies. Over the past year, as the pandemic shifted the retail and commerce landscape, small businesses were faced with a lot of change. Many digital small businesses saw dramatic growth during the pandemic, as consumers moved to digital channels. On the other hand, many bricks and mortar small businesses saw their sales decline, some so drastically that they were forced to close either temporarily or for good.

As we start to emerge from the pandemic, small businesses need to continuously adapt to evolving consumer behaviours and expectations. Here are five things small businesses can do to prepare themselves for success as the world rapidly goes digital.

1. Create a smooth (front and back end) omnichannel experience

According to a recent study, e-commerce has doubled in South Africa over the last two years. The study further revealed that the total growth for online retail in South Africa in 2020 came to 66%, bringing the total of online retail in South Africa to R30,2bn.

Despite this reality, many small businesses still lack an online presence. Even among those businesses that do have one, many lack seamless, omnichannel experiences connecting their various selling channels. By enabling seamless omnichannel experiences, small businesses can better meet changing consumer expectations. This does not indicate the need for different systems for online, mobile, and in-store commerce, as it can lead to inventory and order management issues or a disconnected payment and checkout experience. An omnichannel experience means having a connected experience, both on the front and back end.

For example, consumers want to be able to add an item to their online shopping cart and then have it waiting to be tried on when they arrive at the physical store. Or conversely, they want to be able to try something on in a physical store and, if the right size or colour is not available, have it waiting in their online shopping cart for purchase…. instant gratification.

To facilitate this, small businesses should make sure their back end integrates options like reporting, payments, inventory and order management, and seamless integration with third-party partners.

2. Foolproof your business and customers’ information with robust fraud protection measures

As businesses and customers have moved online, the scope for fraud and scams are also increasing. Cards, digital wallets, and contactless payments are replacing cash as the dominant e-commerce payment methods in South Africa. This has given rise to multiple types of fraud, from online shopping fraud to identity theft to tax scams and continues to grow as the number of internet users increases.

Therefore, at a fundamental level, small to medium businesses should monitor their transactions and customer accounts to identify any red flags. For example, if the company comes across any inconsistent shipping or billing information that does not match their records, it may be an indicator to some unusual activity in their account that should be investigated.

Businesses can also help prevent fraud by requiring their customers to create a strong and secure password with a minimum number of characters, including a special character as well as two-factor authentication, should login details be used from a different device.

3. Provide customers with alternate and flexible payment options

It is particularly important to always keep the customer experience first. SMBs should enable choice and flexible payment options for their customers so that consumers can make purchases in the manner they prefer. For example, businesses should allow their customers to pay with alternative funding sources, like buy now pay later solutions or paying with rewards points for example, that can help extend consumer spending power.

4. Collaborate with trusted partners to stay focused on the business

Small businesses must ensure that a lot of things are taken care of. This might include managing their website, marketing to prospects and customers, managing their back office, hiring, managing their staff, customer service and so on. This is when the role of trusted partners come in. Partners can facilitate a lot of backend work, like setting up the company’s e-commerce site, managing accounting, marketing, and more, which can further enable small business owners to focus on what they do best.

5. Make data-driven decisions

Finally, leverage your data efficiently to make informed decisions. Your data can provide you with an understanding of your customers and their preferences, and thereby help drive better customer experiences. Data can also be used to target offers, drive pricing strategies and get more customers to make purchases. Further, efficient use of data can also prevent fraudulent activities and increase trust and security for customers.

Ultimately, by using data effectively, you can also drive good marketing campaigns, which will thereby help drive sales – however, make sure you adhere to the latest South African legislation on the Protection of Personal Information.

The pandemic may not be here to stay, but many of the new trends that have emerged are. Through the five tips above, you can help your business come out of the pandemic from a position of strength.

Mental hurdles entrepreneurs face when starting up

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Article by Banele Rewo on BizCommunity

 

Going into business is not as simple as identifying a need, devising a way to service that need, charge for supplying it and then boom! bags of money. Going into business requires a change of mentality in how you navigate the world.

Here are some of the challenges you might face and how to overcome them.

Ignorance

It’s not by choice, but by excitement to start a business based on rumours and incomplete information and social media rumours about the particular industry e.g. trucking has many hidden costs of operations. Poultry farming is plagued with bird mortality. In property, months or years pass without tenants.

Take time to enter an industry you are unfamiliar with. Log off and go find people already operating and who can show you the real challenges within that industry. If you can’t find them, then you should be far from trying to spend any money on it when you can’t source peers.

Social media hype

Access to thousands of peers and strangers ready to congratulate you or reject your idea or product can kill your spirit before you begin or get you too many orders that could expose your unpreparedness or incompetence of product or service for large orders. Start with small groups and repeatedly satisfy them while fixing your product or business.

Delay your announcement on social media till you have gained a number of repeat customers and have gained feedback you have solved already.

Emotional Intelligence

When you are launching your business or idea you are convinced it is the best thing ever created. The market is often not as excited about your business as you are. Tensions get high when dealing with stubborn clients or ones asking too many questions already answered. Taking it personally can make respond rudely and lose customers.

Identity crisis

You are not your business. Your business will take up most of your time and when it fails it will feel like you, as the person, is failing. You need to separate the two identities and understand that a business failure only means the skills or information you have needs improvement so you can help your business perform better through challenges. You are not a failure.

Relationships

When you start your business and your friends do not support you. It’s not because they do not love or care about you. It’s because, like any other customer they have to use their money to buy products they need, want or like to exchange for their hard-earned money.

You have the responsibility to convince them to buy like any other customer. If they buy because of friendship only, then it means there is something terribly wrong with your service or product.

Prepare for money

When starting your business you can’t help but be excited by how little money you will spend to get stock, mark up, sell and make major profits. In most cases, the small costs are more frequent than the sales and they are in areas you never accounted for. Petrol, data, take-aways on the road – all those seem small but over time they add up. Also, when you get big money without preparing yourself mentally, you are likely to waste it and lose it all.

Over motivation

Motivational content lifts your spirits up but only for a short while before you are back to feeling depressed again. You need little motivation but more discipline when you start because discipline trains your mind how to stay on course even when it’s rainy or cold outside.