eoh work readiness initiative - interim narrative report 2014

www.eoh.co.za

THE EOH WORK READINESS INITIATIVE

INTERIM NARRATIVE REPORTFOR THE PERIOD 1 MARCH 2014 - 29 AUGUST 2014

Supported by:

EXECUTIVE SUMMARYEOH is a South African learning solutions provider with specialist skills in linking educational outcomes to labour market requirements, which is also a key strategic priority of the South African government. Awareness of the link between employability, economic growth and poverty reduction has become increasingly explicit in government policy since 1994. EOH is leading an employer driven campaign in South Africa to create work opportunities for disadvantaged youth - the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative.

The Rockefeller Foundation is a US based non-profit organisation that seeks to promote the well-being of people throughout the world. Digital Jobs Africa is one of several of their programmes aiming to build resilience and promote growth with equity. A key feature of the programme is linking learners to employment opportunities in information and communications technology (ICT).

Due to EOH’s capabilities in both skills development, youth empowerment and ICT services, Rockefeller Foundation engaged them in a 12 month project in support of Digital Jobs Africa, to achieve the following objective:

▲ To train, mentor and place 1,750 disadvantaged youth in permanent jobs and to develop a web-based workforce readiness training programme to scale up its Youth Job Creation Initiative

This project commenced on 1 March 2014 and will conclude on 30 April 2015.

The Foundation requires interim narrative and financial reports by September 2014. The primary purpose of these reports is to enable the early identification of problems so that corrective action can be taken. What follows is the interim narrative report detailing progress to date against the objectives.

EOH is currently on track to achieving all of the deliverables agreed to in its Service Level Agreement as will be communicated in this report.

However since the project is only half-way through implementation, it is too early to report on substantial impact. The report will therefore focus on achievements to date such as the design, content and methodology of the work readiness programme, the identification and selection of learning sites and learners, and progress to date as far as that can be measured, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The second half of the report offers interviews with a sample of the beneficiaries of the work readiness initiative to provide a window into the life-stories and implementation context, and potential impact of the programme.

INTERIM NARRATIVE REPORT FROM EOH AUGUST 2014

3 ExEcutivE Summary

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3

BACKGROUND 6

DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM AND THE OPPORTUNITY 6

IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONS 6

DIGITAL JOBS AFRICA 7

THE EOH YOUTH JOB CREATION INITIATIVE 10

THE INITIATIVE 11

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES? 11

THE GRANT 11

THE WORK READINESS PROGRAMME & PLATFORM 12

WHAT IS THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN? 14

HOW ARE YOUTH AND WORKPLACES SELECTED? 14

WHAT WORKPLACES AND LEARNING SITES WERE SELECTED? 15

WORK READINESS INITIATIVE UNDER DIGITAL JOBS FOR AFRICA

4

PROGRESS TO DATE 16

OVERVIEW 16

WHAT QUANTITATIVE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE? 16

WHAT QUALITATIVE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE? 16

WHAT CHALLENGES WERE ENCOUNTERED? 16

WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED? 17

HOW HAS THE PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTED TO DIGITAL JOBS AFRICA? 17

INTERVIEWS 19

LEARNERS 19

MANAGERS & MENTORS 34

CONTACTS 37

BIBLIOGRAPHY 37

APPENDICES 38


5TABLE OF CONTENTS

BACKGROUND

DEFINITION OF THE PROBLEM AND THE OPPORTUNITYGlobal inequality has reached levels which threaten the stability of current economic and social structures. The richest 85 people on the planet have as much wealth as the poorest half of the planet, or 3,500,000,000 people1. With so many people having little to no stake in the economy, industrial action, crime and terrorism have become national security priorities that consume increasingly large portions of government budgets. The appeal of radical ideologies to people who “have nothing to lose but their chains,”2 has given cause to many leaders, philanthropists, researchers and entrepreneurs to seek a more effective way to empower marginalised communities while still preserving individual freedoms and rights.

The balance between service and selfishness, between rights and responsibilities, between the gains of the present versus the cost to the future: these are fundamental equations in the harmony of life which humanity is now calculating and recalculating with a “quiet desperation”3.

Technological advances in the last 100 years have presented undreamed of new realms of possibilities for an improved quality of life, and an end to the drudgery and hardship of manual labour and repetitive tasks. Globalisation has erased prejudices, opened minds and expanded our definition of what it means to be “human” while also blurring ethical distinctions and cultural diversity with an, as yet, uncertain future impact.

A narrow, short-term focus on shareholder returns is reducing many corporate giants of innovation to risk-averse efficiency hunters, resulting in a shrinking pool of genuinely creative new products and services, and allowing CEOs to hide behind cost saving strategies while showing what looks like shareholder gains4. An ever shrinking horizon of anticipated shareholder return is driving an equally shrinking horizon of short-term planning in businesses, passed on to employees in the form of greater demands for productivity and performance and impacting their families in the form of stress and chronic health degeneration5.

In the USA, the Rockefeller Foundation has applied itself to these challenges in order to find and support solutions that promote resilience and inclusive growth. One of these solutions is the Digital Jobs for Africa programme which seeks to link high potential but disadvantaged

1 Oxfam Media Briefing 18 January 20132 Marx, K. & Engels, F. The Communist Manifesto (1848)3 thoreau, H.D. Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience (1854)4 See for instance Steve Dennings article, Why Financialisation has Run Amok in Forbes (3 June 2014)5 See for example Harvard Business Review’s Focusing Capital on the Long Term by Dominic Barton and Mark Wiseman

youth in developing countries, with work opportunities in the ICT6 sector, through a new approach to Business Process Outsourcing.

In South Africa, EOH has sought to combine the need for scarce skills in businesses with the national government’s youth job creation drive, to help employers and young people enter into working and learning relationships that benefit them both. This happens under the banner of the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative, which has a target of directly and indirectly supporting the employment of 28,000 youth by 2016.

IDENTIFYING SOLUTIONSThe challenges outlined above are also being tackled by a wide range of stakeholders across the public-private spectrum, and across the profit-non-profit spectrum. Few solutions however have a systemic approach which seeks to identify solutions in a holistic context, and address them from a wide range of angles, or across an entire economic value-chain. Where such solutions do exist, as for example in certain high level government strategies, they seldom have the effectiveness to rally the combined effort of the wide range of role-players required to effect systemic change, especially over the relatively short time-span of an elected government administration.

Organisations like EOH and the Rockefeller Foundation aim to use partnerships and networks as well as sustainable business practices to leverage a form of investment in their projects which have the potential to be self-sustaining once a critical threshold is reached. The solutions they have identified have the potential to be upscaled across entire economic sectors and value chains and attain a level of impact which most state-funded interventions have only dreamed of.

In South Africa, the relatively advanced nature of socially responsible business incentivised by the state7 has the potential to facilitate even more rapid adoption of these solutions, making the EOH-Rockefeller Foundation partnership particularly impactful, and providing a relatively quick proof of practice which can help speed up adoption in other countries that do not have similar incentives.

6 ICT = information and communications technology7 As seen for example in the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment Codes of Good Practice of the Department of Trade & Industry and the state’s preferential procurement policy


6

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevedenning/2014/06/03/why-financialization-has-run-amok/?utm_campaign=Socialflow&utm_source=Socialflow&utm_medium=Tweet

http://hbr.org/2014/01/focusing-capital-on-the-long-term/ar/1

http://hbr.org/2014/01/focusing-capital-on-the-long-term/ar/1

DIGITAL JOBS AFRICA8

FAST FACTS

▲ Initiated by

− The Rockefeller Foundation

▲ Beneficiaries

− High potential, disadvantaged youth across six African countries

− Their families and communities

− Employers and the wider enabling environment linked to these youth

▲ Time-span

− 7 years

− Announced May 2013

▲ Budget

− Almost US$100 million

▲ Scale of impact:

− 1,000,000 people

▲ Nature of impact:

− Generate social and economic benefits for youth, their families, and their communities

− Increase demand for African youth in the workforce

▲ Link to business process outsourcing:

− Built on a more responsible and sustainable approach to business process outsourcing (impact sourcing)

▲ Three outcomes:

− Connecting high potential, disadvantaged youth to employment opportunities in the digital economy

− Encouraging and enabling employers to incorporate inclusive business practices into their business models beyond corporate social responsibility

− Scaling the environment for digital jobs and making it a self-sustainable by co-ordinating government and business efforts

8 A summary of the Digital Jobs Africa initiative follows, for a detailed back-ground see Harji, K. and Best , H. Digital Jobs: Building Skills for the Future (2013)

WHAT ARE DIGITAL JOBS?

Digital jobs use technology to produce information

Digital jobs are a specific set of occupations which:

▲ produce information, rather than physical objects or physical services

▲ use tools such as computers, smart phones, tablets, networks and the internet

▲ benefit from the levelling effect of technology and the internet to be able to be offered to a global customer base at low cost across great distances and from remote or rural locations

▲ exist in almost every sector of the economy, and are often at the cutting edge of development in those sectors

▲ are in demand in the formal employment sector, and therefore provide higher than average wages and better long-term job stability

▲ develop transferable skills sets in both technical (end-user computing, internet literacy, database operation) and non-technical (problem solving, customer service, reporting) areas. These skills sets:

− have come to underpin almost all modern occupations, and therefore assist work seekers in horizontal and vertical career progression

− are equally valuable at the level of an entrepreneur, micro-business, or a large enterprise

WHY ARE DIGITAL JOBS RELEVANT TO AFRICA?

Digital jobs can catalyse economic growth9 and empower disadvantaged individuals, their families and their communities.

No where in the world is this a more serious priority than in Africa, where 80% of the population lives below the poverty line, and half of the population are younger than twenty, making it the world’s youngest continental population. Most of these youth are unemployed, although the level of employment varies considerably by country.

While many factors inhibit Africa’s potential for success, it has an advantage in certain ICT indicators which make digital jobs a potentially favourable area for growing secure livelihoods.

For example, Africa is investing in ICT technology, especially in the area of broadband connectivity and mobile technology. It is now connected by eight undersea fibre optic cables to the global internet backbone, at a

9 Various research including for example the University of Leuven discussion paper, “High Technology Employment in the European Union” (2013). “High technology” occupations in this report include technicians (not just engineers).


7BACKGROUnD

cost of just under US$4 trillion10. It is the world’s fastest growing mobile phone market, and more than half of its 1.1 billion population are mobile subscribers, compared to just 16 million in the year 2000. Mobile data consumption is on par with that of most developed markets11.

Digital jobs depend on ICT infrastructure, which is why Africa is uniquely positioned to create employment for digital workers and these jobs could be a lifeline to the continent’s unemployed youth.

CAN DIGITAL JOBS EMPOWER AFRICAN YOUTH?

The World Economic Forum estimates that around 150 million new jobs could be created in ICT for Africans by 2020. However current research shows that youth receive only around 22% of new jobs created in Africa12, despite making up 60% of its unemployed13. Employment creation on a large scale will not therefore, in itself, empower disadvantaged youth unless factors hindering their employment are explicitly addressed in youth empowerment initiatives.

The barrier to employment faced by youth around the world is that they lack work experience The risk and cost to employers in hiring them will therefore always be greater than that of hiring similarly skilled but already experienced employees. As long as companies view induction, training and development as “non-core business”, on-boarding youth will always be seen as a cost to be minimised rather than an investment in the human capability of the organisation14.

Inexperienced youth globally therefore find themselves in a “catch 22” situation where they cannot get access to the employment that would give them the experience they need to get access to employment.

In Africa, disadvantaged youth face additional barriers to entering the increasingly globalised workforce including social and political instability, distance from resources, poverty, language barriers, culture differences, and gender discrimination..

Helping youth access the digital jobs market would therefore require preparatory skills development to provide functional and behavioural skills not typically provided by the public schooling system (generally referred to as work readiness programmes). It would also require opportunities for real work experience linked to formal theoretical education for entry-level IT occupations (referred to in South Africa under various names including workplace learning, work integrated learning, on-the-job-training, and learnerships).

10 https://manypossibilities.net/african-undersea-cables/ last accessed 20 Au-gust 201411 Harji, K. & Best, H. Digital Jobs: Building Skills for the Future (2013): 3.

12 ibid., p. 2.13 ibid., p. 2.14 This is why the role of intermediary human capital BPO firms is so important in youth empowerment. EOH is approximately one third a human capital BPO, and two thirds an ICT services company, which makes it an ideal champion for youth empowerment.

GROWING DEMAND TO MATCH SUPPLY

The relationship between increased work experience and improved employability was implicit in training models such as those developed by the artisans and masons in Europe during the Middle Ages, but was increasingly obscured with the advent of the industrial age and “mass produced” education.

Parents, mentors, tutors and master craftsmen were absorbed into the formal, industrialised workforce, and the preparation of youth for employment was shifted to educational institutions, which imitated aspects of Henry Ford’s successful assembly line model. The first Human Resource Development practitioners (trainers) emerged at this time to make up for what was to become an increasingly obvious gap between the supply of learners from the educational system and the demand for competent employees in the labour market.

As the nature of work has become more and more complex, with occupational specialisations becoming the norm, the lack of work experience in the schooling system has become more of a disadvantage for the youth it aims to serve.

Now as the Rockefeller Foundation and EOH seek solutions to youth employability which go beyond improving the “supply side” of the labour force equation, they are seeing the importance of engaging the “demand side” of the learning equation (the employment environment)15.

For EOH this involves reducing the risk and cost to South African employers of hiring and training high potential but disadvantaged youth.

For Rockefeller Foundation it means partnering with organisations such as EOH as they open workplaces up for youth, while simultaneously using inclusive business practices, such as impact sourcing, to increase the pool of available employment opportunities for youth. This is an important step in addressing the problem of youth unemployment because currently only around 40,000 new digital jobs per year are created in the six countries where Digital Jobs Africa is being implemented. This despite the fact that all six countries have big digital work opportunities, as reported in the Dalberg study, Digital Jobs in Africa.

15 Supply and demand dynamics are a helpful way of understanding the labour market. Supply in this case is typical some kind of education or training institu-tion and demand is an employer.


8

https://manypossibilities.net/african-undersea-cables/

WHY IMPACT SOURCING?

One of the recent trends in business efficiency is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) which involves the identification of specific parts of a business value chain for relocation to an economy which is able to deliver the required products and services at a more efficient cost than the original centre of operations.

Pursued blindly, BPO can negatively impact the community which loses the economic activity, damage the organisation’s brand and cannibalise the long-term prospects of the business, while buying a short-term saving in costs. BPO has become a political issue in many countries where it has been practised and caused a reassessment of how it can be more thoughtfully applied.

One of the new approaches to BPO has been termed Impact Sourcing.

Impact sourcing differs from BPO in that high potential but disadvantaged youth are the primary source of employees for the newly created work opportunities. For many of the youth working in impact sourcing, this will be their first work experience. The experience they receive, as well as training in work readiness and digital skills, will significantly ease their access to future work opportunities and therefore improve their resilience whether or not they progress further in the impact sourcing sector. Their families and communities will benefit from having a wage-earner in the formal economy with its higher and more consistent salaries.

EOH’s business is human capital outsourcing services and ICT services. It has been practicing its own form of impact sourcing for several years within the South African context16, and in so doing has developed a strong business case for its clients by aligning its work closely to the South African government’s system of socially responsible business incentives. This enables it to offer BPO services aligned to the internal HRD17 strategies of its clients and also subsidised by tax incentives and grants. It therefore helps employers overcome the risk and cost hurdles typical of impact sourcing initiatives and is able to do so at scale due to its client base of over 2,000 organisations.

16 The EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative targets to employ 28,000 youth by 2016 and was initiated in 2012, and based on even earlier efforts to apply so-cially responsible business principles in the South African context.17 Human Resource Development

WHERE DOES SOUTH AFRICA FIT INTO THIS?

In South Africa the outlook for youth employment is even worse than the African average, despite the more advanced nature of the country’s economy and political system.

At an unbelievable high of 48% in 2009, the youth unemployment situation has somehow worsened to 52% in 201218, giving South Africa the unenviable title of third highest youth unemployment in the world, after Greece and Spain. This figure is also well above the average of 12,5% for the sub-Saharan Africa region.

Youth have been key in civil disturbances and local municipality protests throughout the country for several years, and have politically even secured a voice in their own political party19. Awareness of the importance of youth unemployment has percolated down from government in the form of a Youth Employment Accord (April 2013) and a Youth Employment Tax Incentive, only recently in effect, which provides tax deductions for employers of young people.

At the same time as being under significant pressure to find solutions to youth unemployment, South Africa was ranked third out of twenty high potential countries, for impact sourcing suitability20. It also has the largest services sector on the continent, and is already successful and attractive as a BPO destination. It has an array of government incentives for youth employment, skills development, enterprise development, preferential procurement and employment equity. A well developed network of employers, service providers and community based organisations also exists in the country with years of experience in different approaches to socially responsible business practices. As the maturest economy in Africa, it also has the potential to upscale Digital Jobs Africa rapidly, and with many South African businesses expanding into Africa, any successes achieved locally would hopefully migrate north.

18 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS

19 The Economic Empowerment Front (EFF)20 Kennedy, R., Sheth, S., London, T., Jhaveri, E., Kilibarda, L. Impact Sourcing - Assessing the Opportunity for Building a Thriving Industry (2013)

The national Department of Public Works, a host employer for the EOH Work Readiness Programme


9BACKGROUnD

http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.UEM.1524.ZS

THE EOH YOUTH JOB CREATION INITIATIVE

Aspects of the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative have been mentioned in the preceding section on Digital Jobs Africa, to illustrate the synergies between the two approaches to youth unemployment.

In addition, the following facts are important in understanding the context for the EOH Work Readiness Initiative described in the rest of this document:

FAST FACTS

▲ Initiated by

− EOH

▲ Beneficiaries

− Disadvantaged South African youth

▲ Time-span

− 4 years

− Announced July 2012

▲ Scale of impact:

− 28,000 disadvantaged youth across South Africa

▲ Nature of impact:

− Provide work experience opportunities coupled with formal education and training resulting in nationally recognised qualifications and employment

▲ Educational components

− primarily learnership programmes with vendor certified add-ons such as the A+, N+, Oracle, Microsoft or other certification

− a work readiness component is included in all YJCI programmes, but its duration varies according to the availability of funding

▲ Learnership programmes are:

− one year or longer in duration

− on-the-job learning culminating in government accredited qualifications

− a placement rate of 70% in learnerships is a minimum requirement of most funding partners in South Africa; EOH aims for an 80% placement rate

− externally quality assured and certificated by government education authorities (SETAs)

− able to qualify employers for tax incentives and points on the socially responsible business scorecard (used in awarding government and other procurement)

▲ Link to business process outsourcing:

− EOH is itself a BPO firm and has built a business case to encourage other employers to use this model in alignment with the South African government’s youth empowerment strategies

NOTES TO THE PRECEDING TABLE

1. Work readiness is commonly accepted as an important component of all workplace learning initiatives for youth in South Africa, yet funding constraints result in probably less than half of such initiatives including anything more than a rudimentary effort at work readiness

2. Placement rate refers to post learnership employment, self-employment or further study

3. The socially responsible business scorecard refers to the Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment scorecard of the Department of Trade & Industry


10

LINK TO THE EOH WORK READINESS INITIATIVE

When EOH first approached the Rockefeller Foundation to discuss a partnership in South Africa, the basis for working together was the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative, in so far as it supported the objectives of Digital Jobs Africa.

However the Foundation elected to support a smaller component of the YJCI, the work readiness component, in order to be able to measure impact over a shorter time-period with a view to re-evaluating and possibly expanding the partnership with EOH after this initial “pilot”.

THE INITIATIVEThis section of the report describes the EOH Work Readiness Initiative which was the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation grant under its Digital Jobs Africa initiative.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES?The initiative aims to (1) train, mentor and place disadvantaged youth in permanent jobs and (2) develop a web-based workforce readiness training programme21 to scale up the EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative.

These two purposes are realised in separate but related components of the programme: (1) the EOH Work Readiness Programme, and (2) the EOH Learner Communication Platform, collectively referred to in this document as “the initiative”.

THE GRANT ▲ Grant number

− 2014 DJA 305

▲ Budget

− Up to $1,009,308 funded out of a total budget of $1,654,358 the balance of $645,050 was contributed by EOH

▲ Purpose

− Toward the cost of training, mentoring and placing disadvantaged youth in permanent jobs and developing a web-based workforce readiness training programme to scale up its Youth Job Creation Initiative

▲ Duration

− 12 months from 1 March 2014 to 28 February 2015

▲ For more details please see the Grant Agreement

21 Also called the “virtual learning platform” in the Rockefeller Foundation Grant Agreement


11THE InITIATIVE

THE EOH WORK READINESS PROGRAMMEThis programme is known as the World of Work, or WOW for short.

WOW is embedded in larger workplace learning programmes called learnerships that are discussed earlier in this document under the heading “The EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative”. This makes it more effective than if it were offered as a stand-alone programme, as it attracts greater employer engagement and incentives, as well as higher learner motivation and relevance.

FAST FACTS

▲ Purpose

− Facilitating development in the learner of critical skills needed to function productively in the work environment and add value to the employing business

▲ Duration and format

− Five day full-time workshop followed by 7 weeks of work exposure

− Impact evaluation in week 8 including mentor and manager appraisals

▲ Target audience

− Newly employed staff, interns or learners, especially where this is their first job

▲ Central organising question for learners

− “Do you know who you are, what your capabilities are, and where and how you fit into the new world of work?”

▲ Most important skills identified

− The ability to handle change (resilience)

− The confidence to present a personal brand professionally

▲ Structure

− Learners understand how the human brain thinks and learns, and apply this to understanding their own personal thinking style, based on a left-brain, right-brain dichotomy

− Individual thinking styles are related to specific work related skills encouraging the learner to reflect not only on what is required of them in the workplace, but also to self-reflect in terms of how their thinking style affects their application of these work related skills

− Personal growth is therefore linked directly to the development and improvement of work related skills

− The programme is structured into five modules, which were also identified in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report “Managing Tomorrow’s People - the future of work to 2020”, as core skills required by new entrants in the workplace

Module 1 - Big Picture Thinking

Module 2 - Interpersonal Awareness

Module 3 - Structured Thinking

Module 4 - Analytical Thinking

Module 5 - Innovation & Creative Thinking

▲ Topics

− See “Appendix 1” for the full list of topics covered


12

THE EOH LEARNER COMMUNICATION PLATFORMThis is a web-based software application, based on the Kentico Content Management System, that allows students to collaborate in chat rooms with fellow students, other students relevant to their studies or experience, or their mentor and trainers. They can also access supporting material relevant to their studies including e-learning and search databases of job opportunities.

The rationale for the development of the tool is the need to upscale the Digital Jobs Africa programme. The platform will reduce the cost of the work readiness programme by moving some of the learner monitoring and communication tasks online, therefore reducing the need for on-site visits by implementation staff.

The platform will have the following functionality:

▲ Learner performance and monitoring and record storage and retrieval

▲ Collaboration space for all key role-players including managers, coaches and mentors, assessors, project managers and learners

▲ Electronic work environment for learning and assessment tool deployment

▲ Smart phone enabled

The platform will consist of the following sections:

▲ Lifelong learning tools

− Blogs

− Groups (discussion forums)

− Chat rooms

− Supplementary eLearning modules

▲ Learner support

− Training schedules

− Course information

− Learner progress tracking

− Direct access to mentors, assessors, workplace skills coordinator

▲ Work and career support

− Learner social media profiles

− Links to job opportunities

− Industry news


13THE InITIATIVE

WHAT IS THE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN?

Milestone Deliverables Due date ▲ Recruit 1,000 employees

▲ Conduct work readiness training

▲ Place youth with host employers

▲ Develop the learner communication platform

▲ A memo detailing the recruitment, training and placement of employees

▲ A prototype of the learner communication platform and the marketing plan

31 July 2014

Collect knowledge and insights to track performance and monitor social impact

▲ Interim narrative report that comprehensively tracks the performance and impact of the grant

▲ Interim financial report

30 September 2014

▲ Recruit 750 employees

▲ Conduct work readiness training

▲ Place youth with host employers

▲ Launch the learner communication platform

▲ A memo detailing the recruitment, training and placement of employees

▲ Evidence of the learner communication platform that can also be accessed via mobiles

31 December 2014

Test the workplace learning standard and make it available to other private sector providers and employers in South Africa

▲ Final narrative report

▲ Final financial report

30 April 2015

HOW IS THE PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTED?

1. A social media recruitment campaign has been implemented to invite candidates to apply for the programme

2. Respondents from the recruitment campaign and candidates from EOH’s database of unemployed youth are selected through interview and entry tests

3. Learners participate in the five day work readiness workshop

4. A pretest and posttest knowledge evaluation is conducted with the learners

5. Learners begin the seven week work experience component with support from workplace mentors

6. A one day impact evaluation in the workplace takes place

7. A 360 degree evaluation of the learner takes place

Since the EOH work readiness programme takes place within a broader learnership programme, learners continue at their place of employment until they have completed their qualification, which is usually a one year process. At this point should the learner not achieve employment with their current workplace, EOH will assist them find employment or offer them the option of joining new learnership or internship programmes.

HOW ARE YOUTH AND WORKPLACES SOURCED AND SELECTED?A broad source of potential areas and methods of recruiting learners was undertaken by EOH in conjunction with the host employer. The criteria applied took into account the learner’s personal background, educational level and aptitude for the learnership and a career in the field they are applying for.

Learners had to submit (or were supported to create) a profile or CV. They were then tested for literacy and numeracy levels. All successful tests applicants were then interviewed for aptitude and their general approach, attitude and communication skills.

The selected final short list of learners was presented to a panel of host employer managers (representing all operational areas in which learners would be placed).

Learners completing the induction and probationary period and successfully passing the final assessment, are provided a Learnership Agreement and Fixed Term Employment agreement for the period of the learnership (usually one year)

A one day learner induction workshop takes place for all successful learners.


14

WHAT WORKPLACES AND LEARNING SITES WERE SELECTED?

LEARNING SITES

The five day workshop component of this programme was delivered in 17 different locations across South Africa. See Appendix 2 for a breakdown of the learners by learning groups, showing the number of learners in each group, the dates their learning occurred on and the geographical location.

WORKPLACES

There are currently 74 employers hosting learners who have participated directly or indirectly on the programme. These organisations include large national government departments, state-owned enterprises, large corporates and medium-small IT consulting firms, and are available on request.

PROJECT PLANNINGA Project Implementation Plan (PIMP) is developed for the implementation of each group of learners. This plan governs the actions of all parties, including EOH project management, support, training and assessment resources, the host or employer, supervisors and colleagues, and the learner. This ensures the workplace readiness programme is aligned to the technical training and workplace experience of the learner and their path to gaining a qualification and sustainable employment prospects.

WORKPLACE COORDINATIONAll learners are placed in suitable workplaces for the experiential learning aspects of the programme. In order to ensure the experience is guided to a constructive outcome, EOH WPL makes a Workplace Support Coordinator (WSC) available to the host site and learner.

MENTORSHIP PROGRAMMEMentorship of learners is an important catalyst to the learner’s development. EOH ensures that all host sites supervisor or management staff have access to training and ongoing support, in their role of mentor. The training and support is provided to the workplace coaches in the beginning of the group project, so as to ensure the environment is prepared for the learner arrival.

ASSESSMENTEvaluation of the impact of the workplace readiness programme is measured through a survey to both mentor and learner, over the 7 weeks of the measured workplace experience. An EOH assessor will also conduct a final evaluation interview with each learner and mentor in the last week of the programme.

In the next half of the Rockefeller project, assessments and evaluations will be correlated in order to seek trends and data that assists in furthering an understanding of the learners development requirements, host employers requirements and dynamics in the workplace and the approach to the workplace readiness programme overall.

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15THE InITIATIVE

PROGRESS TO DATE

OVERVIEWThe programme is on target with regard to the deliverables listed in the implementation plan.

WHAT QUANTITATIVE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE?

▲ Development of all learning materials and supplementary content is complete

− 907 learners have completed the 5 day component

− Of those learners, 364 have also completed the 8 week component

▲ Identification of employment opportunities has begun

− Most of the current learners will only complete their qualification in November 201422

▲ Development of the learner communication platform is underway and will be fully developed by the end of February 2015

WHAT QUALITATIVE PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE?A total of 34 people were selected to be interviewed for the qualitative aspect of this report. This includes four managers and two mentors with the balance being learners who participated on the work readiness programme (see “Interviews” section later in this report for details).

All respondents expressed positive feedback about the programme.

Learners affirmed the importance of the programme content in helping them integrate into what was for many of them, their first work opportunity. The South African public schooling system offers learners little to no preparation for the workplace, especially in those areas which are under-serviced or located in remote rural areas, which is where many of the learners interviewed completed their schooling.

Learners affirmed the experiential component of the larger learnership programme as critical in equipping them beyond the formal, theoretical “book” learning which they received at school and at their colleges.

The learners are all drawn from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of them expressed a positive impact (or a planned positive impact) from their learning experience on their families and communities.

22 the WOW programme is embedded in a longer learnership programme which was discussed earlier in this document

The final narrative report for this project will be able to evaluate this impact more accurately. The monitoring and evaluation consortium appointed by Rockefeller Foundation has met with the EOH implementation team to begin discussing how this can be achieved.

WHAT CHALLENGES WERE ENCOUNTERED?A common challenge is ensuring that the most suitable learner is identified and recruited to partake in the programme. This is managed by ensuring a very thorough recruitment process which includes testing and interviews.

Once the learner is selected, it is not always easy to ensure that the learner is placed within the most suitable host site. It may be that host sites that are the most willing are not necessarily the ones that may be the best fit for a specific learner.

A risk that is ever present and needs to be managed closely is ensuring that the learner is assigned relevant tasks in the workplace that are accurately linked to their qualification. Various reasons for this not happening may be that the learner may not be taken seriously and is therefore assigned menial tasks that are not relevant and that may not necessarily enhance the chances of the learner coming out of the programme up-skilled in the best possible manner ensuring that the learner is in a better position to secure employment than before they entered the programme.

Once the learner is placed it may be that the mentor or the manager that is tasked with the responsibility of mentoring and managing the training of the learner in the workplace may not fully buy into the learnership process. Interestingly, one of the issues faced are mentors or managers feeling threatened by the presence of learners who are young and although inexperienced, may already have a higher qualification than the mentor. Mentors often state that they are too busy with their own tasks to fully engage with the learner and the process. This also filters into the next challenge, which is having accurate documentation completed by the mentor in the workplace in order to track and measure the progress of the learner within the specific workplace.

A unique challenge that is faced by the female learners is pregnancy. This can halt the progress of the learner within the programme or in some cases, the learner may cease participation completely.

Some learners struggle with committing to seeing the programme through to the end. This may be because the learner finds a position that offers them a little more money, which they seriously need, and the learner will then drop out of the programme and lose out on the final qualification. It is high priority for us to ensure that each and every learner is retained within the programme.

Managing of resources can be challenging at times to ensure that the learner and the host site are fully supported throughout the process. The web-based communication platform will assist in widening the


16

communication between all the role players and stakeholders without always requiring the physical presence of the resources on site.

WHAT LESSONS WERE LEARNED?One of the most valuable lessons learned is that communication is key and the importance of even the simplest interaction may prove to be invaluable. The high impact of the 5 day facilitation period is the perfect example of this. Through individual and group activities we have seen the learners gain new insights and in some cases realisations. The number of learners who report a more positive outlook and improved levels of confidence allows us to gauge that we are indeed on the right track with what we are aiming to achieve in the five days. The result is a learner who is “switched on” and open to new ideas and ways of doing things, a learner who feels empowered to take responsibility for their future and is better equipped to enter the workplace and more importantly to remain employable after the official completion of the programme.

Another lesson is that to have the best chance of success, it is necessary to have frequent communication with the learner and to assist them at all times to deal with any issues as they arise. If the learner feels supported when they feel they need assistance, there is a higher chance of retaining the learner and of ultimate success.

HOW HAS THE PROGRAMME CONTRIBUTED TO DIGITAL JOBS AFRICA?The EOH Work Readiness Initiative takes place within the broader EOH Youth Job Creation Initiative (YJCI). The overlap in objectives between Digital Jobs Africa (DJA) and the YJCI has been highlighted in the “Background” section of this document. The similarities between the programmes, as well as EOH’s capabilities in business process outsourcing and IT, make it an ideal partner to assist in upscaling DJA in South Africa.

As an observation of the interim progress of this initiative it can be confirmed that the programme is contributing towards the following objectives of DJA:

OUTCOME PATHWAY 1 - YOUTH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY

To date, 907 youth have have completed the five day programme. Based on the eight learners surveyed in this report, we can estimate an average of four siblings and 1.3 children per learner. This would give an estimate 5.3 people per learner impacted in each learner’s immediate family, excluding parents, or a total of 4,807 people in total. As the learners experience the consistency of work over the one year Youth Job Creation Initiative, and find full-time employment, they will migrate from being dependant on their family, to not costing their family much, and finally to being able to contribute to the costs of their families, and establish their own.

OUTCOME PATHWAY 2 - EMPLOYERS

Feedback from the five employer representatives surveyed here was significantly positive and possibly indicates that South Africa has reached a truly enabling environment for youth employability programmes. A wider sample of employers would need to be surveyed for the final report to confirm this.

OUTCOME PATHWAY 3 - SCALING ENVIRONMENT

The scale of the Rockefeller Foundation engagement with this initiative is not yet at a level which could be expected to result in a scaled environment with broad adoption of inclusive business practices such as those seen here. However should the Foundation be satisfied with the project which concludes in March 2015, there are several ingredients present in this initiative which would facilitate a rapid upscaling of Digital Jobs for Africa. These factors are discussed in the “Background” section of this report.

national Department of Public Works (Pretoria, South Africa)


17PROGRESS TO DATE

LEARNER: DAVID MABASA (29)


18

INTERVIEWSA total of 34 people were interviewed, including three managers and two mentors. Of these, 14 were selected to appear in this report. Interviews have been edited for ease of reading and are available on request as summary transcripts or audio files.

LEARNERS

DAVID MABASA

David Mabasa was very confident but had walked a journey to get there. Starting out in a remote village he chose a different path from his rural entrepreneur parents and has followed a circuitous route to finally end up in IT Systems Support. His confidence seems to stem partly from the orientation the work readiness programme gave him in dealing with cocky city dwellers, and in organising his daily tasks.

Full name David MabasaSouth African Identity number

8409285759085

Learning group System Support G1 Gender MaleAge 29Occupation IT Systems Support TechnicianRace AfricanBorn LimpopoSiblings 4Parents Both parents alive and working as

entrepreneursChildren 2 children: 8 years old and 3 years

oldHighest grade at secondary school

12

Post schooling qualifications

n3 Electrical Engineering (vocational college)

a+

n+Currently studying Learnership in Systems SupportEmployer EOH MS PS

Self-organisation

“I don’t find [my job] really challenging because that’s what I love. When I wake up in the morning I draw my working plan, like today, I know that yesterday I had a call for a printer for instance, or I had a call for a scanner, so I know that in the morning, what I do first is to go there and finish up what I didn’t finish up last night, if that is [the case], but if I don’t have [work from yesterday] then I have to look at my day, and look at the challenges I have for that specific day.”

Children

“I was blessed with two kids: Precious (8 years old, girl) and Musa (3 years old, boy).”

First visit to a city and first job

“The first job that I worked in here in Pretoria was a garden service. I had to cut grass, fix flowers, it was not that easy. I remember that I was getting R86023 per month [salary]... And then my second job... was an eco gardens company, I worked for 6 months and then for 7 months I was at home [unemployed], but I was here in Pretoria, trying to throw [submit] the CVs. The other job that I got… we were doing polystyrene [manufacturing]. It was a three months contract.”

Reflection on the work readiness programme

“It definitely did help me to start with [the day], to diarise my work and to start my day with a positive attitude… whatever I am doing if I see a need [to note something], I make a note.. Every morning when I go to work I start my day by diarising my things, like today for instance, if I am going to install a scanner, I know that I have a scanner in Thembisa, and after when I am done I know that I have a new user at Alexandria, so I know how to schedule my time, by this time I am going to be in Thembisa, and then I am going to be in Alexandria. Where as before I didn’t do that. If I spent more time [than I should have] I didn’t worry… [now] I make sure that the user doesn’t have [a reason] to complain. So if a user calls, I say ‘I am still in Thembisa, just give me an hour… but I will let you know, I will update you.’ Its something which I wasn’t doing before, now I am doing it… it has helped a lot in my life and it can still help a lot of people.”

Co-operating with people

“I know how to co-operate with people… the first time I stepped in to [work], some people were very rude. Even if you are asking a very simple thing, like ‘Sorry can I ask about the bathroom?’. They just say, “The sign is there! Why should you ask?! Do you understand?” Things like that. So I see that this [programme] was very useful to me because I know how to talk to people, I know how to plan my day, now I know how my brain works, because I remember Ralph was teaching us that some people are “left brain” and some people are “right brain”, so I didn’t know where my brain was [laughing], until I found out that I am left brain, too much technical mind.”

Support from family and then from EOH

“My family never gave me negative mind. Even if I didn’t have enough money to attend, this is while we were stilling going to Sunninghill, they were making sure I had money to attend classes and to buy books. The good thing is that EOH were [later] providing everything for us like transport, books and all those kind of things.”

23 About US$80


19InTERVIEWS

On the importance of technology

“As we are living today, we are living in a technology [world on a] daily basis. What we do mostly is technology. I saw the way people struggled, and the way I was struggling… even if things are difficult there are still a lot of people outside there that can help them, and a lot of research they can do that can take them far… We have internet, these days most people have phones that allow them to do to google research. ”

DIKELEDI MALOMANE

Dikeledi’s parents were tough on her, but not as tough as employers who refused to give an inch on their requirement for work experience. Fortunately she is a fighter, and does not give up. After seeking employment for years she finally got the break she needed and is now a confident and experienced IT worker.

Full name Dikeledi MalomaneSouth African Identity number

8709240423085

Learning group System Support G1 Gender FemaleAge 27Occupation IT Systems Support TechnicianRace AfricanBorn MpumalangaSiblings 1Parents Lives with both her parents in

KrugersdorpChildren 1 boy (two years old)Highest grade at secondary schoolPost schooling qualifications Diploma in Information Technology

(Programming)Currently studying Learnership in Systems SupportEmployer EOH MS PS

Upbringing

“I grew up in Mpumalanga [with my grandmother]. When I was 10 years old my mother decided to come and fetch me [to live in Joburg].”

Was it a shock to see the big city?

“I was scared. I take time to adjust to change. Moving from home and coming here I did not understand at all. And I was young then but I said ok because this is what my mother wants there is nothing I can do… My father is working at the mines. At least I was living with my parents.”

On the importance of experience

“After I completed my diploma it was difficult because everywhere you go, every company you enter, they will ask for experience. I remember I was called for an interview at Bank City in Johannesburg. Oh I was excited, I was happy, saying, ‘Oh, this is my big chance now to change my life’. Then when I got there they asked me about experience and I didn’t have any experience - remember? I was just from school. They asked me about systems development. They asked me, ‘Do you have any experience in this field?’, and I said, ‘No I don’t’. The only time I remembered creating a system was at [college], but I didn’t have any experience in a workplace. Uh it was a big disappointment for me. So I had to move on.”

Learner: Dikeledi Malomane (27)


20

LEARNER: DIKELEDI MALOMANE (27)


21InTERVIEWS

LEARNER: MAFETE (MPULE) MAKGALATIBA (24)


22

Steps through the desert - volunteering

“After that I was just sitting at home [unemployed]. And then I decided to volunteer at Rietvallei Clinic for youth-friendly services. I was multitasking there and was nominated as a Project Manager. We did antenatal care, dealing with youth, encouraging youth, family planning, abortion advice, safe-sex, etc. For almost a year I was volunteering.”

Steps through the desert - call-centre training

“Then after a year I decided to move on. I went to study for a call-centre [job]. From IT Diploma to a call-centre, can you imagine? The way I was desperate for a job. They said, ‘You know what, in call centre[s] there are lots of opportunities, you can get a job.’ After I was done studying [call-centre operations], [it was] the same route, going back to experience. I didn’t have experience in a call-centre. Even though I also had an IT Diploma, but I had no experience working in a call-centre so I was back to square one.”

Steps through the desert - Stats SA

“Then it was the 2011 [National] Census. I submitted my CV, they called me to come and write a test and I got a position as a supervisor at Stats SA. In IT for all those years there was [no work]. I never give up. I am a fighter. One thing I told myself: when I give up, who is going to fight for me?”

How having a son changed her focus

“Now its even worse because I have a son. I have to provide for my son. That time was better because I was alone, whatever I did at the shop was all about me, I want those shoes, I want that [something]. Now I have a son to look after, to give him a better future that I never had, better opportunities that I never had. After the census my contract [with StatsSA] ended.”

Finally she landed an IT job

“Still I was submitting my CV. That’s when I heard about EOH. I went for an interview and then I got this learnership at EOH. It was a big break for me, I don’t want to lie, it was a big break. Even now, if my contract ends, at least I have something - experience. After how long? I graduated in 2009. But right now I am enjoying this. This is nice. This is a great experience. This is a big break that I never thought, ‘one day I will have this.’ Even now when my contract ends I am not that stressed because now that I have [experience], I can go to a company and say, ‘you know what, I can do this and that for you. I can configure this, I can connect this printer to that one, I can do anything [relating to] system support - at least [now] I am confident.”

“It’s not because we were stupid”

“Before they would ask you about this kind of a system, and you don’t know anything about it. That’s the reason we failed in interviews not because we were stupid, its because of the things they are going to ask you, you

don’t know [experientially]. When you have experience its much simpler because you are confident and you know that you will install Microsoft and it will work and you can show the user how to print, everything is easier. Experience is very important. I don’t know how many interviews I went to but there was no success because I didn’t have experience.”

Her father was tough on her, and it helped

“That’s why I think I am here, because of him [my father]. The way he pushes me. He says ‘stand up and do it yourself...’ My father was a hard worker, he won’t feed you anything [if you are lazy]. He will tell you, ‘My child, go out there and work. If you don’t want a future then just stay at home and stop wasting my time and my money’. I came and said to him that I am going to do a diploma in [information] technology. Then he said, ‘You see now, you are talking.’ He would tell me, ‘I will give you money to go and fax and email and do everything, even buy laptops and modems so that you can apply, but I will never buy a car for you, I will never buy a house for you. Go out there and stand up and fight.”

And your mother?

Also my mother. The same. They believe that everything you get in life you have to work for and stand up and believe in yourself... Now here I am.”

How does she see her future?

“I want to grow up in this industry of IT. I want to become a senior IT manager in a big company, or even EOH if I get an opportunity. I am a self-starter, I don’t wait for somebody to say ‘wake up, go to work.’

MAFETE (MPULE) MAKGALATIBA

Mpule managed to complete grade 12 despite being one of seven children with no parental financial support. Her older brother and sister pay for their siblings schooling. Through the learnership she has been able to cover her own tuition costs and is hoping to be able to help support the family once she has permanent employment.

Full name Mafete MakgalatibaSouth African Identity number 9001150701083Learning group System Support G2Gender FemaleAge 24Occupation IT Systems Support

TechnicianRace AfricanBorn LimpopoSiblings 6Parents Mother is housewife

Father is deceasedChildren One three year old sonHighest grade at secondary school Grade 12


23InTERVIEWS

Post schooling qualifications n Certificate in Electrical Engineering (in progress)

Currently studying Learnership in IT Systems Support (Level 4)

Employer EOH MS PS

Background

“I was 18 when I came to Joburg. If you are from a rural place and you come here you see things are different from home to Joburg. It was hard for me…

Actually when I was doing matric my first option was dietician. My second choice is IT but because of money I didn’t manage to do IT, that’s why I applied for this learnership. I did the electrical engineering course at the FET college because it was not that expensive, but actually I like IT.

I have one child. He is turning three years old in October. He is staying at Limpopo with my uncle’s wife because I was staying with my uncle before I came here.”


“I have been working at EOH for three weeks now. We are busy updating the calls from the [incident centre] then we call the technician to update them. [The work readiness programme] helped me a lot because now I know how to communicate with people, how to respect others, how to dress when you are going to work because you can’t just dress casual when you are going to work.”

Without this learnership her family of seven would struggle to pay school fees

“To be honest this learnership helped me a lot. From my background, since my father passed away there is no-body who can pay my school fees. Its my brother who can pay my school fees and at home we are seven children. So he used to pay my school fees and my sister’s school fees so it is hard for him to pay that. So this learnership at least it helped me because I can pay my [tuition]. And hopefully next year I will be taken on as permanent [staff] and I am willing to do everything. My brother and big sister and myself are the only ones working. My brother and sister are supporting the other children.”

Vision for future

“I would like to see myself completing my studies.”

MAKGOTSO (VINOLIA) LESHABA

Vinolia was brought up in a family of seven by a single mother who was paralysed in an motor accident when Vinolia was in grade 2. She wants to pursue a career that combines Human Resources and Information Technology, and is still studying for her teaching degree while doing the learnership programme.

Full name Makgotso Vinolia LeshabaSouth African Identity number 9306220584082Learning group End User G3Gender FemaleAge 21Occupation Hr Data capturerRace AfricanBorn Vanderbijlpark Siblings 7Parents Mother is single and disabled

Father is separatedChildren 1 daughter, three years oldHighest grade at secondary school

10

Post schooling qualifications Education and Development Level 4

Currently studying Learnership in End-user Computing

Employer EOH Human Resources

Background

“I am staying with my mom at the moment. My mom is a pensioner.”

And you are seven siblings! That’s alot? And your dad?

“They separated. He’s probably in Limpopo.”

Did your mom raise all of you alone?

“Yes she did. That’s why she had to go to pension at last, to get her time to rest. She is really proud of me. She still thinks I am young.”

Her dream to be a teacher

“I did [an] Education and Development [certificate, NQF level 4] at Sedibeng College. It is Foundation Phase Teaching… I always wanted to be a teacher. Then I got introduced to end-user computing after graduating. And I became more interested in [computing].

I worked before at Elfed High School as a grade three teacher. So EOH was my second job. I enjoyed teaching at the school, but I get interested in lots of things. I am still studying my teaching degree. And I am doing the learnership... Its not difficult [to balance the studying] because I am doing distance learning through UNISA.”

So what are you going to do when you finish studying? IT or teaching or both?

“Both! How about I teach IT?”

The programme helped her communicate professionally

“The programme was good. It was a new thing to me… it made me more ready about what I want and how I should present myself as a professional. At school they just teach you the basics, but at this programme


24

LEARNER: MAKGOTSO (VINOLIA) LESHABA (21)


25InTERVIEWS

LEARNER: MAVIS RAMOHLALE (25)


26

we learnt how to dress properly, and how to talk in a professional way, and how to act, how to do your job. It was very useful because before I would just act like “that” without being professional, start shouting if I want something and if something is wrong I would shout at the others. But they showed me the right ways. I [get cross with people now] but in a professional way. [For example] I say, ‘I think its wrong, but what do you think? How about we do it this way? Whereas before I would say, ‘Its wrong, take it back!”

Her dream is to see her mother walk again

And what is your vision for the future, when your programme and your degree are finished?

“I am interested in IT and HR. I am thinking of studying HR... My mom is paralysed. If I had enough funds to make it possible that we can get some surgeries for her I will do it. Its from an accident in 1997. She got a car accident and her spinal cord was smashed. She is using a wheelchair. She is doing good but I feel that I owe her something, she has been there for me. [The spine] can be fixed but only if you get the experts. She rolled on a mountain, twelve times. Oh she is alive and she is strong... You will be strong [if you have seven children]. I was still in grade two at that time [of the accident]. She brought me up even though she was paralysed. She would give me a hiding when I am wrong, she won’t say ‘I am paralysed I won’t give you a hiding.’ If she had to go to the school meetings she would be there. She is my role model.

Sometimes I feel like I lost that memory of seeing her walking with her feet. I am used to seeing her using that wheel chair. I want my dream to come true to see her walking again.”

MAVIS RAMOHLALE

Mavis’ five siblings are financially supported by her older brother. She speaks emphatically about the difference between theoretical education and experiential learning and has embraced digital work despite it being a mystery to her community at home. One day she hopes to return home and make children aware of the ways in which information technology can expand your horizons.

Full name Mavis RamohlaleSouth African Identity number 8810240965081Learning group Technical Support G1Gender FemaleAge 25Occupation IT Support TechnicianRace AfricanBorn Polokwane, LimpopoSiblings 5Parents Father died in 1999

Mother unemployed

Oldest brother supports family.Children 1 boy three years oldHighest grade at secondary school

12

Post schooling qualifications Certificate in Office Management & Technology

Currently studying Learnership in IT Technical Support

Employer national Department of Public Works

Background

“I am from Limpopo, Polokwane. I grew up in rural area, a village, a small village. We are six at home. Two boys, four girls. I was raised by two parents. My father died in 1999. My mom is not working. My brother is the only one who is working. He is the one who is helping us financially. He is the oldest.”

Wanted to study computer science, but not able to afford it

“I was doing admin work in IT [at Tshwane University of Technology]. There was no technical [component]. But I wanted to study computer science, but because of money I could not do it, so I did a short course. Its expensive. But I tried to apply for students loans but I never got one.”

How do you find what you are studying at the moment, the learnership in IT Technical Support? And why do you like IT?

“When I got this learnership it was an opportunity because I don’t pay anything, they pay me to study. [I like IT because] it is challenging, I want things that are challenging. I know I am gonna learn new things. Everyday you learn new things here.”

Learner: Mavis Ramohlale (25)


27InTERVIEWS

LEARNER: MOEKETSI SUPING (22)


28

The importance of having a mentor in the workplace

Did you have a mentor at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)?24

“No you just have a boss. At TUT I learnt everything myself. My mentor here told me everything here. It helps because [here] its a different IT, not the one in the books, its the real IT. It helps to have a mentor.

How is IT different in the books from the “real” IT?

In the books you just read about IT, the PC, the motherboard, but here you know how to assemble a PC. So its different. I didn’t know how to connect a mouse, keyboard, power. I didn’t know that. So they just taught me that.

Mavis, like many others we interviewed, wants to study IT further

What are your plans for the future?

“I would like to have a diploma in IT. Maybe next year I can go register at TUT, maybe. Because I have applied. I will start working in an organisation first and get more experience [before starting my own company].”

Her community does not understand IT as a field of study nor as a career

“Every month I go home. I want to encourage the youngsters to do IT. I love to go to schools and encourage them for there is more to life than sitting at home in the village. They must explore, go visit other cities.”

Do you think IT is a good career option?

“Yes. For me. I don’t know about other people. For me. Because others they want to be doctors they want to be teachers. Even at home they don’t understand why I am doing IT. They want me to be a teacher. They don’t understand. ‘What are you doing there? Why don’t you go to school and apply for a teaching course and teach?’ But that’s not what I want.

What is it about IT that attracts you?

“I did computer at school. That’s when I wanted to know much about computers.”

24 This was the learner’s previous place of study, and included a short intern-ship component without mentorship.

MOEKETSI SUPING

Moeketsi got his first PC when he was in grade 8, by assembling it from parts he was given. He wanted to study IT after school but did not have the money to do so, as he and his older sister had to support themselves. So he became a panelbeater instead. Fortunately the EOH learnership has given him the opportunity to now realise his dream and technological talents.

Full name Moeketsi SupingSouth African Identity number 9205205549088Learning group System Support G1Gender MaleAge 22Occupation IT Support TechnicianRace AfricanBorn LadybrandSiblings 1Parents Mother passed away when he

was 18

Supported by his older sisterChildren noneHighest grade at secondary school

12

Post schooling qualifications noneCurrently studying Learnership in IT Technical

SupportEmployer national Department of Public

Works

Background

“I completed my grade 12 in the year 2010, and then I worked at Ladybrand Panel Beaters for a year… its only me and my sister at home. We group up together. My mother passed away in 2005. My father is staying in Bloemfontein. I stayed with my sister and got support from my aunties. My sister is working at the moment doing [community development].”

He built his first computer from scratch in grade 8

“I went straight to work after grade 12. I always wanted to study for IT, [that’s how I found out about the EOH learnership opportunity].”

Why were you interested in IT?

“Because IT is everywhere, you go outside its IT. Everything is about IT. I enjoy it very much. [I got my first computer] in 2006. I built it from scratch by myself. Then I was still at school. I was in grade 8. I had a lot of friends; they organised parts for me to build the PC. I was struggling at first but I asked people who knew more about computers and they helped me.”

What did you do on the computer?

“I watched movies, learned how to type, worked on the Microsoft [Office] Suite.


29InTERVIEWS

LEARNER: ROFHIWA TSHAUTSHAU (25)


30

Why didn’t you go to college after grade 12?

“Because of financial problems I couldn’t study any further. It was too expensive for me.”

Are you happy now that you have reached the IT field somehow?

“Yes now I am happy because at first I didn’t know much about anything practical. But since I have come here I have learned many things practically. Before I only knew things from a book.”

ROFHIWA TSHAUTSHAU

Rofhiwa grew up with no father and an unemployed mother. After finishing school she wanted to become a nurse but had no money for tuition. She was one of the best spoken learners but confessed that she was terrified of speaking in front of people until she went through the work readiness programme. Her confidence has benefitted from being able to help senior government officials with their IT woes.

Full name Rofhiwa TshautshauSouth African Identity number 8903270700088Learning group Technical Support G2Gender FemaleAge 25Occupation IT Support TechnicianRace AfricanBorn VendaSiblings 3 sistersParents Mother unemployed, father

worked as a barman, passed away from illness 2013

Children noneHighest grade at secondary school

12

Post schooling qualifications End User Computing CertificateCurrently studying Learnership in IT Technical


Works

Background

“I have three sisters. My dad passed away last year. I only have my mom, she is unemployed. My dad was working at Joburg Country Club, he was a barman there. He was sick. I only have grade 12 because I was staying with my mom but my father was not there for us. My mom was not working so I did not go to college or anything. I passed matric and did a learnership for End User Computing for Scaw Metals. Then I got a job at a media research company, doing surveys, going from province to province. I enjoyed the survey work, I loved travelling. It was my chance to see the provinces.”

What was your dream at school?

“I wanted to be a nurse. I like to help people.


“It was very interesting. [The trainer] was showing us how to behave at work. I didn’t know how to talk in front of people. I was so scared, so that guy really helped me to be able to talk in public. It helped me [at work] a lot.”

Can you give me an example?

“Now I can handle any challenge. When you work with people there are different people. [The trainer] was telling us when we come across this [communication] challenge how you can handle it. There are some very rude people, you just have to be yourself and do what you are here to do.”

What is your plan for your future?

“For now I am thinking of going to [college]. If I get employed I will get money so that I can study IT because I am interested in it now.”

We are doing things that some people in top positions are not able to do

What interests you about IT?

“The way we are fixing things because we are doing some things that people in top positions (Directors etc), they don’t know how to send or receive emails but we as juniors we know how to help them.”

Is IT a good field for young people?

“Yes. Its very challenging sometimes but interesting.”

Reflection on learnerships

“[Companies] must [offer] more learnerships. Just like me I was not doing anything and I had no money to go to school but now I am doing something so I think they should create more learnerships for people who don’t have money to [study further].”

Learner: Rofhiwa Tshautshau (25)


31InTERVIEWS

SHERMAUN LOUW

Shermaun grew up in Johannesburg and planned to become a chef but was not able to study further and signed up for the learnership with EOH. The work readiness programme taught her to be circumspect about sharing personal information with work colleagues which has made her conduct at work more professional.

Full name Shermaun LouwSouth African Identity number 9410190151086Learning group Technical Support G2Gender FemaleAge 19Occupation IT Support TechnicianRace ColouredBorn BoksburgSiblings 5Parents Both parents currently working

Mother in cosmetics, father in mining industry

Children noneHighest grade at secondary school

Grade 12

Post schooling qualifications noneCurrently studying Learnership in IT Technical


Works

Background

“When I finished school in 2012 I wasn’t planning on getting into IT, I was more interested in becoming a chef. I applied at the university to study to be a chef and waited for six months, but the opportunity came by [to do the learnership] and I took it. IT is a nice experience to know more about technology and it makes life easier.”

People “stab you in the back” at work and the programme helped me deal with that

“There was a lot of stuff I didn’t know about myself [that I learned from the programme]].”

And how did it affect your work at DPW?

“We have different types of people at [this] work. It built us up, to make us stronger to face those people and deal with them in a certain way. [For example] people stab you behind your back, even though they [seem] friendly, and now you know how to deal with it. [The programme told us:] ‘Don’t differentiate from that person, but don’t tell them stuff that is not supposed to be for them’. You don’t share too much information about yourself, just be about the workplace, no personal business.”

What would you like to do in the future?

“I want to work in IT admin because I like to work with paperwork, since I work in the storeroom I feel like that’s for me, I can operate in the store room.”

Would you advise young people to go into IT as a career?

“Yes because without IT there is no life here outside, so you must have IT, and a lot of people don't know IT, especially for the generation coming up, I prefer them to learn more about IT.”

“A lot of people [in my community] don’t know about IT so they call me and I help them, but if I don’t know how to help them I come back the next day and I ask my previous mentor how to deal with that situation and then I go back to that person and I help my neighbours and stuff.”

Learner: Shermaun Louw (19)


32

LEARNER: SHERMAUN LOUW (19)


33InTERVIEWS

MANAGERS & MENTORS

GENEVIEVE HUMAN (TEAM LEADER)

Genevieve’s learners are on an End-User Computing Learnership. Her team is busy supporting a paperless drive by her employer’s HR department. This involves receiving boxes of employee records, preparing them for scanning, scanning, storing and electronically and archiving the re-boxed physical records.

Ten learners are helping her and making the work go much faster. Genevieve experienced the quality of work from the learners before the EOH Work Readiness Programme, and afterwards, and is thus able to provide a qualified before-and-after perspective.

Makgotso (Vinolia) Leshaba whose interview appears in this report, is under Genevieve’s supervision.

Genevieve you were here before the work readiness programme and afterwards. Did you notice an improvement?

“A lot hey. Before they went through to Seibeng there was a lot of fighting amongst them, they didn’t do their work, they always quarreled amongst each other. But when they came back there was a big difference. The dress codes as well. There is a lot that changed. In the beginning it was each one for himself. But after they came back they started working together, speaking to each other if they don’t understand something. So team work does play a big role in it.”

Its always quite hard to have learners in a workplace. What would you say to another team leader that is having learnership candidates or new learners in the workplace. What would you say to them as advice?

“Before [the learners] come [to the workplace] they really need to go to the [work readiness] training they went on, because when they went to Sedibeng for this training, when they came back there was a huge difference. Before [the learners] come out to the workplace they need to go through this process to make them ready for everything.”

Do you find that a lot of your time has to be spent supporting the learners?

“In the beginning it was like that but now not at all. They ask each others questions, they communicate with each other. And at first they all used to come to me and I used to help them, but after everything they deal with each other. When they are unsure of something then they will come to me and ask me.”

JAUN RUST (MANAGER)

Jaun (pronounced as in the French Juan), is the manager for 19 learners placed with EOH Managed Services, a division of EOH Abantu (Pty) Ltd. He is the Regional Manager for Gauteng in their Field Support Services, which has 187 employees nationally. He is responsible for providing on-site IT support to contractual clients after their service desk has first attempted to resolve the issue remotely. This includes looking after the day to day operations of call handling, incident handling, resource management and customer satisfaction.

Customer orientation and IT skills sets are the key success factors he looks for in his employees. Exposing learners to the “how” of IT support is the most important experience he feels he can give learners in this pressurised work setting.

Soft skills such as those taught in the EOH work readiness programme are a critical part of preparation for learners in his unit, given the emphasis on customer service in their performance areas.

David Mabasa & Dikeledi Malomane, whose interviews appear in this report, are under his supervision.

“You find it typically with students coming out of the colleges and out of their technical training and now they think that they know all. That’s where you have to take them to the reality and give them that guidance and say listen, this is how you treat a customer, this is how you deal with a customer. What do you do with a customer when they are irate and angry and their business is standing still. To them its money, to them its a crisis, and the crisis can be as small as a key not working on a keyboard. And you have to understand and sometimes its something that’s not within your realm of ability to fix. It could be a Telkom (telco) line, but you have to then coach your customer and make them understand okay that this is the problem, this is what you are going to do to resolve the problem.”


34

PAUL SERFONTEIN (MANAGER)

Paul is the national manager for a division of EOH called Infrastructure Deployment Operations (IDO). They implement new cabling infrastructure including LAN connectivity, IT configuration and installation. Once they set up the new infrastructure, Field Support Services (see Jaun Rust interview), maintains and supports it.

The nature of this work is repetitive, project based and comes with detailed work instructions. The structured nature of this environment makes it easier to include interns and learners on-site which makes them suitable to host learnership programmes.

“Anything out there as soon as you learn it in class, its actually dated in the environment already. I support this initiative very much because they are getting that experience. They know what actually happens, why its so important to do incident management on calls. Thereafter why are soft skills so important. Communication wins 90% of your work ethic for instance. So we try and teach and coach the learners as much as possible on soft skills, so that when they are in the field, its how you portray yourself and the professionalism that’s coming out from there.

All our employees that are in the field, that is EOH. The end-user doesn’t always interact with us as managers, so those people are our assets, and ‘people make it happen’25. Further than that, out customers have an ICT portfolio, and we as their outsourced supplier, are the

25 EOH slogan

extension of that portfolio, so we are portraying them, that’s why [its so important that our frontline staff are professional].”

Do you have a message for anyone who is afraid to get involved in training in the workplace? Maybe they just want new employees to be ready when they walk in the door?

“Not at all. Because I work in projects you see the environment as how it was before, and after you’ve done the project, you see the results. And I see this with everything we do. We take on raw talent and we’ve got that opportunity to make them or break them. And its to mould that person so that they can get enough knowledge to go out there and be work ready for the next person that does want to do it. And because its similar in working with projects, its amazing to see how a person comes in and how the leave at the end of the day.”

Do you think there is a future for young people in learning to understand technology, the internet, computers? Is this an expanding place in South Africa?

“For me the future is there. So long as they are willing to learn. That is the future. I cannot see it going any other way at this stage.”

Managers: Genevieve Human, Jaun Rust & Paul Serfontein (lef t to right, top to bottom)


35InTERVIEWS

RAMADIMETSE MAKGATI (MENTOR)

Ramadimetse is an IT Technician at the Department of Public Works. She is mentoring two learners (Rofhiwa Tshautshau and Walton Blok)26.

“When they first got here they didn’t know anything. They learned and were dedicated and now they are good. Confidence was an issue when they first got here but now it is building up. I enjoy being a mentor. I enjoy “being a boss” [laughs]. They help [me] a lot. Now they know everything I am doing so my workload has decreased.”

Would you recommend mentoring to other people in the workplace?

“I would do. As for feeling, knowing that you have helped these people who didn’t know anything.”

VERONICA MOROTOBA (MENTOR)

Veronica is also an IT Technician and is mentoring Mavis Ramohlale and Mampho (Patricia) Mosikidi. Both learners were interviewed for this report. Mavis’ interview appears in the report.

How are you finding the mentoring experience?

“At first it wasn’t easy due to the fact that the learners were not familiar with the work environment. But as time went on everything was perfectly fine. Now I can even relax and send them to do my task. They can be able to do that on their own.

What did you have to do to get them to the place where they can now do your work?

“It involved commitment from them and from me, and to show me that they are willing to learn and to work.”

What would you say to other people who are busy working and have an opportunity to mentor? Would you recommend it as an experience or would you tell them its a tough job, don’t go there?

“No I would recommend them to mentor interns, even if they are not exposed to a work environment. In fact I think its better if they have not been exposed at all. It kind of shows how good you are as a mentor if I taught somebody who is clueless and then that person becomes a technician. I am very proud of myself with them.

Keep on bringing them. We are ready for them. We will teach them everything we know.”

VUYO SIBEKO (MANAGER)

Vuyo is an Assistant Director at Department of Public Works (DPW) in their Human Capital Investment directorate. DPW employs approximately 6,000 people. It is responsible for managing the implementation of

26 Both learners were interviewed for this report. Rofhiwa’s interview appears in this report.

their learnership and internship programmes, their management trainees, and their young professionals or candidacy programme.

They also implement the internally executed projects, such as a call centre operation, and the certification of internal auditors who already have some professional qualification. The call centre operation which was previously outsourced but has now been taken on as an internal project. It sits with her directorate because it has a youth development element. Her directorate also has a water treatment project which is responsible for providing accommodation and sanitation on behalf of other government departments, especially in areas outside of municipalities.

They run several on-the-job training programmes through the Department of Higher Education & Training and Sector Education & Training Authorities (SETAs). They have just over 400 technical college27 students in these programmes, as college students often miss out on work experience and bursary opportunities available for university or SETA students.

They also have a schools programme for Grade 10 - 12 high performing Maths & Science students from disadvantaged areas. These students are offered bursaries for careers in the built environment after they complete their schooling.

In total there are more than 500 learners in the organisation. Government has mandated that its departments should appoint up to 5% of their workforce as trainees.

How important is work readiness for the learners you are dealing with here?

“It is very important to have a work readiness workshop for the learners, especially the ones just coming straight from [studying]. It might be a person who is having a grade 12, or a person who is having a diploma or a certificate or a degree. We want to install principles in them. Time management, financial management, responsibility and accountability.

In terms of impact on the country, the community, the families, is there anything you can tell us as to how effective these kind of programmes are?

“Some of their parents are not working, or a person is raised by a single parent. We normally come across cases like those. In one of our [other projects] we had 146 grade 12 students from a poverty stricken rural area which was very dry. We took them through our skills development training programme, and now we have absorbed all of them into permanent positions. So we have assisted the community in terms of the poverty burden. Most of them did not even have medical aids. And also now they are even motivating the other youth in their community to say that there are opportunities out there its just for you to apply.”

27 These are public Technical & Vocational Education & Training (TVET) Col-leges


36

CONTACTS

CONTRACT MANAGEMENTName Patrick HijlkemaDesignation Executive: Human CapitalCellphone 082 602 4471Email [email protected]

PROJECT IMPLEMENTATIONName Michael MannDesignation General Manager: Proserve South

AfricaCellphone 082 600 9739Email [email protected]

Business Address

Gillooly’s View

Osborne Lane

Bedfordview

Johannesburg

2007

BIBLIOGRAPHYDigital Jobs in Africa: Catalyzing Inclusive Opportunities for Youth (Dalberg, 2013)

Harji, K. & Best, H. Digital Jobs: Building Skills for the Future (2013)

Kennedy, R., Sheth, S., London, T., Jhaveri, E., Kilibarda, L. Impact Sourcing - Assessing the Opportunity for Building a Thriving Industry

Rogan, M., Diga, K., Valodia, I. The labour market and digital jobs in Africa (Durban: Published by UKZN, 2013)

Mentors: Ramadimetse Makgati, & Veronica Morotoba Manager: Vuyo Sibeko

(top to bottom)


37COnTACTS

http://www.dalberg.com

APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1 - TOPICS COVERED BY THE EOH WORK READINESS PROGRAMME

▲ My personal thinking style

▲ My personal learning style

▲ How I fit into the bigger picture of business

▲ Understanding my personal uniqueness, interests and values

▲ Developing my “Personal Brand”

▲ Professional dress code

▲ Behaving professionally within a business environment

▲ Working within a team

▲ Handling feedback appropriately

▲ Communicating and interpreting communication effectively

▲ Presenting information in different business formats

▲ Personal effectiveness

▲ Managing my time

▲ Planning my workload

▲ Understanding business expenditure and budgets

▲ Managing my personal expenditure against a budget

▲ Capitalising on my research and problem solving abilities

▲ Managing change

▲ How to bring creativity and innovation the workplace


38

APPENDIX 2 - BREAKDOWN OF LEARNING GROUPS

Group Name Nr of learners Programme dates Location

EOH Interns 46 November - January 2014 Gauteng, Johannesburg EOH Interns 19 December - February 2014 Gauteng, Johannesburg EOH Interns 22 December - February 2014 Gauteng, Johannesburg EOH Interns 53 January - March 2014 Gauteng, Johannesburg Oracle 19 March - May 2014 Gauteng, Johannesburg MPC 9 April - June 2014 Western Cape, Milnerton MPC 11 May - July 2014 Western Cape, Milnerton System Support G1 20 May - July 2014 Gauteng, PretoriaSystem Support G2 18 May - July 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill End User G1 26 May - July 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill EOH Interns G1 14 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill EOH Interns G2 20 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill EOH Technical Support G1 14 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Sandton EOH Technical Support G2 18 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Sandton EOH Technical Support G3 15 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill EOH End User G2 21 June - August 2014 Western Cape, AtlantisEOH End User G3 16 June - August 2014 Gauteng, Van der Bijl Park EOH System Support G3 15 June - August 2014 KZN, Durban EOH Technical Support G4 18 June - August 2014 KZN, Durban EOH System Support G4 24 June - August 2014 North West, Rustenberg EOH System Support G5 27 June - August 2014 Limpopo, PhalaborwaEOH System Support G6 24 July - September 2014 Limpopo, PolokwaneEOH Technical Support G5 33 July - September 2014 Limpopo, MalamuleleEOH End User G4 24 July - September 2014 Gauteng, HeidelbergFasset G1 10 July - September 2014 Limpopo, PhalaborwaFasset G2 27 July - September 2014 Limpopo, PolokwaneFasset G3 15 July - September 2014 Limpopo, PolokwaneFasset G4 15 July - September 2014 Gauteng, WitbankEOH End User G5 28 July - September 2014 Gauteng, Heidelberg Investec G1 22 July - September 2014 Gauteng, RandburgInvestec G2 28 July - September 2014 Gauteng, Sandton Investec G3 17 July - September 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill TSS G1 15 July - September 2014 Gauteng, WoodmeadJascomp& Quarphix G1 22 August - Ocotber 2014 Gauteng, Woodmead Jascomp & Quarphix G2 11 August - Ocotber 2014 Gauetng, Randburg Jascomp G1 21 August - Ocotber 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill Native G1 12 August - September 2014 Gauteng, Sandton EOH KZN Group 3 7 August - October 2014 KZN, Durban EOH Springs G1 11 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Springs Quarphix & Jasscomp G3 27 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Sunninghill Quarphix & Jasscomp G4 33 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Randburg Quarphix & Jasscomp G5 21 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Pretoria Quarphix & Jasscomp G6 19 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Newtown Quarphix & Jasscomp G7 20 August - October 2014 Gauteng, Newtown

TOTAL 907


39APPEnDICES

www.eoh.co.za

OUR OFFICE LOCATIONS

Head Office, JohannesburgPostal AddressPO Box 59, Bruma Johannesburg 2026

Physical AddressEOH Business Park, Gillooly’s View, Osborne Lane, Bedfordview 2007

Telephone: +27 (11) 607 8100General fax no.: +27 (11) 616 9929

EOH DurbanPostal AddressPO Box 5198Rydall Vale Park4019

Physical Address18 Cranbrook CrescentCranbrook Park La Lucia Ridge Office Estate4320

© EOH 2014. Cover image Quaid Jones.Authored by Mike Stuart, on behalf of EOH.

eoh work readiness initiative - interim narrative report 2014

Documents

disadvantaged youth

youth empowerment

work opportunities

support of digital jobs

permanent jobs

quantitative progress

qualitative progress

rockefeller foundation