CHIETA programme helps retrenched workers find employment

Beneficiaries from the project recently met with CHIETA CEO Yershen Pillay. From L-R: Zainul Abedeen Mohamed, Busisiwe Noliqhwa Nkosi, Yershen Pillay, and Jabulani Foci Masinga.

Yershen Pillay, CEO of CHIETA, says the programme entails wide-ranging training that will go further than skills development. “This programme will enable the workers to seek opportunities beyond their existing skillset; it will give them hope for the future and equip them to consider entrepreneurial initiatives or formal employment beyond what they were employed to do when they were retrenched.”

The Retrenched Workers Support Programme is being presented by Options in Personnel and is running for four months from December 2021 through to March 2022. It entails several elements:

• Career counselling (two days)
  
• An accredited NQF Level 2 qualification – ‘Identify and demonstrate entrepreneurial ideas and opportunities’ – which will be moderated by the Services SETA (two days)
  
• The startUP&go entrepreneurship education programme (three days)
  
• The Goal2Work job search programme (three days)

The training is designed to empower people in their journey to meaningful re-employment or entrepreneurship. It will guide the workers through the stressful experience of losing a job, help them take a fresh new look at the job market, equip them to manage an effective job search, and to handle the transition to a new job.

In the career counselling sessions, the beneficiaries learn how to develop career plans, prepare CVs, and build their confidence. StartUP&go is an experiential entrepreneurship programme where participants engage in business-simulation games.

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Pillay adds, “The programme beneficiaries are empowered to job search and start new jobs successfully. Alternatively, for those who are entrepreneurial, they learn how to identify opportunities, and how to cope with the challenges and procedures of entrepreneurship.”

The beneficiaries are developing business acumen, understanding business strategies, marketing, and compliance, and are being given tools to ensure the sustainability of their small businesses.

In addition, the programme is providing ongoing support throughout the period of the project with a job search e-learning programme, micro-learning videos that can be accessed 24/7 on cell phones, tablets or computers, as well as online support.

Pillay adds, “This programme represents a significant investment by CHIETA and will deliver an immersive experience that will lead to a more successful entrepreneurship or employment journey for the beneficiaries.”