Boomtown launches work-experience scheme

"South Africa has an abundance of eager graduates looking to make their mark in industry and it's fostering this talent that will lead to the country being a strong competitor in the global market," said Boomtown's creative director, Andrew Mackenzie.

Currently, 50% of the SA population is under the age of 15 and there is growing pressure to create millions of new jobs, especially in the coming three to five years.

Wayne Harrison, Boomtown's MD added: "It's not sustainable for these new jobs to come from big business. Companies like Anglo American have reduced workforces from over 450 000 in the 1980s to just 100 000 today. The future of SA lies with the creation of a national culture that supports entrepreneurs, idea-ists, and SMEs. Through initiatives that help incubate young talent we can support the current economic power shift from the declining developed countries to the next generation of global economic power houses - South Africa, India and South America."

Bayeza launched

And to play its role, Boomtown Strategic Brand Agency has launched Bayeza. A scheme to bring on board graduates for one year and expose them to working life, and make them attractive to future employers once the contract is up.

The agency has taken on four individuals for 2013 from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University: three creative and one marketing graduate. During the course of the year they will be taken through each area of the agency's functions, giving them valuable experience.

Luvuyo Bangazi is spearheading the initiative: "The Bayeza graduates are fast-tracked through the agency, giving them a rounded understanding of life at Boomtown and what to expect when they enter full-time employment.

"The goal is to make Bayeza a business within a business, so that we can channel whatever profits it makes back into supporting previously disadvantaged graduates in our sector.

"Each month they will work in a different area: production, digital etc., which will allow them to find what they'd like to specialise in, in their first job, and make them attractive to prospective employers."

Lwando Marambana, Zinzi May, Phola Maneli and Gerard Addison joined Boomtown this week, and come from a variety of backgrounds.