The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber in partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and Harambee officially launched the much-anticipated Skills Development Desk in Gqeberha this morning.
The Skills Development Desk is a progressive initiative aimed at fostering collaboration among key stakeholders to address the critical technical skills shortage in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, particularly within in the manufacturing sector.
The ECDC has committed R500,000 for the activities of the Skills Development Desk which is poised to become a vital catalyst in helping bridge the skills divide, understanding where employment opportunities exist, and what is required to be done to unlock them, and fostering the retention and attraction of investment in Nelson Mandela Bay.
The Skills Development Desk is meant to address the skills gaps identified by industry, and capacitate young people with the requisite skills so that they are matched to available job opportunities.
The Desk is designed to take an industry demand-led approach, ensuring that it is responsive to the specific needs of employers and the jobs in demand.
Major existing manufacturers and incoming investors to Nelson Mandela Bay are highlighting their technical skills requirements and to this end, it is vital that all the stakeholders work together to build a sufficient pool of skilled technical talent.
This will also incorporate a match-making focus to ensure that displaced workers, with technical skills, are linked to companies which are being launched or are growing their operations.
The key activities of the skills desk will include:
• The identification and mapping of the current skills gap of current members
• Assessment of future skills requirements of various sectors and investors.
• Creation of a job opportunities database
• Attract and retain core skills in Nelson Mandela Bay
• Facilitate the transfer of skills from retirees to new entrants
• Mobilising resources to close identified skills gaps
• Coordinating training of identified job seekers
• Placement of the empowered job seekers at NMBBC member and partner businesses
• Developing artisans and technical skills to support municipal service delivery
Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) Chief Executive Officer, Ayanda Wakaba delivered the keynote address at the launch of the Skills Development Desk in Gqeberha this morning.
The Skills Development Desk is an initiative of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber in partnership with the Eastern Cape Development Corporation and Harambee.
In his address, Wakaba emphasised the importance of the partnership in creating a sustainable talent pipeline for Nelson Mandela Bay.
“The collaboration between the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, the ECDC, and Harambee, is crucial for ensuring that we have access to the right talent to address current and future skills gaps and employment demands in the automotive and manufacturing sectors.
This initiative will not only provide immediate training solutions but will also help prepare the next generation of workers to contribute to the long-term sustainability of our local industries,” Wakaba said.
Wakaba said, as a provincial economic development and trade and investment promotion agency, the ECDC is invested in partnering with other development agencies, municipalities, development finance institutions, business chambers, non-profit and other institutions who share the same economic values.
These partnerships seek to have a beneficial and sustainable impact on economic impacts, including job creation, particularly for young people, reducing poverty and addressing inequality.
