Cape Town – Service delivery platform Orderin has partnered with Afrika Tikkun, an organisation that works to support disadvantaged young people across the country, to launch a project aimed at tackling youth unemployment.
To reach their intended audience, the organisations collaborated with the Youth Employment Services (Yes) programme, which builds partnerships between the government, civil society and businesses to create jobs, aiming to create sustainable opportunities for unemployed youth.
Orderin chief executive Thembani Biyam said: “In South Africa today, there are 7.8 million unemployed people. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw unprecedented growth of the on-demand industry but this has not translated into increased employment opportunities.
“We wanted to come up with an innovative solution to the unemployment crisis that we have in this country, and ultimately contribute to the overall development of the economy. That is how we partnered up with a social enterprise organisation, Afrika Tikkun Services.
“We knew they would be able to create the perfect youth employment initiative specifically designed to mitigate barriers around financial support, training and employment opportunities for local youth.”
Afrika Tikkun Services will provide the underprivileged youth with work readiness training, driving lessons and licence fees which will prepare them to become part of Orderin’s delivery ecosystem.
“Many young South Africans do not have access to the resources required to overcome the various cost, training and employment barriers that exist in the current economy.
“This partnership with Afrika Tikkun Services allows us to address some of these barriers,” added Biyam.
Afrika Tikkun Services chief executive Onyi Nwaneri said: “As an organisation that is passionate about growing, nurturing and establishing young lives from ‘cradle to career’ with sustainable opportunities, it made complete sense to partner with a business like Orderin, who operate in a fast-growing industry with real potential for change.”
The organisations have also partnered with McDonald’s which donated bikes and will provide delivery volumes for drivers through their Scoot service.
For the 12 months of the programme, the riders will be employed by Afrika Tikkun Services and receive a monthly salary.
