As South Africa continues to battle an unprecedented youth unemployment rate (63.9% for youth aged 15 to 24, according to Stats South Africa, which is currently the highest in the world and nearly twice that of the national unemployment rate of 34.5%), one Cape Town-based company leads the charge for South African youth to enter a field that offers immense potential.
Digital marketing technology firm Black Wolf Group has dedicated the last four years to developing and training youth through its non-profit division, Black Wolf Youth Agency (BWYA), and this year, the NPC has gone a step further with the introduction of its Marketing Society.
Officially launched in April, in collaboration with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the Marketing Society builds on BWYA’s role as an education solutions hub by providing a platform that assists students in gaining industry experience through marketing events and workshops, networking, career guidance, and mentorship opportunities. To date, 189 students have received guidance through the BWYA Marketing Society.
Gerald Luvo Qozeleni, a third-year student at CPUT and the chairman of the Marketing Society, says the initiative has the potential to assist youth to acquire relevant industry skills that will contribute to both their employability and the country’s employment rate as many of them go on to create their own organisations. More specifically, the Marketing Society stresses the importance of people as a resource within the working world.
“I firmly believe a difference can be made by a group of skilled individuals who are determined to contribute and bring about change to our society. All other operational resources will fall into place once the most basic resource – the human element – becomes available,” he says.
In order for human resources to be successfully utilised, the gap between industry and the academic space must be bridged – and programmes such as the Marketing Society have been developed with this end goal in mind.
“One of the largest challenges young professionals face outside the academic space is a lack of knowledge – a ‘clueless-ness’ – of industry expectations. Marketing is a rapidly changing industry and by working hand-in-hand with people in the industry, students like me will be guided through that difficult transition from the academic space into the working world.
“The programme has the potential to open doors for anyone that seeks relevance and guidance in their career path and would like to take that next step toward achieving their career goals,” he adds.
Sven Wolf, managing director at Black Wolf Group, believes this a promising indication that youth are not only interested in becoming more employable but are taking solid steps towards learning skills that will be lucrative over the long term. While job creation is critical, Wolf believes that companies need to go beyond the bare minimum to ensure that the employment opportunities they offer are gainful.
“As unemployment has risen steadily over the last few years, the micro and small business sector provide a great foundational incubator for skills training,” says Wolf. “We are not unaware of the many barriers to entry in the workforce, especially at large corporates. This is why all our programmes support the learning journey with a focus on training and development within the marketing discipline.”
To that end, Qozeleni and his fellow Marketing Society participants are eager to introduce the programme to more students. “This is such an important opportunity. I look forward to meeting good people who are doing wonderful things for their brands and companies and are willing to use this platform to exchange ideas and guide more students to achieving greatness in the marketing industry.”
The Marketing Society programme is offered by Black Wolf Youth Agency, a not-for-profit and the official strategic partner of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The agency operates as an education solutions hub that provides training, mentorship and placement to students and graduates, specifically those within the marketing and work-integrated learning streams.The agency is open to further collaboration with like-minded organisations and brands looking to address the youth unemployment crisis head-on and bridge the gap between skills training and experience.
For more information or to partner with Black Wolf Youth Agency, contact Digital Communications Manager Megan Jacobs at megan@blackwolfagency.co.za.
