The EU funded Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion (CBPEP), housed in GTAC, has reached the end of its 5-year funding period. During this period the programme worked with many actors, within and outside of government to build state and institutional capacity towards the promotion of employment for SMMEs and the informal sector. Strategic projects that CBPEP engaged with over the 5-year period include employment focused agrarian reform, the policy and regulatory environment for informal traders, the integration of informal waste pickers (see more below), and the design and piloting of a Basic Package of Support for Youth as a key element of the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention. During the last two Covid years, the programme supported the Project Management Office (PMO) in the Office of the Presidency, where it focused on the design and rollout of emergency Covid-19 relief programmes and the Employment Stimulus package.
The final Colloquium was held on 8 and 9 March, and focused on lessons learned over the past five years, together with examples of innovative and agile problem-solving in the face of a national crisis. The speakers reflected on, among other things, the Employment Stimulus Programme, on the roll out of the Covid-19 SRD Grant and the Basic Education Employment Initiative; the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF), Operation Vulindlela, as well as land reform and employment promotion.
One of the CBPEP highlights is the Integration strategy for informal waste pickers in the City of Tshwane. The aim of this project was to integrate the informal waste pickers and waste-picker cooperatives into the waste value chain within the City of Tshwane. This approach aims to not improve job security, it will also positively influence the green economy, enhance our efforts to combat climate change, and impact health and cleanliness in our cities. A business model was also developed and shared during a stakeholder workshop.