More jobs created by this year’s SAB young entrepreneurship finalists

The top 17 national finalists in SAB’s youth entrepreneurship programme, SAB KickStart, have created a total of 98 full time and part-time jobs since the start of the year.

This is 34 more jobs than was created in 2013, when SAB KickStart finalist businesses created a total of 64 jobs.

And a Germiston entrepreneur is one of the finalists.

Marcia Mofokeng (33) is the owner of Alurcia Aluminium and Glass, in Katlehong.

The business manufactures customised aluminium windows, sliding doors and shop front doors.

This comes soon after the announcement by Statistics South Africa (October 30) that the unemployment rate in the country had decreased slightly from 25.5 per cent to 25.4 per cent in the third quarter of 2014.

However, youth unemployment among people between the ages of 15 and 35 remains high, falling more than 20 per cent since 2008.

Government’s National Development Plan (NDP) calls for the country to find ways to reduce the “alarming levels” of youth unemployment and to provide them with more opportunities, and small business has been singled out as playing a key role in creating jobs.

SAB KickStart, introduced in 1995, is designed to help address this need to create sustainable jobs through supporting the development of high impact young entrepreneurs.

The programme’s efforts are focused on instilling a culture of entrepreneurship among young South Africans; offer leading startup development support to promising small businesses; invest in the creation of a quality pipeline of entrepreneurs in core industries and sectors; develop and entrench a thriving ecosystem of support for the development of business ideas while bridging the enterprise development offering gap for start-up businesses.

The 2014 SAB KickStart finalist entrepreneurs, whose specialities vary from design and manufacturing to wellness and vegetation management, among other things, were selected from a group of 60 entrepreneurs shortlisted to participate in the programme following an intensive two-week business training workshop where they learnt how to develop a bankable business plan and other essential business skills.

The 98 jobs were created by the finalist businesses during an intensive year-long programme of business development support offered by SAB KickStart.

SAB KickStart incorporates the development of a growth strategy for each business following a needs analysis.

This is used as the basis of the 12-month long programme of business development support and includes individualised business mentorship for each of the finalists, as well as grant funding for their business.

This support model is designed to build and strengthen the capabilities of the SMEs so that they become sustainable entities with the ability to create jobs, wealth and make a worthwhile contribution the country’s economy.

“The year-on-year increase in job creation by our young SAB KickStart finalists is an encouraging indication that our model of outcomes-based business training, grant funding and comprehensive business development support, has potential to establish strong small business.

“And although it may seem as only a small drop in the ocean, these young entrepreneurs are in their own way making a meaningful difference in the lives of people they employ within their respective communities,” said Refentse Shinners, SAB enterprise development manager.

The Top Five entrepreneurs will be selected from the group of 17 finalists and each awarded additional grant funding for their businesses of between R100 000 and R500 000.

In selecting the winners, an independent panel of judges considers the overall business performance, business sustainability and its potential, as well as the effective implementation of growth strategies during the SAB KickStart mentorship and business development phase.

Winners will be announced in mid-November 2014.