The Jobs Fund

Cape Craft Design Institute exceeds job targets

The Cape Craft Design Institute (CCDI) recently celebrated the successful completion of its Jobs Fund project that resulted in 464 permanent jobs (target: 451 jobs) in 45 enterprises in the creative sector. The project received a grant of R14.5 million over three years and matched it with R2.9 million. The programme also contributed to gender equity: 65 percent of its permanent staff are women.

“We are very pleased to report that we exceeded the job target by 103 percent and created 464 jobs, at an average cost of R31 298 per job,” said Erica Elk, CCDI executive director.

Head of the Jobs Fund, Najwah Allie-Edries said, “We’ve had an amazing journey with the CCDI team. We thank all businesses involved for embracing the challenge of creating jobs in the economy, and I can see from this project with the CCDI that we have been able to catalyse inclusive economic growth.”

Many of these businesses are located in communities where unemployment is high. “Not only have they created jobs but there is an additional impact in the community, from having access to permanent work closer to home, less spent on transportation and more spent on improving the educational outcomes for their children,” said Najwah.

The Deputy Minister of Finance, Mcebisi Jonas, the keynote speaker at the event, said, “Through this initiative the government supported the building of intermediary networks that could make a meaningful contribution to sustainable job creation.”

He added, “Recently we used the occasion of the Budget Speech to outline challenges we face as a country and of these is the ongoing problem of inequality and unemployment across the economy. We can have a macro-economic framework to deal with these challenges, but ultimately you need activities at all levels.”

Businesses involved in the CCDI project vary in size and in terms of the products they manufacture – from furniture, leather goods and ceramics, to handmade body products and jewellery. “This project has been ground-breaking for the sector and highlights its potential for SME growth and scaling up, increasing jobs and turnover, and contributing to GDP,” added Elk.

She continued, “The project has also become a game-changer for the CCDI and we are very grateful to have had this opportunity to partner with the Jobs Fund to develop the innovative financial investment instrument as an addition to the support we are able to provide SMEs in our burgeoning sector.”

Elk says the highlight of the three-year project is that businesses such as RAIN, which creates handmade body products, have expanded their operations internationally.



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