2009-07-29: Informal sector entrepreneurs get certificates
THE City of Joburg is hosting a graduation ceremony for 400 informal sector entrepreneurs who have successfully completed a six month business improvement training course.
The ceremony will be held on Sunday 2 August 2009 from 11.00 to 15.00 in the Great Hall, Main Campus at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).
Jason Ngobeni, Executive Director for Economic Development in the City says, “This is the culmination of a six month basic business skills training programme known as Grow Your Business which is such an important project to develop informal entrepreneurs”.
“We are all excited to witness the graduation of these traders who have put so much effort to learn about the art of running a business as well as improve their literacy. This graduation will not end here as a ceremony but will evolve into the growth of some of these businesses into the first economy", adds Ngobeni.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development, Councillor Oupa Monareng says, "I do not think that there is another City in this country that invests and creates as much opportunities for informal trade as the City of Joburg. The City has over the past five years built a solid partnership with Wits University to provide training and development of informal traders”.
The training, coordinated by Wits Enterprise the commercial company of Wits University, has been contracted by the City of Joburg to provide training to informal sector entrepreneurs since 2004.
This is the fifth year that the programme has been offered and a total of 2500 traders have now been trained.
Dr Johan Swanepoel Short Course Manager for Wits Enterprise says, “The formal training covered basic fundamentals of Small Business Management such as main elements of a business plan, budgeting and basic financial management, pricing, marketing, making a business grow, sustaining a small business, legislative imperatives on small businesses, metro legislative requirements, sourcing finance, and networking”.
In order to ensure maximum success, various quality assurance measures were put in place as well as ensuring an enabling environment to optimize learning. Three Wits academics were continuously monitoring the progress of the project.
Last week an exhibition was held to bring the traders in contact with a variety of role players in the financial and or business environment and give exhibitors the opportunity to show informal traders what support is available in general for SMME’s as well as market specific products.
“Joburg, a City where community development, personal growth and social mobility are enhanced so that challenges of poverty, vulnerability, inequality and social exclusion are fundamentally addressed”.
Issued on behalf of Councillor Oupa Monareng Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development
By Virgil James
Spokesperson
City of Johannesburg
011 407 7226
082 467 9415
