THERE are many unemployed youth in Mzansi.
To make sure that they have the critical skills Mzansi needs, Coca Cola Beverage South Africa launched Bizniz in a Box in 2015. The project provides youths with a direct opportunity to seek and get work, training and experience at select spaza shops when they graduate from the programme.
“Finding employment opportunities for young people remains a critical challenge for Mzansi so it was important for Coca-Cola to invest in our youth,” said Tsholofelo Mqhayi, head of community development at the famous beverage company.
“Our objective with Bizniz in a Box is to create a sustainable business model that can be duplicated all over the country.”
The programme is designed to teach youth how to create their own small businesses through a combination of theoretical education and practical training, along with support mentorship.
The three factors have been combined to help young entrepreneurs, learn business principles and empower them with technical skills.
Launched in 2015, Bizniz in a Box is, at its core, the way to create a customer network that will not only benefit the youth but the company too.
Through this initiative, the current 51 graduates will have an opportunity to run their own small businesses. The central structure of the programme is a foundation around which all sorts of other businesses can be built as well.
The first Bizness in a Box started in North West province in October 2016 when Coca-Cola asked interested youth to register with the programme. Successful attendees were selected and then sent to complete basic training before working in a business for experience.
