SOUTH AFRICA- McDonald’s SA has partnered with the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) in a training and recruitment initiative for local job seekers between 18 and 35 years.
According to the fast food giant, the joint partnership aims to address the ravaging employment crisis by recruiting and training young job seekers through workplace learning at various McDonald’s outlets throughout the country.
Around 1,646 youths have been placed in the skills development program, which is expected to run for a year and six months. The participants are guaranteed a ZAR 3,500 (US$196.81), excluding extra benefits from McDonald’s.
These benefits are applicable if the trainees agree to take shifts after their daily lessons.
The stipend was initially ZAR 2,500 (US$140.66), revised upwards a few months before the initiative’s launch.
According to the QSR chain, this compensation system will help the trainees earn passive income, which will benefit them and their communities.
The partnership included a conference on skill development at McDonald’s SA’s Hamburger University, one of nine McDonald’s training centers in the world, located in Johannesburg on August 13. This should follow the on-the-job training.
Through the program, the workers are empowered with the skills required to operate a successful restaurant chain.
CATHSSETA welcomed the move, describing it as a useful private-public partnership for the greater good of the youth.
Marks Thibela, CATHSETTA’s CEO, said, “Our 2030 vision is in action through skills initiatives like this, as it is a high impact programme where 80% absorption rate is estimated.”
“Businesses and government need to collaborate to address youth unemployment crisis and skills shortages. We strive to eradicate these socioeconomic issues through three E’s: Education, Exposure and Experience.”
Although the partners describe the partnership as a means of imparting skills to the youth and addressing unemployment, it is subtly viewed as McDonald’s strategy for developing its own talent pool in the long term.
This is because of the skills gap that exists in retail, especially in QSR chains. According to Business Insider, out of the 300,000 trainees that have graduated from Hamburger University, slightly more than half are actively employed by McDonald’s.
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