First of the promised 20 Lulaway recruitment centres opens in Soweto

Lulaway is officially opening the first of its promised twenty Gauteng Provincial Government funded recruitment centres at Klipspruit West in Soweto on Friday the 7th of September 2012.

Gauteng and more specifically the Department of Health and Social Development are at the forefront of combating unemployment with its use of the Lulaway online recruitment platform by providing corporates with direct access to entry level and semi-skilled workers. Life skills and training will be linked to the centres thereby ensuring a higher success rate in both the screening process and the job interviews that follow.

The first centre, located in Klipspruit West’s Development Centre has been assisting the community for the past six years. The centre prides itself on providing skills development to the community, and according to the centre’s General Manager, Gregory Damons, the Lulaway recruitment booth will offer hope for a better (gainfully employed) future for the youth of the area.

Gregory says, “While some reports and statistics may disagree, we, here on the ground, believe that there are at least 75% of the youth unemployed in this community. The recruitment centre will provide a host of work possibilities, which would not have otherwise been accessible to community,” he says.

”The Lulaway offering cuts down on the scourge of unemployment, especially amongst our youth and unemployed people. Considering that many cannot afford to travel into the city, go to recruitment agencies or even know how to put a CV together, recruitment centres such as this, give them equal opportunity of showcasing their skills and getting onto an employment database.”

”The opening of this first centre is a watershed moment and it is our intention to address labour market inefficiencies in South Africa within the grassroots and blue collar labour market,” says Errol Freeman, MD of Lulaway.

The Lulaway system takes the efficient internet job-board to the next level by creating a virtual platform with job-centre networks on the ground. Job-seekers can visit centres located in their near vicinity where consultants will construct a CV, scan relevant documentation and take photographs. Applicants are put through rigorous screening and testing, designed to test skills, knowledge, aptitude and corporate fit. These tests can be generic or individually customised.

This information is filtered through to an online database and professionally presented in an accessible, manageable, usable format. An SMS facility is then provided to clients to communicate with applicants, individually or en mass at the touch of a button.

”According to the latest South African quarterly labour force survey, 44% of ‘New Entrants’ into the job market, accounted for 44% of the total unemployment figure of 4 526 000 and 70.1% are aged between 15 and 34,” he adds.

“Using our infrastructure will allow two consultants in each of the twenty booths to potentially screen between 240 000 and 270 000 job seekers in a twelve month period.”

Business leaders and HR specialists were originally presented with the concept on the 28th June 2012, where a joint breakfast was hosted and the promise of giving opportunities to the unemployed was realised.