Eleven unemployed youth graduated from Mr Price Foundation’s JumpStart Production Programme at the beautiful Shoreside Terrace Cafè at Sibaya, in Durban, on 5 September.   

The five-month programme equipped the graduates with theoretical knowledge, practical core clothing production and manufacturing skills, as well as workplace ethics. After manufacturing 200 t-shirts on a production line and spending a month in real-life work experience, they can now access employment opportunities or start their own businesses as multi-skilled sewing machinists. 

The Production Programme cohort was co-funded by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) as part of the Retail-Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather Master Plan (R-CTFL) 2030, and implemented on behalf of the Supplier Development Cluster (SDC). The R-CTFL Master Plan is aimed at driving local manufacturing and employment and boosting job creation in the manufacturing and retail industries. 

Speaking at the celebration, Natasja Ambrosio, Mr Price Group Sustainability Director, encouraged the graduates to think big.  

“That certificate in your hand is valuable wherever you go. I want you to be encouraged by South Africa’s national growth plan for this industry. In 2019, all the big retailers in South Africa, and some international retailers, signed up to the Master Plan to boost local production. Five years later, local production has already grown from 35% to 45%. We are excited and want to bring a lot more young people into retail and manufacturing,” said Natasja. 

Karen Wells, Head of Mr Price Foundation, said the grads could use their new skills set to rewrite their future.  

“Given South Africa’s high youth unemployment rate, this programme can unlock huge opportunities. You have learnt critical skills that you can leverage to gain employment or to create your own market and set up your own clothing-making businesses. We have run these programmes since 2015 and we’re always impressed to see how our students take their skills forward,” said Karen.  

Yurissa Sawers, JumpStart Programme Manager, said the Production Programme was a valuable blend of theory, practical manufacturing skills and work experience. 

“For the first four months, the candidates received in-house classroom training at the Innovation Hub in Cornubia, equipped with sewing machines kindly donated by Berzacks. They learned the theory of being a machinist, handling and caring for a machine, and practical sewing skills. They also spent two weeks in the hub on a production line, manufacturing 200 t-shirts that will be donated to children,” Yurissa said. 

The course culminated in one month of real-life work experience on the production lines of clothing and textile manufacturers in the Durban area.  

“We thank all our partners for investing their time and resources in this important programme. Youth development is our passion and we all stand to benefit when our youth are engaged in the important task of building a more resilient manufacturing and retail sector,” said Yurissa. 

 

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