The Bandwidth Barn entrepreneurship training targets post matrics

Unemployment remains a huge problem in South Africa. For the youth of the country — specifically those leaving school — entrepreneurship can offer opportunities where there were none before. This is the idea behind the latest programme to come from Cape Town-based tech incubator The Bandwidth Barn.

The new three-day programme, called the Post Matric Entrepreneurship Skills Training Programme, is geared towards unemployed “school leavers,” and aims to empower them with entrepreneurial skills so that they can forge their own future.

The objective is to not only give unemployed matrics the skills and opportunity to create their own employment and earning income, but also to instil a sense of pride in their accomplishments.

“We are hoping that the skills learnt on the training will give the participants the courage and self-confidence to step forward into the world of entrepreneurship” says The Bandwidth Barn’s Vuyisa Qabaka.

Targeted participants are those who either failed matric and have not gone back to repeat the year, those who did pass but have did not receive good grades, as well as those who are unable to access tertiary education.

The outline for the programme is as follows:

Day 1:

The first day is focused on idea generation through various exercises which will help the participants “identify opportunities in the classroom and beyond.”

Day 2:

The programme then evolves into strategic planning where participants can see if their ideas are feasible, and whether their new venture is a viable business opportunity.

Day 3:

The last day of the programme is all about shifting the mindset of the participants from “employee” to that of “entrepreneur,” and includes goal-setting and planning.

Created in collaboration with InnovateBiz, the programme will run at The Bandwidth Barn from 3 February until 5 February from 9am to 12pm each day. Participants who complete all three days of the programme will receive a certificate of attendance.