Kia South Africa – through its local holding company, Motus – is participating in the Youth Employment Service (YES) programme, which calls on business to assist government in creating critical work experience opportunities for young people across the country.
At Kia, most of the YES programme learners have been placed in Sales Co-ordinator roles throughout the Kia retail network and at its head office. This will allow the learners to gain valuable experience ranging from customer service, administration, vehicle financing and an overall perspective of what it takes to run such a business.
“Work experience is crucial as there is a huge difference between a textbook and hands-on experience,” says Pamentha Kadathlal, Human Resources Director at Kia South Africa. “We want to give these learners a variety of work experiences so they can discover their passion and start building successful careers.”
The introduction of the 355 YES youth will be staggered across different divisions within Motus – where 63 learners will find their feet at Kia – and provide previously unemployed youth with a one-year fixed-term contract, a mobile device for ongoing support and training, as well as access to jobs across the group.
“While more than 8.5 million youth are unemployed, they are not unemployable. A current YES survey that tracks YES alumni has surprised us with exciting results showing that 42% of youth called have been absorbed into employment. This data shows that YES programmes are making youth more employable, despite a lack of formal education,” says Dr Tashmia Ismail, YES chief executive.
“What we are seeing from companies like Motus, which are providing young people with that critical first work opportunity, is that an ability and willingness to train young people on the job, bring energy and innovation into their business. This in turn triggers an economic ripple effect that helps reignite an economy in which more young people are included. We cannot leave another generation behind.”
Motus firmly believes that the corporate sector has a keen responsibility toward skills development in South Africa. “By partnering with and investing in programmes such as YES, we are not only providing an opportunity for those 355 youths, but we are expanding the talent pool for the entire industry, which means we all benefit in the end,” says Osman Arbee, CEO of Motus.
As we all know, the profit of a motor dealership comes from several areas and each of them needs to be monitored closely if you want to ensure that your dealership performs well.
The bakkie war has intensified with the local launch of Mitsubishi’s next-generation Triton, an evolution in the iconic bakkie’s 46-year legacy.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
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I always do like seeing other people dance in their cars. It's one of the things that makes me happy.
Ariel Gore
As we all know, the profit of a motor dealership comes from several areas and each of them needs to be monitored closely if you want to ensure that your dealership performs well.
Unlike in the past, when dealerships primarily waited for customers to come to them, we now take a more proactive approach, bringing our vehicles directly to places where people gather, allowing them to experience the product first-hand, including offering test drives,” says Gerrie van der Kaay, Dealer Principal at Supergroup Dealerships Jetour Midrand.
One of the latest Chinese automotive brands to establish itself in South Africa, GAC Motor, is benefitting from the expertise of well-known motor groups in the country, like the BB Motor Group.
