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Belief in the Future
Janis Berard - Chairperson of the Board of Directors
The BSDC programme has been in existence since 1987. It was born out of desperate need to play a role in addressing grave inequalities in the South African economic landscape. This need has not significantly changed. In truth, in the current socio-economic climate the necessity for a programme that assists people to become economically active is as important as ever. Unemployment is rising and economic conditions for many people in the greater Cape Town area are deteriorating. The need for an organisation like the BSDC has not diminished. Measured against many different criteria the BSDC project is successful. This does not mean that the project is faultless.
Learners doing a problem-solving exercise
Key problem areas faced by BSDC:
Funding: Funding was a severe difficulty up to 2004, as sponsor relationships had been poorly managed in the past, and the centre's 'marketing' had been inadequate considering the pioneering work that has been done.
To remedy:
- Youth Advisory Centre staff and Centre manager have personally visited corporate businesses both to market the ex-students for placement and to discuss sponsorship.
- The Board of Directors has become more personally involved in the fund-raising and activities at the centre.
- The fundraiser is working more closely with the Centre Manager and specific goals are being set.
- A website went on-line in mid-February 2005.
- See Strategic input from funders and corporates under Achievements to Date.
Workshadow: A variety of problems occurred during workshadow during 2004 with some students ineffectively mentored by companies and some companies unhappy with the level of the students. The latter reason has largely been the rationale for increasing the length of the course from 2005. We have found this year, that the skills level of the students is higher and the electives provide a definite ‘value added’ as far as employers and workshadow participants are concerned.
Encouraging Entrepreneurship: One of our main challenges is to persuade the learners that they have the capacity to run their own businesses successfully. There is a mindset of a 'job at all costs' even when they come onto an entrepreneurship course.
To remedy:
- Extensive, problem-solving personal coaching for each student or group's business
- Continual motivation and positive encouragement through increased input from successful entrepreneur guest speakers
- Laying a solid foundation before the students actually open their businesses on the course.
- During 2005, longer time at the centre has had a positive effect on the learners. Immediate support is available to nurture budding entrepreneurs through difficult patches and assist them with tendering etc.
- Positive atmosphere at BSDC encouraging students to believe they have the capacity for success.
Sustaining the outcomes of our project:
- Ongoing mentorship for small businesses after they have left the centre.
- Access to internet, email and computerised accounting for small businesses to enhance efficiency.
- Topical workshops on a monthly basis for small businesses.
- One-on-one directed, problem-solving coaching for small businesses.
- Vouchers from Swiss Contact to be given to all ex-student entrepreneurs for additional small business courses.
- Additional computer, business skills, life skills and call centre training for ex-students to increase their skills.
- Youth Advisory Centre provides counselling and runs weekly workshops for any ex-students needing help in CV preparation, interview skills, confidence building.
- New corporate partners continually brought in to assist with outings, guest speakers and provide workshops on relevant topics both for current and ex-students.
Our Strengths, Weaknesses, Successes and Failures
Critical self-reflection and evaluation on the part of the BSDC as well as independent evaluations commissioned by one of our main sponsors in 2003 and 2005 respectively have revealed a set of strengths and weaknesses of the BSDC as well as successes and failures. These include:
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Dedicated and committed staff | Poor internal communication |
| Strong management | Need for more mentoring and coaching of staff |
| Dedicated and supportive board | Board can appear to be remote |
| Excellent reputation amongst the people | Does not market enough – profile too low |
| Experienced staff | The staff component is not representative enough |
| Excellent track record built up over 19 years | |
| Has survived economic crisis and shown resilience | Ongoing stress associated with funding because of lack of long-term financial planning and fundraising |
| Dedicated to assisting economic marginalized people- especially isiXhosa speaking women | Can be seen as excluding other marginalized people |
| The potential to turn the Youth Advisory/Placement Division into a viable business | Not business oriented enough and does not grasp opportunities that present themselves |
| Provisional SETA registration | |
| Programme affordable | Mainly donor dependent |
| Programme accessible | |
| Has broader community support | Need for consolidating community support and relations |
| Has excellent reputation amongst businesses | Does not sell some of the services to business |
| Has established IT section that can be expanded to earn extra income | Not enough equipment and some outdated |
| Lean and flat management structure promotes flexibility and adaptability | Need for business management skills |
| On campus with necessary infrastructure | |
| Teach vital empowerment skills | |
| Course materials does meet NQF and SAQA requirements | |
| Teaches entrepreneurial skills | |
| Poor database for tracking graduates | |
| Staff turn-over is static | |
| Value attributed to graduates by businesses in which they are placed | |
| Being flexible and able to adapt to emerging trends | |
| Ability to track and place students through the YAC | Does not charge recruitment and placement fees |
| Being able to communicate with donors to keep them abreast of developments |
| Successes | Failures |
|---|---|
| Been in existence for 19 yrs | Has not grasped growth opportunities |
| Trained over 2000 learners | |
| High employment placement | |
| Successful job shadowing programme | |
| High student pass rates | |
| Many people run successful businesses | |
| Promotes loyalty amongst staff | |
| Financially tightly managed | |
| Proper auditing structures and free of any scandals | |
| Graduates fiercely loyal | |
| Keep fees relatively low | |
| Enables people who missed school education to get another chance | |
| ‘BSDC has soul’ |
The above comparisons clearly show that the BSDC has many more strengths than weaknesses and has more successes than failures. These are remarkable achievements because of the kind of work that the BSDC has devoted itself to and that they try sometimes against all the odds to make essential education and training available to people who would otherwise not be able to afford it. The BSDC does this through the dedication and ‘soul’ it possesses from staff who give selflessly of themselves to the extent that they were prepared to work for no remuneration for a time to ensure the survival of the idea behind the BSDC, and they are not earning enormous salaries by current standards.