Western Cape government, partners facilitate job hunting

The Western Cape government, in partnership with business, has launched the Getting YOU to Work pilot programme aimed at helping unemployed jobseekers find work.

The programme will see jobseekers offered free travel to interviews using Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS). The Western Cape premier, Allan Winder, said partner employers could offer free travel vouchers to interview candidates during the recruitment process, greatly improving access to job opportunities. 

“Getting YOU to Work is being piloted in Cape Town and is available to jobseekers who have secured an interview with a partner employer,” said Winder.

Getting YOU to Work is part of the Western Cape government’s Growth 4 Jobs Strategy, through which the government says it is doing everything it can to grow the provincial economy, create jobs and tackle unemployment, which currently stands at 20%. 

“The high cost of transport is a major barrier reported by unemployed jobseekers looking for work and recent increases in fuel prices and public transport fares have made this even more difficult. Providing free travel vouchers removes this barrier, helping jobseekers find the work they so desperately need,” said Winde.

How does it work?

Jobseekers who have scheduled interviews with partner employers can be nominated by the employer to receive a free travel voucher from the Western Cape government.

The voucher allows jobseekers to travel to and from interviews in the Cape Town metro, for free, using Golden Arrow Bus Services on Mondays to Fridays (weekdays) between 8am and 4pm.

Once a jobseeker secures an interview with a partner employer, they are offered a free travel voucher by the employer to attend the interview. If the jobseeker accepts, their details are loaded onto an online platform by the employer. The jobseeker will receive an SMS with login details and instructions on how to register on the online portal.

• Once the jobseeker has registered, they will receive an SMS with details on how to collect the voucher, which includes 12 free trips,

• The jobseeker can then visit a GABS kiosk or independent vendor to receive the voucher, which is loaded on a GABS Gold Card,

• The jobseeker taps the Gold Card when boarding a GABS bus to redeem their free trip 

• The voucher can be used to cover the full journey to and from the interview, including transfers between buses. 

To be eligible for a voucher, a jobseeker must have a valid South African ID.

Employers who are interested in stepping up to participate in this exciting and transformative initiative must be registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission and actively recruit unemployed jobseekers in Cape Town.