City celebrates youth graduating into big opportunities
30 September 2026
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, joined over 500 young Capetonians to celebrate their graduation from a CapeBPO Skills Programme. This is funded by the Jobsfund, Bankseta and the Western Cape Provincial Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT), facilitated by BPO Skills Academy in partnership with CapeBPO, the City’s Special Purpose Vehicle in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.
‘Today is really a celebration of Cape Town talent. I have spent time on BPO floors, sitting alongside agents, putting on the headset and speaking to the young people working in this industry. I have seen first-hand the talent and energy that has helped make Cape Town such a sought-after BPO destination. And that is exactly why we back this sector. It can create jobs at scale, particularly for young people looking for that important first opportunity to get into the world of work,’ said Alderman Vos.
The programme focuses on unemployed youth with no prior experience in the sector and aims to provide students with necessary skills and direct links to employment opportunities.
South Africa, and mainly Cape Town, has become one of the most popular regions in the world for contact centres whose staff engage clients across continents. In the Ryan Strategic Advisory Offshore CX Confidence Index 2025 survey, industry executives reported high confidence in South Africa’s ‘deep talent pool for English-language service, a strong, cost-competitive commercial property market, a supportive industry ecosystem, and excellent tourism and leisure services’.
Alderman Vos highlighted that, since July 2021, an impressive 44 803 net of new international-facing BPO jobs have been created in Cape Town.
‘In each of the last three financial years, more than 10 000 jobs were created in the metro, with 11 496 in 2025/2026 alone. Those numbers are important, but what matters to me is what they represent. Behind every job is someone earning an income, gaining experience and getting the opportunity to build a career.
‘This is what I believe in when it comes to growing our economy. We identify the sectors where Cape Town has a competitive advantage and strong potential to create jobs, and then work with industry to understand what is needed to grow. We go after the investment, help build the skills pipeline and connect Capetonians to the opportunities that follow,’ said Alderman Vos.
CapeBPO CEO, Clayton Williams, said the graduation was a celebration of both the students and the opportunities awaiting them.
‘Today is about celebrating both achievement and opportunity. These 500-plus young people have completed an accredited programme and have been connected directly to employment opportunities across both the international and domestic BPO markets. At CapeBPO, we believe skills development must lead to real employment. Through our backing by the City of Cape Town, our partnership with DEDAT, the Jobs Fund and industry, we are creating pathways for young people with little or no previous BPO experience to enter the sector, build careers and contribute to the growth of Cape Town’s economy. We are incredibly proud of what these graduates have achieved and excited to see the impact they will make in the industry,’ said Williams.
‘When industry executives talk about a supportive industry ecosystem, Cape Town is a good example of what that means in practice. The City works with and funds CapeBPO because we believe in working with specialists who understand their sectors from the inside out.
‘Together, we work to attract investment and international operators while making sure that we are building the local talent they need. Through programmes such as the Youth Skills Accelerator Programme, we are developing that pipeline and giving more Capetonians the skills to access these opportunities.
‘The hundreds of young people graduating today are what this work is ultimately about. We want investment coming into Cape Town, businesses growing here and, importantly, more Capetonians getting their foot through the door and into jobs with real opportunities to build careers,’ said Alderman Vos.
For more information on CapeBPO’s projects, visit their website CapeBPO, email info@capebpo.org.za
Caption 1: Michael Mann, Managing Director of BPO Skills Academy; Kelly Petersen, a graduate; Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth; Jaydee Jacobus, a graduate and Clayton Williams, CEO of CapeBPO.
Caption 2: Group photo.
Caption 3: Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth and Concentrix Call Centre Agent, Xinhle Vezi, during a site visit.