Youth Month – Engen Launches Call Centre Training for People with Disabilities, Tackling Youth Unemployment and Critical Skills Shortages
This article has been supplied.
In celebration of Youth Month, Engen is proud to highlight the success of its inaugural Call Centre Skills Centre (CSC) learnership and announce the intake of ten new trainees—all people with disabilities—who will commence their year-long training on 1 July 2025.
This initiative forms part of Engen’s broader investment in skills development through its apprenticeships, learnerships and graduate development programmes that are designed to tackle youth unemployment, close critical skills gaps, and promote social inclusion in South Africa.
“Creating employment through targeted skills development is not just a business strategy – it’s a national imperative,” says Dee Mdeka, Engen’s Skills Development Facilitator.
“Our year-long Call Centre learnership programme has already equipped five young graduates with the technical capabilities, workplace experience and confidence to thrive in a customer-centric environment. Now, as we welcome ten more trainees—all living with disabilities—we reaffirm our commitment to truly inclusive development.”
Five Graduates Ready for Full-Time Roles
Commencing on 1 June 2024 and concluding on 31 May 2025, the first CSC learnership was implemented in partnership with a trusted and accredited training provider . To ensure upskilling and focused learning for these trainees, the programme ensured guidance through dedicated mentors per learner to focus on core modules which included the Orientation to Contact Centre, Occupational Learning, Service Excellence, Problem-Solving, Business Writing, Inbound & Outbound Centre Operations. The leaners also received additional training on MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), First Aid Level 1, CSC Recruit & Survey Agent Training.
To prove that the learning journey for these graduates has been a success, about three of them have been offered and accepted full-time positions as Frontline Representatives at Engen’s Customer Services Centre in Cape Town, where they will handle order placement, query logging and maintenance job card processing for customers across the country.
This has changed my life,” says Thando Kondowe, 30, from Khayelitsha. “I now have a career, not just a job. Thank you to everyone at Engen who believed in me and gave me a chance.”
“Being offered a full-time position is a dream come true,” says Sandi Jama, 26, from Samora Machel. “I came into this programme with hope, and I’m leaving with a career. Thank you, Engen.”
“The support I received during the programme helped me grow both personally and professionally,” says 21-year-old Msizi Ganthso from Nyanga. “I’m grateful to be joining the Engen family permanently.”
“Our new Frontline team members have impressed us at every turn,” notes Shireen Knipe, Engen Frontline Manager. “Their adaptability, professionalism, and dedication to service excellence speak volumes about the quality of this learnership.”
New Intake of Ten Learners with Disabilities
On 1 July 2025, ten new trainees—all people with disabilities—will join the CSC learnership. This intake not only addresses critical skills shortages but also supports Engen’s employment equity and disability-inclusion goals.
“Beyond technical training, we’ve built robust support structures—PC literacy upskilling, accessible learning materials, adaptive technology, and dedicated mentorship,” adds Dee Mdeka. “This ensures that every learner can succeed, regardless of ability.”
By internalising these roles, Engen aims to reduce staff turnover, build long-term career pathways, and enable individuals with disabilities to become active economic contributors.
Driving Inclusion Through Skills Development
The CSC learnership is aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (inclusive quality education), the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and South Africa’s 2015 White Paper on Disability.
“Youth unemployment remains one of South Africa’s biggest challenges,” concludes Dee Mdeka. “Through targeted, inclusive skills development, we’re building a pipeline of talented, workplace-ready youth who will help power the country’s future.”
#Engencares
Comments
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation