Leading African Impact Sourcing agency Careerbox receives the 2021 Global Impact Sourcing Award from the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals for work done to advance and promote Impact Sourcing
Careerbox, a non-profit company, has been recognised for its influence in promoting the benefits of Impact Sourcing by the global association that represents all stakeholders in the outsourcing value chain, IAOP. The company has to date placed over 35 000 previously disadvantaged and unemployed youth and women into permanent jobs with sustainable income.
Those individuals can then provide for their families and contribute to their community economy, and have to date impacted over 142 000 lives, exceeding Careerbox’s 2020 goal of impacting 100 000 lives. As such, the organisation has now set a target to positively alter the realities of one million Africans across the continent through similar initiatives.
“At Careerbox our focus is not just the future of a single individual, but the multiplier effect we can create in their entire community,” explains Managing Director Lizelle Strydom. “We believe that if you can prepare a young person to invest in their own future, you will inspire their entrepreneurial spirit and they will continue to build on their career and personal achievements which could potentially create thousands of jobs for others around them.”
The organisation’s efforts toward youth development through education have seen it being named a Mandela Legacy career programme of choice, as well as being selected as a grantee of the Digital Jobs Africa initiative, sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation.
Impact Sourcing equips disadvantaged demographics and long-term unemployed with skills to fill existing, sustainable vacancies which are sourced through a corporate partner network. The Careerbox model prepares youth and women to engage in earn-while-you-learn programmes and learnerships with a job opportunity outcome at the end. The strategy encourages intentional hiring of workers from disadvantaged communities who have fewer career prospects for sustainable jobs.
“The Global Impact Sourcing Award (GISA) winners for 2021 were chosen from a strong field of 44 candidates and selected based on the significance of Impact Sourcing to their business model and their public commitment,” said Jon Browning, IAOP CSR Committee Chair and CEO of Global Mentorship Initiative. “Impact Sourcing has become an essential component of today’s BPO industry and service providers recognise this is an effective means for demonstrating social responsibility.”
Successful partner initiatives like the collaboration with Intel in the She Will Connect programme allowed Careerbox to contribute to developing the digital literacy of millions of women across Africa. This approach is informed by, and closely aligned to, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of eradicating poverty, encouraging gender equality and economic growth, and creating partnerships across the public and private lines.
These values and initiatives have attracted local and international partners from across telecoms, multimedia, and financial services, and drawn praise from a diverse network of admirers including former Miss South Africa Tatum Keshwar.
“Careerbox drives the Impact Sourcing work to help change lives and restore dignity to African communities,” continues Strydom. “That dignity inspires confidence, which is the primary missing ingredient we see among many thousands of our youth. We are grateful to be recognised for our work and will use this as a platform to amplify this message and impact more lives.”
Careerbox is a training, skills development and recruitment organisation that has since 2013 focused on empowering and improving the lives of young people and women through job creation, education and skills development. The organisation has trained over 35 000 people in the last eight years, resulting in a vast majority being placed in sustainable jobs.
