Insurance giant Metropolitan has rolled up its proverbial sleeves to fight the high levels of unemployment among the youth.
The company recently launched Metropolitan Collective Shapers (MCS), a programme designed to contribute towards turning this challenge into an opportunity through entrepreneurship training.
Metropolitan chief marketing officer Lindiwe Gumede said equipping youth entrepreneurs with the tools, skills, and networks they need to build thriving businesses is a national imperative.
“It not only creates jobs and builds stronger communities, but also drives inclusion for young people in economic growth
“Supporting the human behind the business, especially when it comes to building resilience and managing the daily stresses of operating, remains a blind spot in most entrepreneurship development programmes. MCS takes a more holistic approach to business incubation, and this has greatly contributed to its success to date.”
And a success, the programme undoubtedly is.
Crop farmer and founder of Davaoa Farming Enterprise Benjamin Nkanyane said that since graduating from the programme, his business has grown.
“We have gained market access and new networks,” he told Sunday World, adding that Metropolitan had also exposed graduates to their social media platforms and other opportunities for publicity.
“Since I attended the programme in 2022, I brought in five interns for training and 13 last year. We now supply Freshmark in Polokwane with cabbage, peppers and butternut. This year, we are training nine postgraduate students.
Farmer Peter Mashaphu said his business has grown exponentially since he graduated.
“We have now added goats, sheep and pigs to our range, making a greater impact in the community we serve.”
He attributed his newfound success to better financial literacy and exposure to practical farming innovations, “which have improved both our quality and yield”.
“I think this will be sustainable because I built a strong foundation for my agribusiness and diversified income streams through the additions to the business,” he said.
He said he would recommend the programme to anyone who has the drive and is not scared of hard work.
“Individuals who have the drive and vision but need support in building confidence, resilience and entrepreneurial thinking benefit from such a programme.”
Nkanyane said he would implore anyone who felt isolated in business to seek out this programme.
“For entrepreneurs who work in isolation and lack exposure to mentors, peers, and support networks, this programme can open doors,” he said.
“On the programme I didn’t just learn to farm better – I was taught to think like an entrepreneur. Today, I’m not just farming animals; I’m growing a business that feeds families and creates opportunities.”
Gumede said figures show that around 70% of SMMEs fail within the first five to seven years. Small businesses owned by people younger than 34 years of age make up only 6.8% of all SMMEs. “This is an indication of the additional challenges that young entrepreneurs face, not only to survive but to thrive,” she said.
She added that the programme takes a more holistic approach to business incubation, which has “greatly contributed to the success to date”.
She said this was the fourth year of the programme and it is now available nationally and offers young entrepreneurs both financial and non-financial support, including investment funding, business leadership coaching, national exposure, access to real market opportunities, ongoing mentorship, branding and media training.
“MCS is committed to building enduring success for the nation’s most deserving entrepreneurs,” she said.
