The collaboration will see Silversea Cruises employing between 180 and 250 youth from Anglo American’s host communities in various hospitality roles onboard its cruise ships.
These recruits are all part of the business' youth development programme which was established to upskill host communities where the business has mining operations in South Africa in careers which are high in demand. They have all completed training with Summit in one of the following accredited hospitality qualifications; assistant chef, housekeeping, and food and beverage management.
The partnership between Zimele and Summit is part of Zimele’s sectorial approach to youth development, which is designed to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people who face significant barriers to entry into the workplace.
Through this programme, Zimele says that it seeks to improve the livelihoods of young South Africans by providing them with relevant skills to enable them to secure employment opportunities in the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors; recruitment and placement support into national and global companies and ongoing coaching and mentorship.
The collaboration with Silversea will provide comprehensive training specific to the cruise line to selected candidates to ensure they are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to work onboard its luxury cruise ships.
Larisha Naidoo, head of Anglo American Zimele says: "This is a great milestone for the programme and for youth development in our host communities. Youth unemployment remains one of the major challenges that South Africa is facing and this partnership is one of how we are contributing to reducing unemployment and poverty in the areas where we operate through impactful skilling.”
Matthew Lambert, managing director of Summit, says: "We are excited to partner with Anglo American Zimele and Silversea Cruises on this important skills development programme. The initiative will provide much-needed employment opportunities for young graduates. Our purpose is to educate, empower and employ our learners and we are grateful for Silversea’s commitment to this shared purpose."
"We are pleased with this collaboration to offer employment opportunities to unemployed youth in South Africa,” said Marin Drlje, Talent Acquisition Manager of Silversea Cruises. “As a business, we recognize our responsibility to make a positive impact on the countries in which we operate. We believe that by offering training and employment opportunities, we can help young people build a brighter future for themselves and their families.”
The collaboration aligns with Silversea's commitment to supporting local communities and promoting sustainable tourism practices. By providing employment opportunities to young people, the initiative aims to contribute to economic growth in the communities the recruits come from and reduce unemployment.
This represents an innovative approach to addressing the high unemployment rate among the young population in South Africa. The programme also aims to provide a model for other businesses in the tourism industry to follow in creating sustainable employment opportunities and promoting social inclusion.
In total, 1,316 beneficiaries have completed training as assistant chefs, table attendants and Assistant Housekeepers, which is offered as part of the hospitality and tourism programme rolled out at various host community sites for Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore in 2022.
Zimele is targeting to recruit and train a further 2, 970 youths in the next four years.
