The City of Cape Town’s Social Development and Early Childhood Development Department invites young entrepreneurs to apply for participation in the annual #YouthStartCT entrepreneurial challenge, which will provide participants with opportunities to learn business skills and gain valuable knowledge on how to start and maintain a youth-owned business.
The annual competition is open to young entrepreneurs, aged 16 to 35, who have business ideas or have started a small business that is less than three years old. The business idea or start-up business should be an employment-creation opportunity for young people, something that should come across clearly in their application.
The business categories in this year’s programme are:
• Agriculture/farming
• Manufacturing
• Information technology (IT)
• Finance and business services
• Tourism
The deadline for applications to participate is Sunday 30 April.
The #YouthStartCT Challenge is a programme for start-up entrepreneurs that aims to contribute to skills development, innovation and development of entrepreneurship.
The competition has three objectives:
• Open up channels for new ideas and businesses
• Seed fund a handful of ideas or businesses
• Start momentum on social development initiatives
“We are excited about hosting this programme to assist young people with business ideas,” says Mayco Member for Community Services and Health Patricia van der Ross, “and to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to start a business or grow an existing one. The programme will support youth capacity development and job creation and focus on developing both the entrepreneur and the business idea. We would like to invite young people to participate in the programme and submit their relevant business ideas and proposals.
The competition will also provide the City with knowledge of specific requirements and trends in Cape Town, a practical way to do research on customer challenges and possible solutions.V For more information on the #YouthStartCT programme, visit www.capetown.gov.za/YouthStart.V Online applications can be accessed at www.capetown.gov.za/YouthStart.
