At a recent visit to
In southern Africa, Volvo Group is represented by Volvo Trucks, Volvo Bus, Volvo Financial Services,
Since 2015, Volvo Group Southern Africa has invested more than R86 million (about US$6,8 million) in apprenticeship training, automotive industry learnerships and disabled people’s internships. The company is planning to invest another R25 million into skills development initiatives during 2018.
“During the course of 2018, we will also establish a specialised Driver Training Academy to address the shortage of skilled drivers in the region, at an investment of R1,4 million,” says Torbjörn Christensson, president of the Volvo Group Southern Africa.
Christensson says the company will continue its involvement in Star for Life, a non-profit organisation that aims to provide young people in southern Africa with essential life skills, training and health education. “Just in three years from 2017 to 2019, we are planning to invest around R7,8 million in this very worthy cause,” says Christensson.
“Star for Life is an exemplary project that creates new opportunities for young people in South Africa to complete an education and to create good lives for themselves. In the process, opportunities arise for some of the qualified youth that completed their training through Star for Life to be employed by Volvo,” adds Christensson.
During his visit, Ramaphosa thanked Volvo for its continued investment in the South African economy and its commitment to the empowerment and development of the country’s youth. “Volvo is one of the companies that understands that it’s not enough to invest in factories, machinery and supply chains. They believe that it is also necessary to invest in society,” he said. “It is rooted in the global company’s understanding that business is not separate from society, but inextricably bound to the fortunes of its people. As young people gain skills and work experience, businesses thrive.”
Christensson says skills development and the advancement and upliftment of the youth are matters very close to the company. “As Volvo Group Southern Africa, we are proud to say that we have been able to actively engage with local communities to implement numerous initiatives where community needs are met by our unique assets and expertise, to maximise the value created for society as a whole,” says Christensson.
According to Ramaphosa, the greatest challenge to social and economic development in South Africa is the high rate of youth unemployment. He applauds Volvo for making youth development such an integral part of its social investment programme. “We all share the responsibility to develop the skills of young South Africans and ensure that these skills are suited to the needs of our economy, now and into the future,” he says.
Christensson says, as a global company, with the commitment to the success of South Africa, Volvo Group Southern Africa also supports government’s initiative to focus on youth development as is envisioned in initiatives such as the proposed Youth Employment Service. “It is about creating more opportunities for the youth to grow, develop, learn and ultimately prosper,” he says.
Christensson says the company is ready and willing to work with government to identify and create more opportunities for the youth, to start rebuilding the social fabric and economic transformation of the South African labour market. “As a global company, we are certainly proud of our business success here in South Africa. But, we are even more proud of the difference we believe we are making by investing in skills development, youth development, and giving back to the industry and the country as a whole,” concludes Christensson.
