COEGA Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) investor First Automotive Works (FAW) South Africa is poised to create much needed job opportunities for Nelson Mandela Bay Metro residents at its newly finished plant in Zone 2 of the IDZ in Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has been intimately involved in the recruitment and selection process of employees at the FAW South Africa assembly plant through its specialised unit for recruitment and placements, Coega Human Capital Solutions (HCS).

Head of the HCS recruitment unit, Duncan Grenfell, says there are a number of interventions underway for enlisting new FAW personnel and HCS is assisting FAW to mobilise its local workforce.

A total of 619people were employed during the construction phase and FAW expects to employ mostly local people in the first operational phase. A total of eight SMME’s were involved in the construction of the assembly plant.

Coega and FAW have also been engaging the surrounding communities in the Motherwell area and those around the city since last year to discuss opportunities on the FAW project. “The communities have been advised that the investor will be employing based on their needs and that no particular community will be given preference for employment,” Grenfell said.

“The emphasis is on the fact that the Coega IDZ and its investments are for the people of the city and province. At all levels, we are making every attempt to ensure that local people get employed, which is the purpose of an IDZ.”

Coega boasts an average of 85% local employment rate on IDZ projects, a figure which has been consistent for a number of years now, says Dr Ayanda Vilakazi, CDC head of marketing and communication.

HCS also runs several programmes to mitigate the gap between the skills demanded by investors and the skills supply in the region.FAW will also benefit from some of these technical skills development programmes.

“Investors want to employ skilled workers – and HCS has taken on the role of not only recruiting these potential employees, but ensuring they have the requisite skills for the job at hand. This is achieved through various skills development initiatives, including artisan training in trades such as welding, assembly, and fitting and turning in the automotive industry. We are basically offering total solutions to investors so that jobs are matched with skills,” Grenfell said.