Communities in Southern Africa
Our strategy in Southern Africa focuses on education and learnerships, entrepreneurship and job creation, and the environment.
Our objectives are as follows:
- To facilitate an increase in the number of entrepreneurially-minded learners who matriculate, as well as those with a decent pass in English, mathematics and science and, who have an aspiration to proceed beyond matric
- To facilitate access to quality tertiary education, support and celebrate excellent performance thereafter
- To enable on-the-job training, exposure and experience for youth through learnership opportunities
- Support the development of young entrepreneurs in an effort to contribute towards job creation
- To preserve our communities through conservation education and ensuring a clean, resource-rich natural environment.
Education and learnerships
Our strategy in Southern Africa focuses on creating opportunities, through education and learnerships, that equip and enable young people within our communities to become active economic participants in society. We support and empower talented individuals within a defined continuum of interventions through school and university to the workplace. Through our many education and learnership initiatives within our communities we are contributing to SDG 4 (quality education).
Highlights
54%
Promaths
> R14.7mn
Our education and learnership programmes
Learnerships
Investec supports two external learnership programmes, the Umuzi Academy and Afrika Tikkun. The Umuzi Academy offers one-year learnerships that produce high calibre, entry-level designers, copywriters, digital and multimedia professionals. The learnership includes nine months of on-the-job training at Umuzi, and three months working at a partner agency, media or production house. The Afrika Tikkun end-to-end learnership aids the empowerment of young job seekers by providing them with entry to mid-level jobs. Investec currently funds 80 learners on the programme who are placed in both our regional offices as well as with partner hosts.
Entrepreneurship and job creation
Our strategy in Southern Africa supports the growth of young entrepreneurs from school-going age to working entrepreneurs, in order to grow the South African economy and create employment opportunities. Through our various initiatives in entrepreneurship and job creation we are contributing to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth).
Highlights
43
294
> 1,200
Our entrepreneurship and job creation programmes
The entrepreneurship programmes we support include the Global Exposure Programme, Startup School and the Junior Achievement South Africa. Through the Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative, we have placed more than 1,200 youth in jobs since inception of the programme in 2018.
Environment and other philanthropy
Investec recognises that communities require a clean, resource-rich natural environment that supports the growth of business and the economy. Through our environmental initiatives, we are preserving our communities, supporting the economy of wildlife and contributing to SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities). We also donate to several ad hoc philanthropic initiatives which would positively impact across all 17 SDGs.
Highlights
5,812
4,227
80 rhino
Our environmental programmes
Philanthropic donations
We recognise that there are many other needs and related causes that fall outside of our key focus areas and therefore allocate a small portion of our community initiatives budget to philanthropic initiatives and ad hoc donations.
Our philanthropic donations include our support of the Investec Soccer League, the Field Band Foundation, enke: Make Your Mark, and the Sounds of Celebration programme. Our ad hoc donations are to charities across all regions in South Africa in response to requests received. Donations in South Africa are between R5,000 and R20,000 in areas which fall both within and outside our focus areas. In the past year, we donated R3 million to philanthropic and ad hoc donations.