According to Boomtown, the agency will now be taking on 10 interns.

The intention, according to Boomtown CEO Glen Meier, is not only to equip these graduates with suitable work experience but to foster a passion for the industry in the Eastern Cape. 

This is so that it can also help build Nelson Mandela Bay's reputation as a strategic and creative hub and to grow its share of the marketing spend by South Africa's brands.

The agency highlights that South Africa's unemployment rate was 36.989% in December 2020 (according to the International Monetary Fund), while youth unemployment, also in December 2020, was 55.75% (according to Statista.com).

The Eastern Cape is at the wrong end of the unemployment bell curve, says the agency. Outside of the metro municipalities of Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay, nearly 60% of people have no work (according to the Institute of Race Relations).

"Meaning 'they are coming' in isiXhosa, Bayeza is an integral part of the agency's business transformation strategy and its commitment to the industry in Nelson Mandela Bay and elsewhere," says Meier.

"The word 'Bayeza' can also be interpreted as 'from the Bay to ZA' and so, from Nelson Mandela Bay to the rest of South Africa, the Bayeza programme seeks to produce graduates to go out into South Africa, and the world, and make an impact," Meier adds.

Boomtown runs a year-long programme with month-by month-modules to fast-tracked its interns. Bayeza has, to date, achieved a 100% success rate in post-programme employment.

"Boomtown is a proudly Eastern Cape-born company with a strong belief in the talent and drive of all its people," Meier says. "Our initial goal for Bayeza, which was to assist young graduates to attain the work experience they needed (thereby boosting their employment opportunities), was laudable back in 2013."

"Given the challenges facing the Eastern Cape as a business hub and its youth when it comes to employment, has meant we've had to up the ante. And so we've more than doubled our commitment to the metro and its youth," concludes Meier.

The 10 graduate interns who joined Boomtown Bayeza last month include:
  1. Anelisiwe Manana (social media)
  2. Karabo Mamabolo (strategy)
  3. Craigh Jonas (client service)
  4. Temba Mkosi (conceptual copywriting)
  5. Michelle Stockwell (graphic design)
  6. Caitlin Morgan (digital copywriting)
  7. Tameron Karelse (design / art direction)
  8. Tanya Chinamasa (art director / designer)
  9. Jose Pyladh (videographer / content creator), and
  10. Nande Gubevu (market research).
For more information, visit www.boomtown.agency.com. You can also follow Boomtown on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.