Ascensos is proud to announce the continued success of its partnership with Shadow Careers, a groundbreaking initiative focused on providing sustainable employment opportunities to previously marginalised communities in South Africa.
Through this partnership, Ascensos reaffirms its commitment to creating sustainable employment opportunities and driving quantifiable change in the South African call centre industry.
Empowering Youth through Education and Employment
The Shadow Careers program aims to uplift youth employment in South Africa by offering human-centric curriculums designed to build empowered new talent sources. Every successful student is presented with a full-time career offer, enabling them to transform their futures and build successful careers in customer contact.
Recently, Shadow Careers celebrated the graduation of their 65th class of students, marking a significant milestone in their journey towards sustainable employment.
A Graduate's Story: Onwabisa Malunga
Onwabisa Malunga, Ascensos Customer Service Advisor for the John Lewis Partnership and a Shadow Graduate, shared her inspiring journey:
"Working in Customer Service has elevated my confidence and self-esteem. I joined in 2023, and the opportunity gave me a glimpse of hope.
Almost a year later, I can confidently hold and initiate conversations, and I am constantly working on my emotional intelligence.
My wonderful journey started with Shadow Careers, and after graduating from the work readiness program, I joined the Ascensos Academy. I hope to inspire all future graduates from our Academy, because a successful and rewarding career is within their reach."
So far, Ascensos has embraced 100 Shadow graduates, with an additional 60 currently on track to join us in 2024.
Commitment to Sustainable Employment
Ascensos Chief Operating Officer, Tanya Phillips, expressed her pride and gratitude for the partnership, highlighting the incredible value that individuals from the Shadow program bring to the company.
In a recent interview, Tanya Phillips emphasized the importance of effective impact sourcing and Ascensos' commitment to expanding its investment in the Shadow Careers initiative:
"We feel incredibly privileged to be part of an ecosystem that is delivering real change, and it's quantifiable change.
The impact we have seen in our business has made us able to really support the Shadow Careers initiative, and we are eager to expand the investment because it's change in motion, and we've seen it."
Graeme Matheson, Planning & Performance Lead at John Lewis & Partners, also commended the partnership:
"Knowing that we're helping to provide opportunities for careers for such an enthusiastic group of individuals makes me proud of our partnerships with Shadow Careers and Ascensos.
Good luck to them all as they start their contact center careers."
Ascensos remains dedicated to supporting initiatives that create sustainable employment and drive positive change in the communities it serves.
By working together, Ascensos and Shadow Careers are making a tangible difference, creating opportunities, and driving positive change in the call center industry and beyond.
Here's to many more years of growth, success, and making a difference!
About Shadow Careers
At Shadow Careers, their passion is to support and sustainably uplift youth employment in South Africa. Their human-centric curriculums help build an empowered new talent source to transform the future of customer contact. Focusing on removing previous barriers to employment, every successful student is presented with a full-time career offer. At Shadow Careers, their heart-centred philosophy helps their growing family to “pay it forward,” building hope in the lives of young South Africans.
