What started as out a single act to help one artisan from the townships has grown into an idea with potential to impact thousands of struggling artisans from low-income communities in South Africa and beyond.
In 2008 Joshua Cox provided his friend, a skilled artisan from Diepsloot, with business cards and reference letter. This added credibility enabled Simon to secure regular paving and painting contracts of up to R40 000.
This inspired Joshua to set up TRADE-MARK, a non-profit social enterprise aimed at providing similar support to artisans from low-income communities throughout South Africa and beyond.
The article ‘Trading on Skill’ (attached) that appeared in the Big Issue highlighted some of the work being done by TRADE-MARK. The article was based on an interviewed conducted in February 2013 and a great deal of progress has been made since then.
TRADE-MARK has gone from supporting just four artisans in the Somerset West area to working with 16 artisans from the greater Cape Town region. Not only do they connect these painters, pavers, tilers and carpenters to potential clients from the more affluent suburbs, but they now provide training, in partnership with The Business Place in Philippi. The 18-month long ‘Business Builder’ training programme is aimed at setting up the tradesmen for success, by equipping them with all the skills they need to succeed in both business and in life. The tradesmen also have access to a personal business mentor to help meet their specific needs.
The team in Cape Town has also grown with the appointment of a young intern to handle the client enquiries. “We believe that every aspect of our work should be adding social value,” says Joshua. “Helping launch young graduates into the world of work is just one more way we can do so.”
The expansion is not limited to Cape Town alone. A General Manager for
Gauteng has joined the team and will be setting up a branch of TRADE-MARK in Northern Johannesburg over the coming months. Scaling up the model beyond Cape Town is possible through financial support from the Industrial
Development Corporation (IDC) who are partnering with TRADE-MARK for the four years it will take for the organisation to become self-sufficient as a social enterprise.
“We are excited to set up in Gauteng,” says Joshua. “We know the need up there is huge and with all the infrastructure development taking place we expect big things from our operation up there.”
The success of the TRADE-MARK model in creating opportunities for tradesmen entrepreneurs from low-income communities has now caught the eye of nations abroad. In April 2015 Joshua will be flown over to Colombia by the Colombian organisation, Socialab. The purpose of the 10-day visit is to connect with relevant stakeholders from that country and start some of the groundwork for rolling out TRADE-MARK in Colombia.
So how can YOU get involved easily?
You can refer skilled, reliable tradesmen from both Cape Town and Northern Johannesburg by visiting www.trade-mark.org/contact. The next Opportunity
Days for tradesmen in Joburg and Cape Town to sign up are happening on the 16th and 23rd of March respectively.
And, the next time you need home improvement done and want both a hassle-free experience, and get to make a positive difference, call on a trustworthy tradesman from TRADE-MARK.
