There are 600 000 deaf people in South Africa who use sign language and only about 30% have qualifications and good jobs, the rest are unemployed and have low education.
Not even half of the deaf population nationwide have jobs or higher education, according to the Deaf Federation of South Africa.
The ‘I Love Coffee Group’ is hoping to change that through its learnership programme. The South African social enterprise educates and employs Deaf youth to become baristas, chefs and all things hospitality.
The organisation has offered eight opportunities to potential deaf individuals to join their Business Administration learnership starting on September 12 in celebration of the Deaf Awareness Month.
Mike Morritt-Smith, of the I love Coffee Group (ILC) explained: "Many deaf South Africans face the challenge of finding jobs after completing school with the education they’ve received, but that does not mean it has to be the end of the road for them. There are many positions which can be filled by Deaf persons.
"We will be training eight people on the initial intake, and they will be able to run or manage a coffee shop, or even own their own coffee shop, at the end of the training programme. This learnership serves as a channel for growth and progression within the organisation.
"So far, at a market level, a great deal of misconception still exists about what it takes to employ deaf persons, and through I Love Coffee, we’d like to demonstrate that employers don’t have to hire interpreters in order to employ Deaf persons."
Vivian Sigwiji, a barista said: "As deaf people we face a lot of challenges in every day our lives and barriers of accessibility everywhere, be it the police station, court, hospital, clinic, university and in hearing school, and we don't have enough interpreters to allow communication with those who are able to hear. I communicate with my colleagues using sign language, or writing things down.”
Jabaar Mohamed, DeafSA director, said more needs to be done to change the stereotypes associated with the deaf and to create opportunities.
"There are 600 000 deaf people in South Africa who are South African Sign Language users. About 30% have qualifications and good jobs. The rest are unemployed and have low education, therefore let's create platforms to ensure that they study further and get to the fields of their choice," he said.
Staff at I Love Coffee advised deaf youth to take advantage of the opportunity and break the barriers that have previously limited them from fully living their lives.
"This is a very good opportunity for deaf youth and can prepare them for the future.
“There must be training centres for the deaf community so that there are fewer unemployed people," said Leon Mhlongo, the I Love Coffee group’s chef in Johannesburg.