The Enterprise Development is a delivery strategy of the EPWP, targeting the development of emerging enterprises including co-operatives to leverage work opportunities. The Enterprise Development (ED) Unit of the National Department of Public Works (DPW) provides support to all Sectors and public bodies implementing EPWP. Through this support, ED aims to sustain the growth and development of SMMEs.

ED identifies opportunities where individual businesses and co-operatives can be developed and opportunities for sustaining enterprises identified to maximise creation of work opportunities in line with EPWP. Within the DPW, the ED Unit is championing the development of co-operatives which deliver cleaning and gardening services to properties within the Public Works portfolio. The development of co-operatives and other small business initiatives are being expanded to other service delivery programmes within the EPWP.

The ED Unit continually strives to forge partnerships with various agencies providing business development support to SMMEs such as development finance, capacity building, and statutory regulatory compliance to maximise support provided to emerging enterprises.

The ED Unit is a business unit within the EPWP whose responsibility is to facilitate the development of new SMMEs and to support existing ones in order to multiply the effects of EPWP thereby increasing the development impact within communities. ED Unit operates on the basis of developing SMMEs and co-operatives as well as providing support services to EPWP Sectors by:

• facilitating access to markets,
• facilitating access to development finance,
• facilitating linkages to business development support services,
• facilitating access to training/ skills development related to business management,
• facilitating exit opportunities for NYS and Vuk’uphile Programmes led by NDPW,
• providing guidance to EPWP Sectors and public bodies on exit opportunities, and
• capacitating SMMEs to comply with legislative requirements.