Businesses across sectors have, in recent years, been placing a growing emphasis on environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting. Companies are expected to not only focus on maximising profits, but to also consider their impact on their primary stakeholders: society and the environment. YES offers a solution to help businesses with their ESG and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This blog outlines 3 ways YES can help you with you ESG reporting and SDG strategies.
ESG explained
ESG is a framework used to assess an organisation's business practices and performance on various sustainability and ethical issues. It also provides a way to measure business risks and opportunities in those areas. In capital markets, some investors use ESG criteria to evaluate companies and help determine their investment plans, a practice known as ESG investing. ESG reporting is the disclosure of ESG data. As with all disclosures, its purpose is to shed light on a company's ESG activities while improving investor transparency and inspiring other organisations to do the same.
What are SDGs?
SDGs are a set of 17 global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015, aimed at addressing poverty, inequality, environmental degradation, and other critical issues facing our world. These goals are designed to be achieved by 2030, and provide a blueprint for governments, businesses, and individuals to work together to create a more sustainable and equitable world.
What is YES?
YES is a private sector led national movement of over 2,200 businesses tackling the country’s biggest crisis by creating or sponsoring jobs for unemployed youth. We’re youth-focused and business-led. We work with leading businesses in various sectors to provide jobs for unemployed young people to be economically active citizens, future managers, skilled professionals, and entrepreneurs who will drive the economy forward.
In return for putting youth into jobs, businesses gain up to two levels on their B-BBEE scorecard, while integrating job creation into their ESG strategies, and developing a talent pipeline.
YES has already proven itself to be one of the true innovators in South Africa, generating over R6 billion in youth salaries and more than 113,157 jobs in just four years, with no government funding.
How YES can integrate into your ESG/SDG strategies
1. Host youth internally and increase human capital development.
Many YES partners and clients are working in sectors that are critical to the country’s economic development, and are creating jobs in these industries at scale, positioning South Africa for the future. These are industries that will help South Africa leapfrog up the world rankings of key sectors such as digital and technology, global business services, retail, information technology, creative, tourism and drones. YES and its partners are not just giving our young people jobs. We’re preparing them for the future.
The internal placement model is an ideal talent funnel which de-risks recruitment. For business, YES is a key pipeline through which you can select, develop and de-risk undiscovered, standout talent, previously locked out of the economy.
The programme enables you to try out youth cohorts and select the best fit. You can then develop these gems into long-term employees and prepare them for junior management. Many YES corporates have very high absorption rates because they see the value these young people bring to their organisations when given a chance.
Human capital management (HCM) has evolved as a significant component of the “S” pillar in the ESG framework since a business cannot operate without qualified human capital to run it. HCM appears as a prominent part of the scoring criteria for several leading ESG rating bodies.
2. Integrating with YES for improved impact
The YES turnkey solution works with YES-vetted host partners across South Africa to place youth. If a sponsoring business cannot place youth in their own organisation, they have the option to place youth with one of our host partners. The YES host partners are generally NPOs or small businesses working in future-facing and/or high-impact sectors in communities, which means youth do not have to travel far for work and they can play an important part in building their own communities.
Essentially, your company can use the creation of youth jobs to also impact social, environmental and economic issues that align with your holistic ESG/SDG strategies - meaning your business can create critical youth jobs in sectors that are relevant to you. More than that, placing youth in sectors that are future-facing and in roles that are future-proof means that your business is not just creating jobs, but they’re launching the careers of South Africa’s future game-changers.
YES is a critical component of the long-term solution for South Africa’s youth unemployment. By creating jobs that upskill youth, encourage greater levels of entrepreneurship, and/or forge a longstanding career-path, we are creating a multiplier effect, where one job can create ten more.
Creating youth jobs in sectors that build economic, social and environmental stability in communities (through the turnkey solution) is an effective way to systemically and holistically reach your ESG goals and create a report that you can be proud of.
3. Integrate your spend with your business’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies
Your business can integrate its donation/B-BBEE spend with its ESG goals by carefully selecting a YES Hubs programme(s) that aligns with your business’ overall sustainability strategy. Our programmes are specially designed to both meet the needs of the community, as well as reflect the main key sectors business and the country focus on, like urban farming, drones, creative and more. Your business can integrate youth job creation with your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies, helping you increase impact in spaces where it’s needed most and that mean the most to your company.
Join the movement
Partner with YES for a socially and environmentally conscious tomorrow.