Whether a company is placing youth internally or externally through a YES host partner, your business can benefit in ways that impact country, community and youth as well. The most obvious benefit for your business is the YES B-BBEE level benefit. The level up its outside of the B-BBEE scorecard, however, participation in YES and receipt of level up(s) is dependent on points on the scorecard. So, if you’re already operating within the B-BBEE space, YES is an effective way to gain levels over and above your standard B-BBEE strategy. On top of this, your business is able to 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. Not only does this create broad-based impact in communities, but alliance with ESG goals plays a great role in how it stands up next to its competitors.
Our research shows that 46% of YES Alumni are currently employed post-programme. This speaks to YES's effectiveness in instilling employability in our youth, who for many this is their first work experience. 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. More importantly, this talent can help define the trajectory for your products and services, helping you sell to your future market. YES and its partners have injected R4.8 billion into communities and the economy through youth salaries alone. The YES salary benefits more than just the induvial. with 88% of YES Youth coming from grant-recipient households, and 91% having dependents, this salary has ripple effects across communities. Through the YES turnkey solution, you can place youth in where they live in high-impact sectors like healthcare, education, conservation, digital and more, enabling them to directly build their communities.
At it's core, YES is a practical programme that addresses the biggest socio-economic crisis South Africa is facing. Young South Africans without work total a staggering 7.3 million young people who almost certainly do not have purchasing power to buy from your business, and probably won’t have access for years to come, and maybe, never will. What does the future of the country look like if two thirds of the working population are not economically active? YES is a national movement of 2,200 businesses employing youth and building their future consumer base, because what's good for country is good for company.