In an ever-evolving world, the significance of nurturing and empowering the youth cannot be overstated. Recognising this, Anglo American Platinum Ltd, a leading global mining company, has taken a visionary step towards creating a positive impact on society by forging a transformative partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES). This collaboration aims to uplift South Africa's youth by providing them with access to quality work experiences, thereby fostering a brighter and more prosperous future for all. Anglo American Platinum is currently in their second year with YES.
Anglo American Platinum, a subsidiary of Anglo American, is a multinational mining company with a strong presence in South Africa. As one of the world's largest producers of Platinum Group Metals (PGMs), it plays a critical role in the global mining industry. Beyond its economic contributions, the company has consistently demonstrated its commitment to sustainable practices and social responsibility.
Anglo American Platinum’s relationship with YES has so far seen a total of 2,447 young people changing their lives forever. This second intake of unemployed youth by Anglo American Platinum is their biggest so far, with 1,727 young people being assisted in shaping their financial futures.
Using the YES Implementation Partner model (placing unemployed youth with host partners), Anglo American Platinum has provided critical future-facing roles within the mining, engineering, services and digital industries. Their youth employment footprint spans across Gauteng, North West and Limpopo where youth are employed as web designers, e-learning designers, cyber security analysts, electricians, chefs, engineers, bio technicians, HR officers and electrical engineers.
By facilitating youth employment in collaboration with YES, businesses like Anglo American Platinum make a significant contribution towards combatting high youth unemployment and upskilling workers. Anglo American Platinum is ultimately boosting the South African economy, particularly in the South African mining industry, which has been ranked 5th internationally in terms of mining contribution to GDP. South Africa is also ranked in the top three globally in terms of production of PGMs.
The YES turnkey solution: Placing youth at a host partner for cross-sector impact
The YES turnkey solution works with 25 YES-vetted host partners across South Africa to place youth. If a corporate cannot place youth in their own organisation, they have the option to place within our host partners.
Businesses participating in the YES external placement initiative sponsor unemployed youth for 12 months in a job; aiming to give them their first quality work experience (QWE), transform their lives, uplift their communities, and the economy of the entire country. Anglo American Platinum & its seven host partners have a widespread impact across sectors such as health, education, mining, finance and more.
Anglo American Platinum is working with Youth@Work, Afrika Tikkun NPC, IT Varsity, Youth Health Africa NPC, Matongoni, ORT South Africa Operation Trust and the National Financial Literacy Association NPC to facilitate the placement of their youth. The pilot programme had a focus on social impact in the surrounding communities. For the current programme, significant effort has been put into identifying and quantifying several performance factors. These factors include the primary impact indicator of absorbing young people into sustainable employment and secondary impact indicators such as B-BBEE benefits, benefits for differently-abled individuals, and benefits for SMEs and implementation partners.
The collective impact of these implementation partners is to create impactful programmes that target community betterment. Youth@Work's objective is to empower youth for both present and future employment, while Afrika Tikkun concentrates on health, education, and childhood development, also urging businesses to support sustainable socio-economic pathways for youth. The focus of Youth Health Africa NPC is to provide holistic youth development opportunities that strengthen public health for empowerment and employability. Among these partners, ORT South Africa Operation Trust strives to create a nurturing environment that fosters excellence through leadership, innovation, and skills enhancement. The National Financial Literacy Association NPC work towards establishing an economically inclusive economy. Similarly, IT Varsity's impact lies in imparting practical job-specific development skills as required by the job market.
Moreover, the implementation of this initiative leads to additional benefits, such as supporting Anglo American Platinum’s purpose, which is re-imagining mining to improve people’s lives. The initiative also aligns with the Sustainable Mining Plan. It addresses the issue of unemployment in South Africa. Furthermore, it aims to reduce dependency on the mining sector in Anglo American Platinum's operational areas. Lastly, the initiative seeks to meet the expectations of communities for Anglo American Platinum's assistance.
The collaboration between Anglo American Platinum and the Youth Employment Service shows that the YES programme is for businesses looking to make a lasting impact on society. By investing in the youth and empowering them with the tools to succeed, they are not only addressing the issue of unemployment but also laying the foundation for a more prosperous and equitable future.
This partnership transcends the traditional boundaries of corporate responsibility and sets a precedent for other companies to follow suit. As more businesses come together with the collective goal of fostering youth development, South Africa and the world at large can look forward to a generation of skilled, motivated, and empowered young individuals driving innovation and progress for years to come.
Say YES and join over 1,500 corporates in creating a brighter, more resilient future for our youth.