June Webinar Round-up: Drone Sector

Gaining benefits for your company beyond B-BBEE, while creating future-proof opportunities and changing youth lives has never been easier. Read our June webinar round-up on the drones’ sector to learn more on this fast-growing industry and how YES can help your business create critical work opportunities for youth, while integrating into your environmental, social, and governance (ESG) and UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) strategies, and/or receiving levels up on your B-BBEE scorecard. YES panellist, Marc Ashton was joined by Shaun Msiza, co-director of one of YES’s hub programme partners, Mzansi Aerospace Technologies (MAT), discussing all you need to know on the sector. MAT specialises in training a number of talented young South Africans in communities such as Saldanha and Alexandra.

YES update

Over 82,413 lives have been changed through YES work opportunities created to date. Co-creating a thriving and sustainable future continues to remain possible with the commitment of over 2,200 businesses, such as Nestlé, Nedbank, Anglo American Platinum and many more, who have signed on to YES to fund our YES Youth.

Looking to boost your B-BBEE scorecard (read more here (B-BEE)) and/or invest in YES programmes for alignment with environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies?

 YES helps you achieve all the above while changing youth lives and stimulating youth economic inclusion and participation. R4.6 billion has been injected into the South African economy through YES Youth salaries to date, with no government funding.

Case Study: Mzansi Aerospace Technology

Mzansi Aerospace Technologies is a black owned start-up, operating in the aviation technology industry. The organisation is passionate about creating spaces and opportunities curated to empower youth and build their careers in the nestling industry. Commercial drone use has rapidly expanded globally since 2015. This opens up a wide range of specialised and technical roles for interested participating youth and allows YES to nurture crucial future-proof jobs. YES has successfully completed its first drone programme at the Saldanha Hub (with 100% absorption) and will be embarking on a training programme for a further 90 drone pilots split between Alex and Saldanha as a pilot to expand a flagship drones programme over the next three years.

Amidst the growth of the aerospace and drone’s sector, MAT is one of the future leaders within the industry and they are taking the youth with them. Mzansi Aerospace Technology has partnered with some accredited training organisations (ATO’s) to develop and harness young skill and talent that will be active in sectors such as agriculture, security, mining, maritime, infrastructure, law enforcement and smart city development.

Mzansi Aerospace is part of a potential-filled sector ecosystem that requires industry captains to ensure that the SA market doesn’t get left behind through filling present gaps and growing opportunities. This is done through paving efforts forward in the form of education and training.

YES partnership

The job market for drone pilots and technicians is increasing in opportunities which requires experienced educators and specialists in the industry to help harness future skills and equip youth with the necessary knowledge within the sector. Working against importing skills is one of the key ways to fight against unemployment in South Africa. YES is the vehicle that bridges opportunities, corporates, and workforce to be able to drive industries into independence - a win-win for all.

The drone pilot and technician market growth is dependent on local trainers and specialists. Working to retain local skills is key to fighting our youth unemployment calamity.

YES and Mzansi Aerospace Technology have been able to bring future-facing opportunities to communities. From training pilots, to maintaining support for youth and communities has brought immeasurable value.

Understanding drones

One of YES’s priorities is to create work experiences in future-facing industries that provide in-demand skills for long-term employability for youth.

 Drones can be useful in the following industries:

• Mining & land surveying: South Africa’s sunrise industries that use drones to cut down the time-consuming functions by 10% such as accessing the rough terrains that come with the territories.
• Agriculture & agribusiness: Estimating fields, optimising input in small scale farming, producing information that allows farmers to react to threats, saving time on crop scouting, and being able to plan ahead and estimate yield.
• Security: Faster response to threats and crime, remote area inspection, perimeter control, railway surveillance, and risk assessments.
• Smart cities: Effective control over emergency response, security, traffic control, as well as crowd monitoring and control.

In this webinar, we reflected on some of the successes achieved which required an intentional effort and initiatives that will not only bring critical work experiences, but also restore confidence and hope in our youth. Placing youth in positions that expose them to forward-looking opportunities and focusing on developing such needed skills, plays an important role in ensuring long-term employability and career-accelerating opportunities for youth. This is why YES will be focusing on bringing drone pilots into the industry over the next three years and in this webinar, reflections on some of the successes and lessons learnt are explored with Shaun Msiza.

Watch the webinar playback here

Using the YES Turnkey solution

For organisations that cannot place youth internally, there is the option to sponsor youth jobs by using our 33 YES-vetted host partners through the YES turnkey solution across South Africa.

Your business can still make an impact, by placing and hosting youth outside your organisation. The host partners are responsible for hosting, recruiting, screening, and supervising the youth, along with facilitating absorption on behalf of the corporation.

Your investment in YES Youth, which in turn effects their salaries, has a far more wide-reaching impact than just the individual youth. 88% of YES Youth come from grant-recipient households, and 91% have dependents, translating to a salary that ripples through families and communities.

Some under-capacitated sectors YES host partners work in

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