The Youth Employment Service (YES) has created over 72,000 work opportunities in three years through partnerships with more than 1,900 companies, addressing South Africa's critical youth unemployment crisis.
YES Chief Partnerships Officer Farai Mubaiwa explains that the program breaks the "experience trap" - where youth can't secure jobs without experience and can't gain experience without jobs. Through YES, unemployed black youth receive 12-month work placements, emerging with a CV, reference letter, and completion certificate.
The program offers unique benefits for participating companies, including BEE scorecard improvements and alignment with ESG goals. Through YES's "turnkey solution," businesses can place youth with 33 vetted implementation partners across healthcare, conservation, agriculture, education, and ICT sectors.
Success stories include Pretty Sibanyone, who progressed from a YES placement to management at Youth Health Africa, and Tapela Madhlala, who advanced from Toyota-sponsored youth to junior product owner at YES.
The initiative addresses South Africa's severe youth unemployment rate of 77% among those aged 15-24. "We cannot continue as a country to have such a high rate of unemployment and still do well from an economic perspective," says Mubaiwa.
The program demonstrates measurable impact - in healthcare facilities, YES youth reduced patient waiting times from 15 minutes to one minute. Major corporations like Volkswagen SA, Ford, and Nedbank have successfully implemented YES programs, combining internal placements with community-focused initiatives.
Companies interested in participating can visit yes4youth.co.za, while youth candidates can access opportunities through the SA Youth platform. The program continues to seek expanded corporate participation to combat unemployment through private sector leadership.
Amendment to the Gazette