Among the myriad initiatives to foster sustainability, the Youth Employment Service (YES) stands out as a beacon of hope, bridging the gap between young talent and meaningful employment opportunities. Through navigating the complexities of a changing world, integrating YES into environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies emerges not only as a moral imperative but also as a strategic necessity for building a more resilient and inclusive workforce.
At its core, ESG embodies a holistic approach to business and societal progress, emphasising the interconnectedness of environmental stewardship, social equity and transparent governance. While traditionally associated with corporate sustainability strategies, the relevance of ESG extends far beyond boardrooms, permeating various facets of socio-economic development. Youth employment, in particular, presents a compelling arena for ESG integration, as it intersects with issues ranging from climate action and community engagement to ethical labour practices.
ESG strategies have become more and more important for investors and customers alike. The advent of ESG investment indices such as FTSE Russell, RobecoSAM, MSCI and others has shown that those buying both stocks and/or products care about a business’ external environmental and socio-economic impact, as well as internal governance structures that affect people, planet and processes.
YES can be seamlessly integrated into a business’ ESG and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) strategies and impact the areas that mean the most to your business by creating critical youth jobs. If we can build and maintain this, our youth can inherit a South Africa that we can be proud of and that works for all.
The 17 SDGs have been adopted globally by both countries and companies, recognizing that collaboration and partnerships
are indispensable for their achievement. What sets the SDGs apart is their holistic approach, acknowledging the interconnectedness between goals. Reducing poverty means improving education and must also go hand-in-hand with other strategies such as improving climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forestry.
A company’s sustainability and ethical impact can be measured by the degree to which they align with these goals as well as the ESG criteria used to assess a company’s practices related to promoting social mobility of youth (especially those from historically disadvantaged communities), human rights, labour standards, community involvement, customer satisfaction and overall impact on society.
YES has a proven track record of creating meaningful, measurable impact for country company and youth. Since inception, over
135 913 work experiences have already been created for youth, injecting R7.4-billion back into the economy directly through youth
wallets, with no government funding.
As the largest private sector led job creation initiative in South Africa, YES has a direct impact on SDG 8: “Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all”. Working towards this goal will mitigate poverty and hunger, and improve living standards. By working towards transformation and socioeconomic development, YES drives economic and gender equality, support for quality education, innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Youth Employment Service (YES) is the highest impact private sector youth employment programme in South Africa, affecting broad-based change across sectors, provinces and the country.As a private sector-led initiative, YES addresses the country’s youth unemployment crisis by empowering businesses to create jobs for our unemployed youth. We're youth-focused and business-led.
The YES turnkey solution works with 26 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 youth with our host partners. The YES host partners are non-profit organisations working in high-impact sector communities, which means youth do not have to travel far for work and they can play an important part in building their own communities.
Historically, host partners have been focused on high-impact sectors like healthcare and education, but YES is also incorporating future-facing sectors with high absorption. Many YES jobs are being created in sunrise industries that position South Africa for the future by creating sustainable jobs at scale. These are industries that will help South Africa leapfrog up the world rankings of key sectors such as digital and technology, tourism, global business services, retail, information technology, creative and drones —- meaning your business can create critical youth jobs in sectors that reflect your ESG/SDG strategies.
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 begin to co-create a future that works sustainably.
In exchange for sponsoring critical youth jobs, businesses can improve their B-BBEE score by up to two levels. Plus, for your first year with YES, your business can receive its B-BBEE level immediately if youth are contracted before your financial year-end.
Join the movement and co-create a sustainable future that works.