Publication: Novus Press Bulletin
Author: ByDesign Communication
Photo: Unspecified
The Youth Employment Service (YES) has won the Tech Impact Award at the Sentech Africa Tech Week Awards, recognising the YES × Microsoft AI Skills Initiative as a leading force in digital skills development and youth employability in South Africa.
The award was presented on 13 May 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre during Sentech Africa Tech Week. The awards recognise organisations driving technology innovation, measurable impact, and community transformation across Africa.
“This recognition underscores YES’s commitment to equipping young South Africans for the jobs of the future,” said Ravi Naidoo, CEO of YES.
The award comes as the YES × Microsoft AI Skills Initiative continues to gain momentum. Since launching in 2025, the initiative has provided over 70,000 young South Africans with access to digital skills content. Through Microsoft Elevate, the programme is expanding access to digital certifications, with Microsoft committing to fund 50,000 certification opportunities for young South Africans as part of its broader ambition to equip one million South Africans with AI and digital skills by 2026.
This collaborative effort with Microsoft is a part of YES’ growing focus on responsible AI and equipping the youth with the digital skills for future-facing sectors and careers. The significant number of beneficiaries underscores the scale of impact we want to achieve through this partnership,” says Ravi Naidoo, CEO of YES.
“For many young people, the YES × Microsoft AI Skills Initiative represents their first real opportunity to engage with AI, cloud and emerging technologies in a meaningful way,” said Dominique Selling, Human Resources Executive at YES. “Our goal has always been to ensure that access to future-fit skills is not determined by background or financial means, but by potential.”
Alongside the AI initiative, YES has also been running South Africa’s largest youth drone pilot programme since 2022, with graduates employed across agriculture, film, security, and conservation.
Beyond skills training, YES continues to invest in technology-enabled and AI-driven monitoring and evaluation systems that help track programme outcomes and measure long-term impact across its national youth employment initiatives.
“To support this, our recently launched SkillQuest platform helps us identify young people and connect them to meaningful learning and certification opportunities,” said Malcolm MacDonald, Chief Information Officer at YES. “By combining technology, partnerships, and access, we are creating personalised career pathways for South African youth”.
“More than 225,000 young people have participated in YES programmes, sponsored by over 2,000 companies, making YES the largest fully private sector-funded youth 12-month jobs programme in the world. Over 28,000 YES alumni have become entrepreneurs. This award is recognition of the power of public-private collaboration, innovation, and the extraordinary potential of South Africa’s youth,” Naidoo concluded.
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