AUTHOR: Unspecified
PUBLICATION: Sustainability Handbook
The Youth Employment Service (YES) is a private sector programme which affects broad-based change across industries, provinces and the country. As a business—led initiative, we address the country’s youth unemployment crisis by empowering businesses to create jobs for our unemployed youth. In return, businesses receive up to two levels on their B-BBEE scorecard and/or integrate into environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies.
What is a sustainable brand?
For YES, a sustainable brand is focused on leaving a meaningful legacy that is true to our country‘s potential, and includes a keen focus on the following:
1.0ur environment
More efforts at conservation and green energy/business practices will result in better sustained environments for the future — not only so our children will see a real-life rhino in the future, but so that we can economically benet from our sprawling beaches, mountains, and parks through domestic and international tourism.
2. Our country’s systems and institutions
The need to rebuild working structures for many of our systems in critical sectors like healthcare, education, early childhood development, and our general administration continues to rise. The health of our nation mentally and physically, as well as the safety and nurturing of our children and elderly will lead to a more prosperous and equal society.
3. Inheritance
Investment in relevant and future-facing industries, i.e., digital, nance, mining, global business services, care, creative, agri and more will ensure that our youth inherit skills that will catapult their careers, leapfrog critical SA industries, and enable us to create more opportunities.
4. Ethical practices
It is critical to cultivate a legacy that reflects a culture of ethical practice. This will contribute towards erasing poverty, unemployment, complicity, mediocrity and a tradition of inaction or worse — complicity.
But who will buy from our sustainable brands?
Our youth unemployment statistics are at a crisis point. Two thirds of youth between 15—34 are unemployed. That’s 7.3 million young South Africans who are not contributing to the fiscus and putting pressure on our social grant’s system, taxpayers, and society. If youth aren’t earning, they can’t buy from your business now, and in the future. Ensuring youth get experience and the opportunity to earn ensures the building and shaping of your consumer base, who will then have the purchasing power to support your company in the future.
Rebuilding sustainable and inclusive brands
The importance of ESG strategies and the United Nations‘ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has seen a rise over the past eight to ten years. Investors and consumers world-wide have intentionally used these strategies to determine whether or not they will utilise their resources to endorse brands, services, and products. Your organisation’s social and environmental impact is beginning to determine how it stands up next to its competitors. Investors and consumers are beginning to align their buying power based on your business practices. More and more, they want to see business practices that are inclusive of people and planet. This means you have to make decisions that, for example, prioritise environmental sustenance, bridge the gender gap, and/or capacitate undervalued demographics into the labour force, to name a few. YES jobs can seamlessly integrate into your business’ ESG/SDG strategies, helping your organisation increase impact in spaces where it’s needed most and that mean the most to your organisation.
The YES turnkey solution: it is more than just jobs
Should your company not be able to host youth inside your organisation, you have the option to place youth with a one of YES’s vetted host partners. YES works with host partners who are generally non-profits and small businesses working in high-impact sectors where youth live, which means they do not have to travel far for work and can play an important part in building their own communities. These high-impact sectors include conservation, healthcare, education, early childhood development as well as future—facing sectors that have the capacity for high absorption, such as agri, global business services (GBS), tech and digital, and more.
The YES multiplier effect
By placing youth in roles that will upskill them, encourage greater levels of entrepreneurship, and/or forge longstanding career-paths, we are creating a multiplier effect; where one job can create ten or more.
Answering questions for the forward thinkers who want to create an impact:
1. What are some sustainable career options for the youth I want to place through YES?
Every sector in South Africa’s economy is important — and any company from any industry can place youth through YES. Through both the internal and external models (the turnkey solution), YES Youth are being placed in sectors which are key economic and social contributors, such as healthcare, financial services, retail, education, early childhood development, eco-tourism and hospitality, and conservation. More than this, YES and our partners actively seek its create jobs in ‘sunrise’ or future—facing industries that will prepare youth for the future world of work, sustain their careers, and put SA at the top of global industry rankings. These sectors include digital and tech, agriculture, processing and urban farming, global business services, green energy, mining, creative and drones.
2. What is the impact of these sustainable careers on country and economy?
Economic growth is dependent on the workforce, its skills, productivity and its ability to buy and sell goods and services. Sustainable careers grounded in relevant skills and in—demand goods and services bring long-term security for youth, the labour force, and the economy. This will have a dynamic impact on country and economy as both begin to function adequately to absorb workers and support the circulation of money. Further, research shows that investing in economically vulnerable groups such as young women results in an increase of business productivity and skills, creating jobs that will in-turn create more jobs.
3. What do we do now to ensure we are future-ready?
It is vital that South Africa provides young people with the education, skills and experience needed to thrive as active economic participants. Skills and experience, particularly the latter, is what YES and its corporate partners specialise in.
Register with YES today
Your investment in our SA youth pays, Delisile Mntambo was transformed from an unemployed youth from KwaNgcolosi, KwaZulu-Natal into a business owner powerhouse. “On 16 May 2021, after receiving my first YES salary, I started an agribusiness on the side called Thandokuhle Poverty Fighters and planted approximately 4,000 cabbages. Due to the high rate of unemployment in my village, the majority of children depend on the feeding scheme at schools for their main meal and often go to bed hungry, which is not enough for active and growing minds. Today, my business focuses on quick growing crops for consumer consumption. I am very grateful for the opportunity and the work readiness training received from the YES programme,”says Delisiwe. Delisile’s crop of 4,000 cabbages soon expanded to green peppers, lettuce, spinach and aubergines. She now supplies top retailers and supermarket chains, including Food Lover’s Market and Jwayelani.” Join the movement of over 2,200 businesses signing on to create a future that works. Gain levels immediately. Change lives forever.
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