The Youth Employment Service (YES), a South African not-for-profit (NPO), is a joint national initiative between business, government and labour that aims to address the youth unemployment crisis in South Africa by providing 12-month quality work experiences (QWEs) to unemployed youth. Since being founded just over four years ago, YES has worked with over 1,607 South African companies to create more than 129,135 work experiences, all with no state funding.
This has seen R6 billion being ploughed into communities and the economy through youth wallets. Over and above this, YES has been ahead of the curve integrating digital learning for YES Youth into its programme, logging 68 million minutes of mobile virtual learning time since inception. Apart from developing fourth industrial revolution (4IR) steppingstones through the phones, it has also allowed YES to stay connected to the YES Youth during the South African lockdown and to continue monitoring and evaluating youth progress.
The expanded youth unemployment rate for ages 15-24 is currently 67,6% (QLSF:Q3), meaning almost 3 in 4 young people in this age group are not in employment. The future of our country lies in the hands of our youth, and if this trajectory continues there will be more people without income, less active citizens, and a growing population that will be left behind.
Enter YES, born out of the CEO Initiative, which called on prominent CEOs in the private sector to put their heads together to come up with innovative ways to address the country’s largest problems, one being youth unemployment.
Although sparked by the President’s calls to action, YES is not government funded, and is instead a private sector led NPO.
YES works within a youth development ecosystem. We collaborate with many wonderful organisations that place youth. YES’s focus is on approaching the private sector to create positions for young people.
We do this through our innovative and unique policy. YES in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) published a specialised gazette that incentivises business to create 12-month opportunities for youth. Companies are thus rewarded with one or two levels up on the B-BBEE scorecard. This policy is unique to YES, the only other way a business can move levels is through traditional B-BBEE. Read more about how to qualify for YES here.
Once you’ve calculated your business’ target, you can choose whether you want to place youth inside your business or through one of our 33 vetted host partner).
Our host partner work are NGOs and SMMEs working in a range of high impact sectors, like digital, healthcare, conservation, agriculture, education and early childhood development. They’re situated in communities, meaning youth do not have to travel far for work (combatting spatial inequality), and can directly contribute to uplifting their community.
Whether you place internally or through our host partner (Turnkey Solution model), your business can still qualify for up to two levels up on the B-BBEE scorecard. Plus, given leniency from the dtic during Covid-19, if you register and contract your youth before your financial year-end, you can immediately receive your level(s) up (first year of YES only).
YES research indicates that soft skills are crucial to winning (and keeping) a job. The majority of 429 hiring managers surveyed by YES said they would hire for the ‘right attitude’ over the ‘right skills’. Global research has proven that a growth mindset is a critical success factor for youth. The global insights were built into the YES apps, which improve capabilities and skills such as self-awareness, receptiveness, drive, self-assurance, resilience, being informed, and financial management, developed into the multi-formatted work-readiness modules to mould employable and confident youth.
Additional yoga and mindfulness modules were created and uploaded quickly in 2020, when YES Youth were reporting a decline in their mental wellbeing during the South African lockdown. These modules were developed to help youth cope with stress and depression, indicating the holistic nature of the YES programme.
Youth also complete monthly, bimonthly and weekly surveys in order for YES to track their work experience and state of mind.
The digital delivery ensures that youth in townships or rural parts of the country outside of formal corporate settings can also access the same content. YES has placed youth all over the country, and through the phones and zero-rated apps, each benefit from the technological progress leading South Africa into the future world of work.
YES Youth have logged 68 million digital learning minutes through the mobile applications, showing the youths’ appetite for learning and YES’s extensive reach.
Connect youth and the community to global best practice in training and technology, specially located and designed to address barriers to youth employment and economic inclusion. A range of activities takes place at a YES Hub, enabling innovation and a cross-pollination of ideas, seeding points for new business. Youth energy coupled with networks, market access and industry inputs are the right mix of ingredients for small business development to thrive.The aim of YES Hubs is three-fold. First, Hubs provide training to youth and community members, specifically focused on future-proof skills like droning, aquaponics, coding, 3D printing, digital content creation, and eco-manufacturing. This ensures that the skills participants require are relevant and can set them up for successful careers.
Through this training, organisations can design a novel and untapped talent pipeline, training youth in the skills that their business actually needs. Second, the Hubs place impetus on supporting and training micro-entrepreneurs, creating a transformed and innovative supply chain for your business. Third, businesses can utilise the Hubs and programmes to gain access to one of the fastest growing markets in the country.
YES is also a registered PBO (public benefit organisation), and as such, you can receive Section 18(A) tax certificates when you donate to a YES Hub. The best part? These donations don’t come out of your annual budget, but rather out of the monies you give to SARS every year.
If you’re interested in scorecard elements the Hubs touch on, you can receive socio-economic development points.
Get in touch with corporatesupport@yes4youth.co.za to find out more about our Hubs programmes.
YES isn’t trying to solve the entire unemployment problem: we can’t boil the ocean. We are trying to provide a solution to the problem “I can’t get a job without experience. I can’t get experience without a job”. At the end of the QWE, youth receive a CV and reference letter, making youth three times more likely to get a callback within three months of their job search (Abel, Ruloff & Piriano). For women, a reference letter doubles their chances of winning a job. 57% of YES Youth are women.
61% of YES Youth come from grant-recipient households while 77% have dependents, translating to a salary that travels further, feeding more mouths than YES can measure.
This isn’t a tickbox-exercise. It truly is a win-win-win for country, company, and youth.
Changing lives and rebuilding South Africa has never been this easy. Over 1,609 corporate partners have already signed on to rebuild an inclusive and sustainable economy. Calculate your target and co-create a future that works for all with YES.