This Youth Month, join the Future of Change

Their future. Your business. The biggest risk to your business: More than half of South African youth are unemployed.

If more than half of South Africa’s young people aren’t earning an income, how will they buy from your business now and in the future?

The Youth Employment Service (YES) is the largest private sector youth employment programme in the country, effecting broad-based change across South Africa. As a private sector–led initiative, it addresses the country’s youth unemployment crisis by empowering businesses to create jobs for our unemployed youth. YES is youth-focused and business-led.

This non-profit organisation is not reliant on government funding, and its jobs are 100% funded by the private sector. YES works with leading businesses in various sectors to provide 12-month quality work experiences for unemployed young people to be future managers, skilled employees, professionals, change-makers and entrepreneurs who will drive their communities and the South African economy forward.

For many youth, this is their first employment in the private sector, and YES provides a vital first step on their journey to long-term employment.

Let’s face it. If you lead the youth, you lead the market. For business, YES is a key pipeline through which you can select, develop and de-risk undiscovered, standout talent, previously locked out of the economy. YES provides businesses with a route to sustainability and long-term value.

Businesses can improve their BBBEE scorecard by up to two levels while effecting broad-based transformation. Beyond BBBEE, many businesses are also integrating YES into their environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategies to have a meaningful and measurable impact on communities and the environment.

YES is a national movement of 1 700+ companies tackling the unemployment crisis and creating the future of change.