For most young South Africans, unemployment is still the biggest scourge they face today. Observing these national-scale problems, YES organized the YES4Youth learnership programme to accommodate youths with minimal work experience.
YES realizes that sometimes it is just a matter of perspective.
You don’t need to have worked in a formal job to have gained experience and skills. Playing team sports like soccer means you have teamwork skills. Helping take care of children in the family means that you have learnt how to be responsible and develop childcare skills. Think about all the things you’ve done in your life and what you’ve learnt from these things.
See? It’s not as difficult as it seems.
Through YES 4 Youth, you will be taught ways to increase your sales value as an employee and confidently start your own career path. Its 12-month employment programme will expose you to the company culture and ethics you need before becoming part of another company later.
In this guide, you will learn how you can apply for the programme and what you should do to get accepted.
YES4Youth Learnership Programme Overview
Six million young people out of work is a crisis for South Africa; the nation’s future workforce is not being educated, trained, or employed. Compounding this, the longer people are out of work, the harder it is for them to re-enter the workforce.
Worse still, 56% of the million young people entering the job market each year don’t have a matric, giving them little hope of employment and leaving them vulnerable to a loss of dignity and succumbing to social ills.
Over a period of three years from 2018, the Youth Employment Service (YES) – led and supported by the private sector – will incentivise businesses to employ young people, giving them a chance at a life-changing first work experience. YES is a business-led collaboration with government, labour, and civil society to create one million first-time work experiences, over three years, for South Africa’s unemployed black youth.
With a unique collaboration between government, labour, civil society, and the youth, this represents a benchmark in fresh, bold responses to South Africa’s unemployment crisis.
Among the many programmes facilitated by YES, YES4Youth is one of them that specifically targets giving work experience to young people.
Through YES 4 Youth, applicants will be brought together with suitable companies to undergo 12 months of training before finally receiving a Reference Letter and a certified CV from YES. Any YES4Youth work experience is likely to have entry-level income of R3,500 per month.
The hope is that this programme can increase the participants’ confidence to start their own career paths later.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for the programme, you have to be a South African between the ages of 18 and 34 years old.
Also, you have to show your determination in working for the programme. YES 4 Youth is looking for a bright individual who believes in hard work, commitment, and integrity. Moreover, you also will be required to use the work readiness materials that YES provides to prepare yourself for the work experience.
Lastly, please note that an interview is not a guarantee of a job. It is the employer and not YES who makes the job selection. It is the applicants’ responsibility to prepare for their interviews.
Unless you can confirm these preliminary terms and conditions, the programme may not be the ideal choice for you.
How to Apply for YES4Youth Programme
The application for YES4Youth can be done online. To be considered for work experience placements please register your details with YES. You will be emailed to confirm your registration. You will also then be sent emails with updates. Start by registering here. Please prepare a well-written CV beforehand as it will also be asked as part of the registration.
YES is working hard to build work experience placements. This will take some time. While it is working hard, you’d be expected to work hard too. Complete the work readiness training modules online to get ready for your YES journey. Access the work readiness modules here.
Then you will be considered in the area with matching skills. You will be called to an interview by the employer, remember that to get the job you need to put your best foot forward. So dress as smart as you can, speak with confidence, make eye contact, and smile.
If you are shortlisted, interviewed, and selected by the employer, you’ll be sent an offer for the work experience placement. If you decide to take the placement, you’ll sign a contract with the business that you will be working for.
When you start your placement, you will be given a smartphone with a pre-loaded YES App and a Welcome Pack. Ensure you have proof of address and ID copy for the RICA process. Fill in and sign the checklist in your Welcome Pack. Please be responsible with your smartphone.
Along with your work duties, you will also need to fill in surveys on the YES app. Login to the YES Youth App and complete your profile and baseline survey. To log in, you will need a valid email address and cellphone number. Complete weekly and monthly surveys on the YES Youth App. Start work readiness modules on the YES Youth App to build your skills set.
Towards the end of your journey in the YES4Youth Learnership Programme, you will have to complete a midline and endline survey to review your progress.
When you complete your work experience, you will leave with new skills, an updated CV and a reference letter – all of this helps you find your next job!
Closing Date
Application for YES4Youth is open all year round. You don’t have to worry if you miss it for there is always a chance to be a part of this extraordinary opportunity.
Contact Details
Before submitting your question, we recommend that you check the FAQs page of YES4Youth first. There contains a variety of information related to the programme that might be helpful for you. If your question is not listed there, you can send it to:
YES Business Development & Client Support
Email: corporatesupport@yes4youth.co.za
YES4Youth Official Website
Visit YES4Youth’s official website for further information related to implementing the YES Programme at www.yes4youth.co.za.