The Youth Employment Service – Making a dent in youth unemployment
On Thursday, 4 July CPLO hosted a seminar on the Youth Employment Service (YES). Ms Bongiwe Beja, Youth Stream Lead for YES, unpacked the initiative which was launched to create one million jobs and job opportunities in three years (since 2018). The YES initiative is a joint collaboration between government, business and labour. The initiative provides a 12 month work experience for unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 35 at more than 340 companies that have thus far registered. The 12-month work experience is also supported by 19 modules of work readiness content that will provide the participant with a credible CV, a reference letter and a Certificate of Completion which they can add to their LinkedIn profile. According to Ms Beja, a participant in the YES programme is likely to improve their chances threefold of being called back for another interview. The YES initiative also invests in the communities through its community Hubs which are setup to stimulate the local economy through technology, best practices and capacity development for youth and community businesses.
