One of the biggest challenges in South Africa is the high unemployment rate of over 25% which is even higher for unemployed youth standing at over 50%. While a young population represents a potentially powerful demographic dividend, it can also convert into a prospect of a threat to the economy and stability. With modest growth rates, the South African economy fails to create the jobs that are needed. Furthermore, there is a mismatch between the skills provided by training institutions and the demand from the companies. This mismatch of competencies of employees and the market demand is a major constraint to the employability of young people.

The objective of the YES programme is to support young people by enhancing their employability and market relevant skills for the placement in newly created twelve-month work experiences in businesses. A young person is three times more likely to be employed if they can demonstrate that they have previous work experience. YES will provide a platform for job seekers and employers to match the supply and demand in the labour market. A substantial contribution will come from the private sector by offering work placements and employee salaries. The key impact indicator that will be measured is the number of unemployed getting a job after their 12 months placement.

The SECO support will be contributing to the supply side and, more specifically, on addressing the skills gaps of beneficiaires and labour demand-supply matching of the overall objective of the YES program. For this, the following outcomes will be measured:

number of placements for unemployed in a business for one year

digital matching platform established to connect demand and supply

number of unemployed trained via e-Learning modules and face-to-face training

number of businesses participating in YES

Principaux résultats attendus:  

design of a screening and profiling tool to assess youth potential and their strengths

design of tailor-made learning applications for unemployed to upskill them

design and development of an integrated digital platform for the skills and employment matching of supply and demand

design and implementation of an effective monitoring and evaluation system

map value chains in the business community to identify opportunities for new job creation, e.g. digital jobs

collection and incorporation of lessons learned into YES and other similar initiatives

Phase 1 01.04.2019 - 30.11.2021   (Completed)