South African deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa

JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa has launched an inclusive partnership aiming to empower 1 million young locals by offering paid quality work experiences over the next three years.

President Cyril Ramaphosa launched the initiative – Youth Employment Service (YES) – in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Youth aged between 18 – 35 will benefit from the scheme driven by government, labour and civil society.

A key objective of  YES is increasing job creation and ensuring that youth are included in the economic growth story in a sustainable manner.

Tashmia Ismail-Saville, Chief Executive Officer of YES, said the initiative aimed to give a portion of youth, which are largely overlooked by the country’s current employment models, a crucial first chance to gain a paid work experience of a decent quality.

“This significantly increases their chances of securing permanent employment after the year,” Ismail-Saville said.

At the launch, Ramaphosa was introduced to the first 100 young people who will be employed at ABSA, Investec, Netcare, Sasol and Unilever through the YES programme.

Colin Coleman and Stephen Koseff, co-convenors of YES, commented, said the programme would create a new set of opportunities for youth to gain an opportunity for experience in the workforce.

South Africa’s unemployment rate is estimated at 26,7 percent.
– CAJ News