ASSOCIATIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
Businesses to prioritise skills
for Ramaphosa’s YES initiative
The future of South Africa’s youth relies heavily on young people’s readiness to enter the job market.
The Artisan Training Institute (ATI) takes a critical look at the need for quality skills to ensure the
success of Cyril Ramaphosa’s new Youth Employment Service (YES) initiative.
T ‘youthquake’. Flamboyant Vogue editor major progress towards helping South for employment are limited. Basic together to fight South Africa’s
Diana Vreeland first coined the phrase Africa’s youth obtain work placement. The education does not adequately unemployment crisis.
in 1965 during the rise of counterculture revolutionary YES campaign promises to prepare young people for workplaces. The initiative introduces new youth
in a time that the marginalised were create between 300 000 and half a million Employers need fundamental skills that employment B-BBEE recognition and
claiming back their voices. Oxford jobs for young people each year. bring about workplace readiness,” allows businesses that meet YES targets
he says. to improve their B-BBEE scorecard. To
he Oxford Dictionary gave life to shortly after he took the reins: the issue “The youth are the most vulnerable possibility of partnership, says Jones.
an old phrase when it announced of youth unemployment. in the skills economy. Most are willing It calls for government, labour, civil
to work, but their opportunities society, and young people to work
its 2017 Word of the Year:
defines the phrase as, “a significant
The launch of YES in March 2018 signifies
arising from the actions or influence of YES – AN INCENTIVE FOR THE
PRIVATE SECTOR TO PLACE YOUTH
young people”.
cultural, political, or social change
“The YES initiative creates
encourage the demand-side of job
opportunities for businesses to respond creation, companies qualify for tax
According to Sean Jones, managing to this challenge through a programme incentives when they employ black
director of ATI, YES is one of the first that has been smartly designed to youth aged 18–29.
Cyril Ramaphosa took quick action employment programmes in South everyone’s advantage.” to address one of South Africa’s most Africa to proactively incentivise pressing socio-economic challenges businesses to employ young people.
In staying with the zeitgeist, President
32
One of the most encouraging
elements of the YES initiative is the
www.coldlinkafrica.co.za
Businesses that participate in the
project should establish one-year
paid positions for youngsters. Those
COLD LINK AFRICA • January/February 2019