Youth Employment Service Rf

What Youth Employment Service Rf does

Youth Employment Service (YES) is a South African non-profit company (NPC) founded in 2018 and headquartered in Johannesburg that operates a 12-month youth work experience programme bridging unemployed South African youth with corporate placements. The organisation targets young people aged 18-34, with reported demographics of 56% female participants, 74% from social-grant households, and 79% with financial dependents. YES functions as a two-sided platform: corporate sponsors register to host youth for paid 12-month work placements, while youth apply through the SAYouth.mobi platform and YES's alumni network of 5.79 million engaged applicants.

The core product is a structured 12-month work placement, supplemented by digital skills curricula (notably the Microsoft AI Skills Navigator targeting 50,000 AI certifications), the EU-funded EYWA project for green and digital skills and entrepreneurship, and Turnkey Solutions for sponsors. Underlying infrastructure includes the Enhanced YES Company Portal for sponsor onboarding and cohort management, and third-party-verified monitoring and evaluation systems that track participant outcomes and supply B-BBEE scorecard documentation to sponsors. Technology stack is largely third-party — Microsoft for AI skills, the government-built SAYouth.mobi for applications — with internally developed portal and M&E tooling.

YES generates revenue through corporate registration and placement fees paid by sponsors for each youth placed, together with private-sector grants and donor funding; the organisation receives no government funding. Since inception, YES has placed approximately 231,752 youth with 1,885-2,000+ corporate sponsors across banking, retail, automotive, tech, FMCG, and QSR sectors, deploying R13.94 billion in cumulative youth salaries and positively impacting an estimated 695,256 lives. Leadership comprises CEO Ravi Naidoo, Co-Chairs Colin Coleman and Stephen Koseff, and COO Leanne Emery-Hunter. YES is the official demand-side partner of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI).

Name

Youth Employment Service Rf

Legal name

Youth Employment Service NPC

Website

https://yes4youth.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Youth Employment Service (YES) is a South African non-profit founded in 2018 that places unemployed youth aged 18-34 into 12-month paid corporate work placements. It serves roughly 43,000 young people annually across 2,000+ corporate sponsors spanning banking, retail, automotive, and tech, while delivering B-BBEE scorecard benefits to sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Employment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO), Youth & Young Adult Workforce Programs (Out-of-School Youth) (EDAAAOAD), Awarding Organizations & Credentialing Bodies (Certificates/Diplomas) (EDADAFAC)

Keywords

• Youth employment programme
• B-BBEE compliance services
• Work experience placement
• Corporate social responsibility
• Skills development training

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Registration Fees: YES charges registration fees based on company size. Companies select their company size and pay the applicable registration fee to participate in the YES programme. The cost includes the YES monitoring and evaluation fee.
2. Private Sector Funding: YES is funded by the private sector as a non-profit organisation. Corporate sponsors pay to participate in the programme, with businesses receiving B-BBEE recognition in return. The organisation explicitly states it receives no government funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

YES is a South African non-profit organisation that partners with private sector businesses to provide 12-month quality work experiences for unemployed youth aged 18-34. Corporate partners pay registration fees based on company size to host youth, and in return receive B-BBEE scorecard recognition (1-2 levels up) and ESG benefits. Youth are recruited through the SAYouth zero-rated mobile platform and matched with host companies.

Product overview

YES operates as a non-profit youth employment organization offering a portfolio of programmes centered on its core 12-month work experience initiative. The portfolio includes Turnkey Solutions for managed placement, B-BBEE compliance services, and the AI Skills Navigator powered by Microsoft for digital skills training. Youth are primarily recruited through the SAYouth digital platform, with additional support tools like the Target Calculator for business engagement. The EYWA Project adds specialized skills training components in emerging sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• YES: Youth Employment Service - a non-profit organization providing 12-month quality work experiences for unemployed South African youth aged 18-34

Quantifiable outcome

• 231,752+ 12-month full-time jobs created since inception
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• MicrosoftflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Microsoft partners with YES to offer 50,000 AI certifications to South Africa's youth. Partnership includes Microsoft AI Skills Navigator platform for digital skills training. Microsoft also partners with SABC to provide AI and digital skills to South Africans. Recognised as co-marketing partner for technology initiatives.
• SAYouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZero-rated recruitment platform where clients source youth talent and youth register for job opportunities. Part of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative ecosystem, serving a network of 5 million youth and 3,000 employer partners.
• European UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funder of the EYWA (Employability for Youth and Women in South Africa) project. The EU provided funding for skills training in ICT, Solar PV installation, Culinary Arts and Entrepreneurship, reaching 400+ beneficiaries.
• Camara (Spanish Chamber of Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEYWA project partner focused on entrepreneurship and Dual Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Gauteng's townships.
• Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEYWA project partner contributing to entrepreneurship and employment initiatives in Gauteng.
• LulaLabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEYWA project partner supporting youth entrepreneurship and economic participation in Gauteng townships.
• IE Business SchoolminorOthersInternational experts from IE Business School participated in EYWA project workshops and knowledge sharing.
• Harambee Youth Employment AcceleratorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnchor partner of SA Youth platform. Non-profit social enterprise working on youth employment and skills development. Contributed to strategic skills revolution discussions and SA Youth platform development.
• Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerYES is the official demand partner of the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative. YES accounts for the majority of demand-led opportunities within the PYEI ecosystem. Works with government on scaling youth employment interventions nationally.
• National Business Initiative (NBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNBI has supported YES as part of its Skills and Youth Employability programme. YES is one of the key initiatives highlighted in NBI's work on pathways for employment.
• Daily MaverickminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for YES Top 35 Under 35 Celebration, recognising next generation of impact-makers in South Africa.
• Automotive Industry Development Centre (AIDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFord SA's Silverton Incubation Centre runs in partnership with AIDC for five-year skills training programme helping graduates find jobs within the automotive supply chain.

Scale indicators19 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator: South African non-profit social enterprise focused on solving youth unemployment through digital matching, skills development, and pathways into first jobs. Directly comparable as YES's anchor SAYouth platform partner and a sister organisation addressing the same population with parallel demand-supply intermediation.
• Year Up: US-based workforce readiness non-profit providing young adults with training, internships, and corporate placements leading to career pathways. Comparable on the youth-to-employment placement model with strong employer sponsorship and outcome-tracking infrastructure.
• Afrika Tikkun: South African non-profit focused on youth development programmes including skills training, work preparedness, and pathways to employment for disadvantaged youth. Operates in the same South African market with similar youth-employment focus and corporate partnerships.
• SAYouth.mobi: Zero-rated mobile platform connecting unemployed South African youth with opportunities, serving as YES's primary recruitment channel. Direct platform peer for youth-opportunity matching with overlapping user base (5 million+ youth).
• Generation (McKinsey Social Initiative spin-off): Global non-profit offering short-duration training-to-employment programmes for unemployed youth, with employer partnerships across multiple countries. Directly comparable business model (employer-funded training, 12-week to 6-month pathways, outcome-focused) operating at greater geographic scale.

Broad incumbents

• Coursera for Government: Large-scale online learning and credentialing platform that partners with governments and workforce development organisations globally. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the digital-skills delivery layer that YES is extending into via the AI Skills Navigator partnership.

Emerging players

• National Business Initiative (NBI): South African coalition of business leaders working on skills, youth employability, and inclusive growth. Directly comparable as a partner/incumbent in the same space, supporting YES and complementary workforce initiatives under the CEO Initiative umbrella.
• CompTIA (Creating IT Futures): Non-profit arm of CompTIA delivering tech-skills training and certifications to under-represented groups including youth, with employer-recognized credentials. Comparable on the digital-skills certification layer that YES is now layering via the Microsoft AI Skills Navigator.
• African Management Institute (AMI): Pan-African learning and talent development organisation delivering management and employability training to youth and SMEs across Africa. Comparable as a skills training and workforce-readiness player targeting similar youth segments and corporate partners in Africa.

Others

• Microsoft Philanthropies (Skills for Jobs): Microsoft's philanthropic arm running global digital-skills initiatives including AI Skills Navigator which YES has integrated. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem partner that powers YES's digital-skills training layer rather than competing for placements directly.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Yes4YouthZA
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCE69Crs0D_G9H05RF0xRScA/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/Yes4YouthZA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yes4youth

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Youth Employment Service Rf