Discover how the YES Initiative tackles youth unemployment in South Africa, how it benefits your business (and raises your B-BBEE Scorecard with 2 levels), and why partnering with Mogapi Africa ensures compliance, impact, and measurable transformation.
## Gain 2 levels on your B-BBEE Scorecard and help solve unemployment South Africa’s youth unemployment challenge is immense — and so are the opportunities to change it. Through the **YES Initiative (Youth Employment Service)**, companies can help address unemployment **and** improve their **B-BBEE scorecard by up to two levels** overall. But implementing a compliant, effective YES programme is however not as simple as signing up — it requires strategy, compliance oversight, and careful project management to ensure both impact and verification success. That’s where **Mogapi Africa** steps in. As a **compliance-first youth solutions partner**, we help organisations implement successful YES projects that deliver both impact and verifiable B-BBEE results — without the administrative and regulatory burden. > YES isn’t just about job creation; it’s about building sustainable pathways to employment. With the right partner, it becomes an opportunity for measurable transformation. --- ## What is the YES Initiative? The **Youth Employment Service (YES)** is a South African business-led initiative in partnership with government, created to address youth unemployment through meaningful work experience. The goal is simple — to give young South Africans aged **18 to 35** the opportunity to gain **quality work experience**, improving employability and long-term job prospects. Private businesses (Sponsors) are incentivised to join the project, by being rewarded up to 2 additional levels on their existing scorecard, for successful, compliant YES-projects. Participating businesses can either: - Employ youth directly within their own operations, or - Sponsor youth placements through approved hosts such as **SMMEs and NPOs**, thereby strengthening small businesses and spreading impact across communities. Each placement contributes to both **social upliftment** and **B-BBEE enhancement** — making the programme one of the most practical ways for businesses to achieve sustainable transformation. --- ## Why Work with an Implementation Partner While any qualifying organisation can register with YES directly, many soon discover that managing the end-to-end process — from sourcing and onboarding youth to host management, reporting, and absorption tracking — is complex. The YES Organisation, the youth and the host SMME's and NPO's (if you place youth outside of your own organisation) all need to be souced, onboarded, managed & supported all while collecting all of the needed documentation to get your project verified at the end. At **Mogapi Africa**, we provide a **turnkey YES implementation solution** that ensures compliance, simplifies reporting, and delivers real outcomes. Our managed approach includes: - **End-to-end project management**, aligned with B-BBEE codes and SETA/QCTO standards. - **Custom placements** across industries and communities of your choice. - **Host partnerships** that match your company’s values and transformation goals. - **Full documentation and reporting** for B-BBEE verification. - **Absorption support** that increases long-term employment outcomes. By partnering with us, your business retains control — choosing where youth are placed and in what industries — while we handle the compliance, logistics, and quality assurance. --- ## Benefits of Implementing the YES Initiative Implementing YES through Mogapi Africa brings a range of organisational and social benefits: - Gain **up to two B-BBEE levels** through compliant participation. - Contribute directly to **reducing youth unemployment**. - Support **SMME and NPO development** through sponsored placements. - Strengthen your **community impact footprint**. - Ensure every youth placement is **compliant, trackable, and reportable**. With thousands of youth placed and hundreds of host organisations supported across South Africa, our approach ensures that each project not only meets legal requirements but also makes a measurable difference. --- Want to speak to a person? Leave your details on our Contact page, and we'll reach out ASAP. CONTACT PAGE ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the YES Initiative? The YES Initiative (Youth Employment Service) is a South African business-led partnership with the government, aimed at tackling youth unemployment by creating work experience opportunities for young people. Its purpose is to reduce youth unemployment by giving young South Africans a start in the job market through quality work experience. ### What is the benefit for an organisation implementing the YES Initiative? By implementing the YES Initiative, an organisation contributes to the employability of South African youth. As an added benefit, the organisation can gain **up to 2 BEE levels** for implementing the YES Initiative. ### Do I have to provide the sponsored youth with work experience within my own organisation? You can, but it’s not required. You may **sponsor youth to be placed with other host businesses**, giving small enterprises valuable huma...