Saying YES to youth employment

Schauenburg Systems, a leading technology company specialising in mine safety, is changing the lives of South African youths through its partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES) by offering them 12-month quality work experiences.

Thirty of the 32 participants are based in the North West, with two in Gauteng, and they are all gaining critical skills and experience in the day-to-day operations of lamp rooms in the mining sector.

“With 25 work-readiness modules, including topics such as communication, professionalism and money management, and additional 12 entrepreneurial modules to empower youth to run their own businesses, we believe that the learning experience these youths will gain, through the cooperation with YES, is fully in line with our company’s philosophy of being ‘a great place to grow’,“ says Dr Dieter Kovar, Africa Group CEO at Schauenburg International.

And these work experiences are far more than just a route to a pay cheque: they represent a critical first chance at entering the workforce. With 88,4% of YES Youth coming from grant-recipient households, the salaries paid to youths by corporate partners such as Schauenburg Systems create a ripple effect, reverberating across families and even communities.

YES chief executive Dr Tashmia Ismail-Saville adds: “It’s important to recognise that while our youth may be unemployed, they are not unemployable. By providing opportunities to our youth, companies like Schauenburg are showing South African business the way. The ability and willingness to train young people on the job bring energy into their business while triggering an economic ripple effect that helps reignite an economy, so that young people are included.”

By saying YES, Schauenburg Systems is joining a network of over 1 500 corporate partners that have created over 55 000 work opportunities in 126 weeks.