The South African government is continuing the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative (PYEI) to boost youth employment. Deputy Minister in The Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, emphasised the need for innovative funding mechanisms to improve the initiative's effectiveness.
Speaking at the PYEI Q3 Report media briefing, she outlined key achievements from the last three months of 2024. The National Pathway Management Network (NPMN) created over 53,000 earning opportunities, bringing the total to 1.57 million since its launch. The SA Youth platform facilitated over 38,000 of these opportunities, while the Employment Services of South Africa (ESSA) added another 14,500.
The Youth Employment Service (YES) placed over 10,000 young people in workplace experiences. Additionally, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) and the Department of Small Business Development (DSBD) supported over 14,600 young entrepreneurs. The Revitalised National Youth Service (NYS) recruited over 13,500 individuals in its third phase, totalling more than 82,000 placements.
One of the innovative funding mechanisms mentioned by the Deputy Minister is the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund, launched in 2023. This R300 million initiative creates employment pathways in digital inclusion, enterprise development, and work-integrated learning.
According to Mhlauli, the fund is unique because it allocates resources to organisations that successfully place and employ young people.
Unlike traditional approaches to job creation, which focus on inputs and activities like training and mentorship, the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund ensures that funds are allocated to implementing organisations upon the successful placement and sustained employment of excluded young people in quality jobs.
Mhlauli reported that 3,347 youth were enrolled in training programmes, 1,603 were placed in jobs, and 1,247 maintained employment for at least three months.
These interventions align with our broader goal of transitioning young people from learning to earning in a way that is sustainable and impactful.
During the State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa urged businesses to use the SAYouth.mobi platform to fill job vacancies. Around 4.5 million young people are registered on the platform, which connects them to employment opportunities, skills development programmes, and entrepreneurship initiatives.
During the past year, young people secured 235,000 work opportunities through the National Pathway Management Network, which is underpinned by the SAYouth.mobi platform. We now need to build on these innovative programmes to create jobs for youth at an even greater scale.
The President highlighted the need to expand existing programmes to create more youth employment opportunities, particularly through the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES).
The PES funds several PYEI components and directly provides employment opportunities for young people. Since its inception, it has created over 2.2 million opportunities.
The employment stimulus has created almost 2.2 million work and livelihood opportunities through innovative models that provide high-quality work to participants.
