One of the greatest struggles faced by young people in South Africa is perpetually increasing unemployment. Tackling youth unemployment requires targeted interventions created for the sole purpose of equipping the youth with the necessary human capital to propagate their formal labour opportunities.
The Youth Employability Services (YES) 4 Youth programme is a business-led collaboration with government, labour, and civil society which was launched in 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The aim of this initiative is to provide those South Africayouth without formal qualifications the ability to gain quality work experience so as to improve their long-term employability.
Standing true by its purpose of ‘Caring for life’, Cipla has excitedly embarked on a YES journey to support the youth development initiatives. This means we have committed to being purpose-inspired through the creation of access to opportunities and ultimately allowing the youth to be active participants in the upliftment of their own lives and that of their communities. By being responsibility-centred through the collaborative efforts of the youth initiative, we are shining the light on being the agents of sustainable change that we want to see in the world. In alignment with being excellence-focused, we will apply the stringent quality standards which have cemented Cipla as a world-class company to ensure that the youth are equipped with the necessary skillsets to facilitate with enriching the communities we serve. Lastly, our promise of being innovation-driven through challenging boundaries to work with the youth in seeking social change solutions, will not only be beneficial to themselves, but to the greater South Africa.
This partnership will entail the individuals joining a 12-month programme in various departments to gain invaluable experience in the working environment, after which, they will exit the programme with more decorated CVs resulting in greater work placements. Our YES candidates will be afforded the opportunity to work with our highly skilled workforce which is committed to organisational excellence. This invaluable experience will surely set the candidates up with the best tools for them to use in future roles to ultimately enrich them as purposeful and well-rounded members of their communities and enhancements to the labour market.
