Ramaphosa Hails YES Surpassing 200,000 Youth Placements, Sets 400,000 Goal by 2030

The president used the Johannesburg event to spotlight private-sector partnerships and digital skills pipelines as pathways to durable jobs and entrepreneurship.

Overview

YES reports 202,558 young South Africans placed in 12‑month work experiences through nearly 1,900 corporate partners, with wages injecting billions into the economy.
Ramaphosa said the programme has grown more than 25% annually since 2021, supported by B‑BBEE incentives and without reliance on the national fiscus.
New initiatives highlighted include Microsoft’s R5.4 billion data‑centre investment and an AI Skills Hub targeting 50,000 certifications a year, alongside BMW’s support for 3,500 YES youth in robotics and EV technologies.
Outcome data cited in the speech include more than 28,000 alumni who started businesses and a participant base that is 58% women, with placements spanning manufacturing, renewables, tourism, logistics, finance and the digital economy.
He urged more companies and state‑owned enterprises to join, called for easier participation rules and stronger tracking of long‑term outcomes, and set a target to add 200,000 placements to reach 400,000 by 2030.