Finished Matric and now unemployed? This may be the 'hand-up' you need

The Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport is calling for unemployed youth to take advantage of the YearBeyond programme. 

The programme was set up to help unemployed young South Africans gain valuable working experience while giving back to their communities.

In November, Statistics South Africa noted that the youth (15 to 34 years) remained vulnerable in SA’s labour market. 

The third quarter of 2024 results showed that the total number of unemployed youth in South Africa was 4.8 million.

What is the YearBeyond programme? 

The initiative is a youth service partnership between the Government, the National Youth Development Agency, donors, and NGOs, according to the Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport of the Western Cape, Ricardo Mackenzie. 

He said that the programme was initiated in the Western Cape and is a national programme that provides unemployed youth (18-25 years old) with meaningful work experience. 

The programme was also created to provide “a pathway to further studies or work, while at the same time encouraging a culture of community service”.

How can you get involved? 

The ministry said that to qualify, a participant must be between the ages of 18 and 25, live within a 5km radius of a YearBeyond site and be registered on the SAYouth.Mobi platform.

Some streams within the programme have additional qualification criteria like minimum marks in languages or maths in Matric.

​​“Youth unemployment and disillusionment is still a pressing matter that we must continuously address,” Minister Mackenzie said.

“Through the YearBeyond programme, young people who are unsure as to what their next steps are can take up an opportunity to gain a year’s practical experience, improve their CV and gain important skills which will help them to access future employment opportunities as employees or employers.”

“We want to offer our youth this hand-up to help them take the next steps towards becoming successful adults,” he added. 

Premier Alan Winde noted that the Western Cape’s youth unemployment rate is more than 10% lower than that of other provinces. 

Despite these figures, he said the government must keep working as hard as possible to enable young people to find jobs. 

“This programme is critical in preparing young people for the job market and helping to guide them to their future careers,” he said.

“I urge all qualifying youths to take advantage of this fantastic initiative.”

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