YES Programme 2026/2027: How to Apply, Requirements, Pay and How to Get Picked

The YES programme gives unemployed young South Africans a 12-month paid job at a real company, with a contract, a supervisor and at least the minimum wage. This guide explains who qualifies in 2026, how much YES pays, how to apply for free, which companies take YES youth, how to spot fake YES adverts and how to give yourself the best chance of getting picked.

1What is the YES programme?

YES (Youth Employment Service) was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in March 2018 as a partnership between government, business and labour (SAnews). Today it is a non-profit funded by the private sector, with no government funding (YES).

The idea is simple: businesses create 12-month work experiences for unemployed young people, and in return they can improve their B-BBEE score. For you, it means a year of real work on an employment contract, with a supervisor and a salary (YES Onboarding Toolkit, Jan 2026).

It is not a learnership and not a bursary. It is a job with a fixed 12-month contract. YES itself doesn’t recruit: the companies and their partners do the hiring, and most YES opportunities are listed on SAYouth (YES youth FAQ).

2Who qualifies for YES in 2026?

According to the official YES youth FAQ, most YES placements (the B-BBEE ones) are open to young people who are:

• aged 18 to 34
• currently unemployed
• Black, as defined in the B-BBEE codes
• South African citizens

Some programmes outside B-BBEE are open to all races and ages. YES sets no minimum education level, and you don’t need to move to a city to register (YES youth FAQ).

Two things trip people up:

• Employers add their own rules. Many ask for Grade 12, that you are not studying full time, and that you have been unemployed since a certain date. A 2026 Cape Union Mart YES advert, for example, asked for ages 18 to 35, matric preferred, and no previous YES placement (Careers24).
• You can only do YES once. If you left a placement before completing eight months, you may be able to apply again (YES Onboarding Toolkit).

3How much does YES pay?

YES employers must pay a monthly salary equal to or higher than the national minimum wage. YES puts it plainly: “From March 2026, the minimum wage is R5,241 per month before tax” (YES Onboarding Toolkit). That matches the national minimum wage of R30.23 an hour from 1 March 2026 (Business Report).

Some employers pay more, and many adverts simply say “market related”. Older figures you may see online, such as R3,500 a month, come from 2018 and are out of date. Because YES is a salary paid by the company, it is not a government grant.

4How to apply for YES, step by step

There is no separate “apply to YES” form for job seekers. YES sends young people to SAYouth, a free national platform that lists YES placements alongside other jobs and learnerships (YES). The steps from the official FAQ:

1. Go to sayouth.mobi. It is zero-rated, so it uses no data. Registration takes about four minutes, and you can register with or without an ID number.
2. Already on harambee.mobi or tshepo.mobi? Then you are already registered and can use the same login.
3. Browse opportunities matched to you. Open a vacancy, tap “read more”, then “Apply now”.
4. Log in every day. Some vacancies close early once the employer has enough applicants.
5. Check your APPLICATIONS tab. Some listings send you to the employer’s own website to finish applying.

The second legitimate route is to apply for YES adverts directly on company careers pages, such as Eskom’s careers portal or shoprite.jobs.

What to have ready: your ID, an up-to-date CV saved on your phone, and your bank details. When you start, the employer may ask you to sign an affidavit confirming that you were unemployed. The “YES One App” you may find in app stores is for supervisors and youth who are already placed. It is not where you apply.

5Which companies take YES youth?

More than 2,000 businesses have joined YES (YES, May 2026). Companies named by YES or in their own YES adverts include:

Retail, banking, call centre and admin roles come up often, so the skills that help most are customer service, basic computer and admin skills, and a clear CV.

6When are YES intakes?

There is no single national intake. YES runs all year, and each company runs its own intake. YES says more than 3,000 new opportunities are created every month (Press Portal, Oct 2025). In 2026, for example, Cape Union Mart’s advert closed in February for a March start, Nedbank welcomed its group in July, and Eskom’s advert closed at the end of July. Between January and March 2026 alone, YES placed 18,310 young people (Presidential Youth Employment Intervention report).

That’s why the best strategy is to register now, keep your profile and CV up to date, and check SAYouth daily rather than waiting for a date.

7How to get picked for a YES placement

Many young people apply for every YES opening, so the ones who get called usually make it easy for the employer to say yes:

• Apply early and often. Vacancies can close before their closing date.
• Send a clean, one-page CV. Without work experience, list school, volunteering, church or community work, and anything you’ve learnt on your own.
• Show basic computer skills. Most YES roles involve email, typing, spreadsheets or a till.
• Prepare for the interview. Expect questions like “Tell me about yourself” and “How would you handle an unhappy customer?”
• Keep your phone on and your voicemail set up. Recruiters often call once.

YES doesn’t require any course. But short courses can help you build the skills employers shortlist for, and give you something concrete to put on your CV while you apply.

Online course · Purple Growth eCampus

CV, Interview & Job Search Skills

7 chaptersAbout 4 hoursStudy on your phoneCertificate

Build a strong CV with little or no experience, read job adverts properly and prepare answers to the interview questions you’re most likely to get. Chapter 1 is free.

R199 once-offSee the course

Online course · Purple Growth eCampus

Customer Service & Support

Study on your phoneCertificate

Help customers in person, by chat, email and WhatsApp, and handle complaints and refunds calmly. Useful for retail, banking and call centre roles.

R199 once-offSee the course

For admin and office placements, look at Excel & Data Capturing (Chapter 1 is free) or Digital Literacy and Microsoft Skills. For call centre roles, try the Call Centre Agent course, where Chapter 1 is also free.

8How to spot fake YES adverts

Warning signs that a “YES” or “youth programme” advert is fake:

• You are asked for a registration, admin, training or “refundable” fee.
• The advert only appears on a random Facebook page or WhatsApp forward, not on SAYouth or the company’s own careers page.
• Someone asks for your banking PIN, password or OTP.
• The “job” promises a stipend from a government department. The Department of Employment and Labour has warned that scammers use the name “youth employment program” to collect deposits and personal details (gov.za).

Our festive season jobs guide has more on spotting fake job adverts.

9What happens after your YES year?

A permanent job afterwards isn’t guaranteed, but the year counts. You finish with 12 months of real work experience, a reference and a much stronger CV. YES reports that 45% of its alumni are employed (YES 2025 review).

Use the year well: ask your supervisor for feedback and a written reference, keep a list of what you worked on, and update your CV before the contract ends so you can start applying in month 10 or 11.

10Frequently asked questions