Equipping Our Youth With the Skills They Need to Thrive

The YearBeyond programme, a collaborative initiative involving the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, successfully hosted a Youth Futures CEO event in Cape Town on Friday, 23 May 2025, aimed at fostering meaningful conversations and inspiring the creation of opportunities for the youth. The gathering brought together industry leaders from over 40 companies and government representatives to explore impactful strategies for working with young people and addressing the urgent challenge of youth unemployment.

Launched in the Western Cape more than a decade ago, YearBeyond is a national programme that provides unemployed youth (18-25 years old) with meaningful work experience and a pathway to further studies or work, while at the same time encouraging a culture of community service.

While the Western Cape’s youth unemployment rate is more than 10 percentage points lower than other provinces, too many young people are still without work. “We still have a lot of work to do to drive down youth unemployment in our province,” emphasised Premier Alan Winde in his address at the Youth Futures CEO Dialogue. Premier Winde challenged stakeholders in attendance to be bold in tackling youth unemployment, “We believe every young person deserves a chance, and we have prioritised budget and programmes to facilitate this.”

The event provided attendees with data-driven insights, key lessons learned, and practical approaches derived from the YearBeyond programme’s extensive experience. To date, more than 15,000 young people have graduated from YearBeyond’s unique dual-beneficiary model.

YearBeyond’s structured approach focuses on helping young people develop essential, future-fit skills, increasing their chances of getting jobs. The programme acknowledges that young people face multiple barriers and require support, guidance, and mentorship.

As Jacqui Boulle, Head of YearBeyond, stated, “Given the country’s and province’s challenges with crime and unemployment, we all need to play our part. We received 45k applications for 3000 opportunities in the YearBeyond programme, that is how relevant this initiative has become over the past 10 years. It is through programmes like this and our youth’s willingness to engage with these kinds of interventions that we can turn the tide on unemployment. ”

Ashwin Naidoo, a “YeBoneer” who graduated from the programme in 2021 spoke of how what he learned helped him get a job on a cruisliner, “YearBeyond bridges the gap between learning and fun. It equipped me to have emotional intelligence.”

Following an insightful presentation, guests participated in roundtable discussions designed to spark innovation, encourage knowledge-sharing, and promote collaborative action. According to Guy Redman, Head of the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), “The Youth Futures CEO Dialogue and The Youth Futures Breakfast facilitated an environment conducive to forging partnerships and highlights the importance of collaboration between employers, educational institutions, and youth-focused organisations to create sustainable and inclusive pathways to employment for our young people.”