A hand up

As part of its commitment to skills development and transformation, Rhenus Logistics has announced its participation in the Youth Employment Service (YES) Programme, a joint initiative by the private sector and government, aimed to give South Africa’s youth the chance to gain work experience through employment placement.

Established in 2018, the YES Programme aims to contribute to the promotion and development of unemployed youth, by providing a 12-month work experience opportunity. In 2019 and 2020, 33 young people concluded learnerships.

For the first phase of the programme, which started on March 1, 15 learners were selected from surrounding communities in six cities across the country: Johannesburg, Durban, East London, Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), George and Cape Town.

Successful candidates receive a fixed-term employment contract. They will participate in a Rhenus induction and, thereafter, follow a structured workplace experience development plan. This includes workplace readiness, on-the-job training, mentoring, as well as regular assessments to monitor and track their progress.

Once the candidates have completed their workplace experience successfully, they will be issued with a YES-accredited CV and reference letter, which would afford them a better chance of accessing employment and the possibility of pursuing their career aspirations.
The company aims to implement the YES initiative on an annual basis, to continue contributing to skills development and reducing youth unemployment, which has exceeded 50% in South Africa.

Commenting on the decision to participate in YES, Rhenus Logistics South Africa’s managing director Dirk Goedhart says: “We believe that the YES Programme will support youth in their development and tremendously improve their employability. Through this, we hope to play some small role in addressing some of the major social challenges facing South Africa, including unemployment, poverty and inequality.”

“We are confident that the recipients of YES will continue to excel both academically and professionally, gaining the much-needed skills and workplace exposure to develop into true, well-rounded logistics professionals, closing the skills gap and mapping a successful career.”