A new private-sector initiative aimed at creating tourism-related jobs for youth in South Africa has been launched by the Youth Employment Service (YES) and financial services group, Sanlam.

‘Youth4Tourism’ intends to bring together a range of businesses to help unlock opportunities by creating over 1 000 youth jobs in phase one, supporting thousands of SMEs in the tourism value chain across the country.

The first phase will see youth being put to work to promote and support tourist attractions nationally through showcasing their hometowns and surrounds and, through their creative outputs, guiding both local and international tourists across the country.   

“South Africa’s tourism sector is rebounding rapidly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and is a major driving engine to create youth jobs and drive economic growth. Through this initiative, we hope to add further momentum to the sector. The opportunities are endless: tour guides, event co-ordinators, content creators, concierges, chefs, resort managers, travel agents, and many, many more,” said YES CEO, Ravi Naidoo.

Naidoo added that YES had already placed the first 650 youth in the Youth4Tourism initiative in implementation partners across six provinces. These youths will be developing skills in content creation and ecotourism.

Paul Hanratty, CEO of Sanlam, said: “Close to 250 000 young people lost their jobs in the first quarter of 2023, which brings the total number of unemployed youth to 4.9 million. This is devastating in a country where our demographic dividend should be our greatest asset. Through this programme, we want to galvanise the private sector to sponsor the placement of talented young people in the tourism sector. We’re calling for other corporates to join us. It’s our collective responsibility to change this narrative for the sake of our youth and the country.

“At the same time, we’re focusing on upskilling young people in the gig economy, specifically enhancing their skill capabilities in driving tourism. By doing so, we aim to create micro entrepreneurs. SMMEs are the backbone of our economy and empowering our youth to start viable ventures is critical for the future health of our nation.”

Organisations can join phase one of this movement in three ways:

• Funding of youth jobs through innovative placement partners identified by YES. This can form part of their B-BBEE or social impact initiatives.
• Identify events, conferences, and content creation opportunities for young South Africans to create content to showcase South Africa as a tourism destination via the Youth Climate Champions ‘gig’ work platform.
• Contribute hardware including photography and videography equipment for a Section18A tax break.

Naidoo concluded: “It’s time to bring together corporate South Africa like never before to tell our tourism story to the world. We’re talking TikToks up Table Mountain, informative Instagram reels about the Big Five, photo essays on lesser-known villages, YouTube videos on ecotourism destinations, and blog reviews about local cuisine. Sharing our stories with the world by honing relevant digital skills can spark a wave of tourism that can transform the entire economy and create thousands of jobs.”