VWSA offers work experience to 520 unemployed youth

Uitenhage – For the second consecutive year, Volkswagen Group South Africa (VWSA) is supporting the national Youth Employment Service (YES) programme by offering work opportunities to 520 unemployed youth.

The group, which began its 12-month employment period last week, consists of 141 candidates placed at VWSA, another 194 working for the VWSA dealership network and 185 candidates being taken in by SME host partners.

Of the 141 that will work for VWSA directly, 123 will be placed at the plant in Uitenhage, 10 candidates at the National Sales Organisation (NSO) in Sandton and another 8 candidates will join the Group Parts Warehouse facility in Centurion.

This is the second year that VWSA is supporting the YES programme, launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa to enable young people without formal qualifications to gain work experience with the aim of improving their chances at long-term quality employment. In partnership with the YES Foundation, Harambee and UNLOCK’D, VWSA offered opportunities to 560 youth in 2019. Six of these candidates were offered permanent positions within VWSA and the dealership network.

“Volkswagen remains committed to economic transformation initiatives, and we believe programmes like the YES initiative have a crucial part to play in alleviating the youth unemployment crisis in our country,” said Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen Group South Africa Chairman and Managing Director. “It is our hope that our involvement in this programme will empower youth to realise their potential and gain quality employment.”