Employers in South Africa urged to help graduates jumpstart their careers
Services Sector Education and Training Authority is appealing to employers across the public and private sectors to help confront the challenge of unemployment in the country.
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South Africa has an extraordinary pool of talent ready to enter the workforce. When we opened enrollment for our graduate workplace exposure programme in December 2025, we aimed for 20,000 placements.
However, more than 40 000 graduates stepped forward. These young people have completed their studies and now simply need access to a workplace to jumpstart their careers.
We are appealing to employers across the public and private sectors to help confront this challenge. If your organisation can host graduates (with their stipends paid by the SETA) your participation will go a long way to resolve one of the worst challenges facing our country, unemployment. Even a small intake creates real opportunities.
We also urge employers to consider supporting this initiative with additional funding. The original allocation covers 20,000 placements. The remaining 20,000+ graduates deserve the same opportunity to gain work-related experience. Because the pool of unemployed graduates outnumbers our offerings, co-funding will ensure that no one falls behind.
Services SETA will provide stipends, structured support, monitoring, coordination, and full compliance assurance. We will carry the administrative responsibilities so that employers can focus on developing trainees rather than managing processes.
The strength of a nation is measured in how it responds to societal challenges when it’s called upon. This is a chance to build capabilities across every sector of our economy and to give thousands of young South Africans hope for a better life that they so much yearn for.
If your workplace can open its doors to welcome our energetic and vibrant graduates, we ask you to do so. If your organisation can help us expand the support through funding, your contribution will positively impact many lives. If you can do both, the impact will be much greater across the sectors of our economy and society at large.
We sincerely thank you in advance for your patriotism and commitment to build a South Africa of our dreams.
Lehlogonolo Masoga
Administrator, Services Sector Education and Training Authority