Yershen Pillay, CHIETA CEO, with Tashriefah Wilson, a graduate placed as a Chemical Plant Operator through the 'One Graduate, One Placement' campaign, which aims to tackle youth unemployment by connecting qualified graduates with full-time jobs.
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The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has launched its “One Graduate, One Placement” campaign in a bid to address South Africa’s growing youth unemployment crisis.
According to Statistics South Africa’s latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the country’s official unemployment rate was 32.9% in the first quarter of 2025, while more than 60% of South Africans aged 15 to 24 remain without work. The figures highlight the challenges young people face when transitioning from education into the labour market.
CHIETA says its campaign marks a shift in focus from training outputs to tangible employment outcomes, aiming to place graduates in full-time positions while strengthening incentives for employers to take on young talent.
“South Africa continues to produce qualified graduates, yet too many remain excluded from meaningful work,” CHIETA CEO Yershen Pillay said. “This is not simply a youth unemployment issue. It is a structural economic inclusion challenge. A certificate alone does not transform a life. A job does.”
The initiative seeks to profile successful placement pathways and reinforce collaboration between SETAs, employers, and training providers. One success story is Tashriefah Wilson, who obtained an NQF Level 4 qualification as a Chemical Plant Operator through CHIETA funding and secured full-time employment at Jatun Paints in the Western Cape.
“It is one graduate off the street and into a decent job. One life changed. One family supported. But beyond the individual, it strengthens economic participation and restores confidence in the skills development system,” Pillay added.
The campaign also supports retrenched workers, with more than 350 already placed in new opportunities and a target of 1 000 placements by December 2026. Pillay emphasised the need to measure success by livelihoods secured rather than programmes completed, saying: “Sustainable growth depends on integrating skilled young people into productive work. Placement must become the benchmark.”
As the country continues to confront slow economic growth and high unemployment, CHIETA plans to transition from grants for training to grants aimed specifically at employment placements.