The YES Programme is a South African government initiative encouraging companies to employ young people with diplomas, degrees or matric certificates to gain a year of workplace experience. CoCre8’s YES programme ensures that youngsters do actual work and are prepared to enter the workforce. CoCre8’s YES candidates work in pre-sales, finance and services where they gain real practical workplace experience and emerge knowing how to operate business applications. The YES programme is an important part of our quest for diversity and inclusion. It is important to build people up from grassroots level, especially those who may not have had such opportunities before. While in the programme, CoCre8 does its utmost to develop candidates’ skills and give them a solid foundation for their future working life. They are mentored and placed within various departments on a buddy system. Furthermore, they receive training and development support by completing regular check-ins with their mentor and HR.
Since launching the YES programme in 2020, CoCre8 has continuously expanded its impact. In our first year, six students graduated, with two securing full-time positions at CoCre8. Year after year, the number of participants has grown.
For the 2023/2024 intake, we onboarded 16 candidates, with six earning permanent employment, two of which joined CoCre8. Our current programme, running since November 2024, includes 13 candidates.
Beyond offering career opportunities within CoCre8, the programme has also equipped participants with skills and experience to thrive in the broader job market.