Mr Price and NYDA join forces to build youth job skills

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The collaboration aims to fast-track the economic inclusion of unemployed youth in South Africa by broadening the reach of the Mr Price Foundation’s established skills development programmes in retail and manufacturing.

The Mr Price Foundation offers a suite of programmes targeting the retail and manufacturing sectors.

Unemployed youth are equipped with industry-specific skills, life skills, and practical work experience, making them valuable additions to the job market. Graduates of the Foundation’s flagship JumpStart programme enter the retail industry’s talent pipeline, linking them with employment opportunities in the sector.

Between 2015 and 2023, JumpStart impacted 57,592 unemployed youth, with 53% of them (30,517 candidates) securing employment post-training. In the 2024 financial year alone, JumpStart developed 7,252 youth, with an impressive 90% securing employment.

“Youth unemployment in South Africa is at a tipping point. Collaborating with the NYDA allows us to rapidly scale up our established skills development initiatives, to impact more unemployed youth and fulfil our MoU mandate of building a sustainable pipeline of opportunity for youth,” said Octavius Phukubye, executive director of the Mr Price Foundation.

As a government agency, NYDA leads youth development strategies and initiatives, while the Mr Price Foundation, a registered non-profit founded by Mr Price Group, combats youth unemployment and promotes education through three core programmes: JumpStart (skills development), UpLift (entrepreneurship), and EduRise (education).

Interested stakeholders are invited to contact the Foundation at gro.noitadnuofecirprm@ofni to explore partnership opportunities.