South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis deepened in the second quarter of 2026, with 47.4% of young people now unable to find work. An additional 264 000 young job seekers joined the unemployed ranks, bringing the total number of work-seekers aged 15 to 34 to five million.
The statistics reveal a harsh reality: companies demand experience, but young people cannot gain experience without someone giving them their first chance. This cycle locks millions of capable young South Africans out of the job market.
Daniel Orelowitz, managing director at Training Force, says the problem goes beyond just having a qualification. “A degree or diploma demonstrates subject knowledge, but employers need evidence that a candidate can apply that knowledge in a real workplace,” he says.
Qualifications alone fall short
Orelowitz compares formal education to getting a learner’s licence. Passing the test shows you know the rules of the road, but it does not prepare you for heavy traffic in the rain. Those skills come from time behind the wheel.
The same applies to work. A qualification provides theory, while workplace experience develops the ability to apply it. Graduates enter the job market with the right papers but little proof of how they will handle real deadlines, systems and workplace demands.
Employers face pressure to meet targets and serve customers. They need staff who can perform from day one. Previous experience reduces the risk of hiring someone who needs months of training.
Learnerships offer first workplace exposure
For first-time job seekers, the biggest challenge is having nothing to put on a CV beyond a qualification. Learnerships can fill that gap.
These programmes combine structured learning with workplace experience over seven to 12 months. Learners gain exposure to workplace expectations, systems and daily responsibilities while working towards an accredited qualification and earning a stipend.
That experience changes the conversation when applying for the next role. Instead of just presenting a qualification and willingness to learn, candidates can point to what they have already done in a workplace.
For employers, learnerships allow them to develop and assess emerging talent over time. They can observe a learner’s technical ability, work ethic and adaptability in practice rather than judging solely from a CV or interview.
Employers and educators must step up
Orelowitz says young people cannot solve the experience gap on their own. Education providers and employers both need to create opportunities.
Universities, TVET colleges and training providers should build workplace experience into more qualifications. Time in a business gives students a chance to apply their knowledge and develop skills they cannot learn in a classroom.
Businesses that know they will need new skills in coming years should work with government and training providers to develop that talent before the need becomes urgent.
Many technical industries have experienced workers approaching retirement. Structured workplace training can give younger workers access to practical skills built up over years while helping employers keep that knowledge in the business.
Orelowitz says creating that first opportunity through structured workplace learning can give young people something a qualification alone cannot: a track record.
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