YES is the only mechanism outside the B-BBEE scorecard that can lift your level. SolveSA runs the entire programme for you — recruitment, placement, payroll and compliance — so you get the level-up and the impact without the admin.
Same cost as going direct — with none of the burden. Zero added headcount on your books.
Powering South Africa's largest privately-funded youth employment response — at scale
Most companies know YES can lift their B-BBEE level. Far fewer have the capacity to run it. Recruiting, employing and hosting dozens of young people for a year — and getting every compliance rule right — is where good intentions quietly stall.
Points-chasing has a ceiling. YES is the only route that moves your level outside the scorecard entirely — but only if it's done right.
"We tried YES — the hosting admin overwhelmed us and we gave up halfway." Payroll, placements, attendance and reporting swallow your team.
Miss your target, fall short on absorption, or drop a level and the entire benefit is lost. The rules are unforgiving and change often.
You can't add permanent headcount just to manage a compliance programme — and you shouldn't have to.
SolveSA has spent more than 15 years helping South African businesses turn B-BBEE obligations into real impact. As part of the Alternative Prosperity Group, we know exactly how the YES rules work — the targets, the absorption thresholds, the verification traps — and we manage every one of them on your behalf.
You stay focused on your business. We make sure the level-up actually lands.
A government & business partnership with the dtic
YES — the Youth Employment Service — lets your company sponsor quality 12-month work experiences for unemployed Black youth aged 18–35. No qualification required, just real work. In return, your business can move up the B-BBEE ladder in a way the scorecard alone can never deliver.
YES is the only mechanism outside the traditional B-BBEE scorecard that can move a company's B-BBEE level — by one or even two levels in a single measurement period. That makes it the single most powerful lever available to most companies today.
Your outcome is set by how many youth you place against your target — and how many move into ongoing work at month 12.
Your entity must maintain or improve its prior-year B-BBEE status for the YES benefit to count. Absorption can be into your own business or a third party — SolveSA manages this for you.
You sponsor the opportunity. We do everything else. Youth are recruited, formally employed and placed with vetted host businesses, fully managed for the full 12 months — never on your payroll, never your admin burden.
We source, screen and confirm eligible youth — Black, South African, 18–35, previously unemployed — matched to the right placements.
Youth are employed on compliant 12-month contracts through our employer-of-record network. Salaries, UIF, SDL and stipends all handled.
Youth are placed with vetted host SMMEs — ideal if you want to channel the impact into your supplier and ESD ecosystem.
Day-to-day supervision, attendance tracking and youth support — keeping the programme on track without touching your team.
Targets, absorption thresholds and prior-level maintenance managed to the letter, so nothing quietly voids your benefit.
Every placement, contract and payment documented and packaged, so your B-BBEE verification is clean and defensible.
A clear, five-step route from "should we do YES?" to a verified level-up — with SolveSA carrying the load at every step.
We confirm you qualify and calculate your exact YES headcount target for your entity size.
We shape the right managed model for your goals — level-up, ESD impact, or added skills spend.
Youth are recruited, contracted and placed with vetted hosts — never on your books.
Payroll, attendance, support, compliance and absorption managed end to end for the full year.
Documented, verification-ready evidence so your 1–2 level move holds up at audit.
Eligibility depends on your revenue band and your B-BBEE priority-element scores. Here's the shape of it — we'll confirm your exact position in minutes.
50% average across all three priority elements — or a 40% sub-minimum in each of them.
40% in two of three priority elements, one of which must be Ownership.
No sub-minimum requirements — all EMEs can participate regardless of B-BBEE scores.
No sub-minimum requirements for any size — full participation regardless of scores.
Priority elements are Ownership, Skills Development and Enterprise & Supplier Development. Not sure where you stand? We'll check it for you →
You always know exactly where your programme stands — target progress, absorption, compliance and impact — without managing any of it. Illustrative views of the oversight SolveSA gives you.
| Compliance requirement | Detail | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 12-month fixed-term contracts | 68 of 68 signed & filed | Complete |
| Youth eligibility verified | Age, citizenship, prior-participation checks | Complete |
| Minimum wage, UIF & SDL | Monthly payroll reconciled | On track |
| Prior-year B-BBEE level maintained | Level held — benefit protected | Confirmed |
| Absorption threshold (5%) | Currently 6.2% — above target | Tracking |
| Verification evidence pack | Auto-compiled — finalised at month 12 | In progress |
| No double-counting | Separated from learnership & skills claims | Clean |
Board-ready metrics for the "S" in your ESG reporting — evidencing measurable social impact alongside your B-BBEE level-up. Figures shown are illustrative of a sample programme.
The YES benefit is assessed at B-BBEE verification — not mid-year. SolveSA keeps the evidence trail clean throughout, and turns your programme into a social-impact story you can report with confidence.
A YES programme means handling the personal information of dozens of young South Africans. SolveSA treats that data with the same care we bring to your compliance.
Youth and payroll data managed in line with South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act.
Role-based access to programme records — the right people see the right information, and no more.
Every contract, payment and placement time-stamped and retained — ready for verification on demand.
One point of ownership for the whole programme — SolveSA stands behind every recommendation we make.
Book a demo to see how SolveSA runs YES for you — or request a tailored proposal for your entity. We'll start by checking your eligibility and target, no obligation.