{"id":146277,"date":"2025-09-10T10:20:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/146277\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:20:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T10:20:14","slug":"takealot-backs-township-entrepreneurs-with-new-learnership-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/146277\/","title":{"rendered":"Takealot backs township entrepreneurs with new learnership programme"},"content":{"rendered":"

Takealot Group has launched a pilot Youth Employment Service (Yes) Learnership Programme aimed at tackling South Africa\u2019s youth unemployment crisis and strengthening township-based small businesses.<\/p>\n

\"Image<\/p>\n

According to Statistics SA\u2019s Q2 2025 labour data, 46.1% of young people aged 15\u201334 \u2013 around 4.9 million individuals \u2013 are unemployed. Township communities, long excluded from the formal economy, remain among the hardest hit.<\/p>\n

Linking learners with township entrepreneurs<\/p>\n

In partnership with Yes, Takealot Group is sponsoring 75 learners placed with 25 township-based SMMEs, all active Takealot Marketplace sellers. The learners provide administrative and operational support, helping small business owners free up time to focus on growth, while gaining practical work experience and digital skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative is about more than numbers \u2013 it\u2019s about people, opportunity, and lasting change,\u201d says Tshepo Marumule, Takealot Group\u2019s head of public policy and external affairs. \u201cBy integrating young people into the heart of township-based small businesses, we are tackling two of South Africa\u2019s most pressing challenges: youth unemployment and the need to strengthen SMMEs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boosting township economies<\/p>\n

The programme covers SMMEs in Gauteng communities including Soweto, Soshanguve, and Krugersdorp, operating in sectors ranging from fashion and beauty to agriculture and household goods. Businesses report improvements in efficiency, digital engagement, and sales.<\/p>\n

Lufuno Rasoesoe, MD of Tosh Detergents, says:<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving four Yes learners sponsored by Takealot Group has been a tremendous boost. They\u2019ve brought energy, commitment, and a hunger to learn that has positively influenced our team culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

For learner Yanga Plaatjie, the experience is equally significant:<\/p>\n

\u201cI am learning so many skills and gaining knowledge that will help me in the future. I am truly grateful for this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Scaling for future impact<\/p>\n

The pilot has achieved a 95% retention rate, with many sellers eager to retain their learners beyond the programme. Takealot aims to expand the initiative nationwide, with targets set for 2028:<\/p>\n

Create 20,000 income-generating opportunities through the Takealot Township Economy Initiative (TTEI) Train 6,000 last-mile delivery drivers Onboard 5,000 personal shoppersOnboard 5,000 marketplace sellers<\/p>\n

The group says its long-term goal is to embed inclusive growth into South Africa\u2019s e-commerce ecosystem by supporting small businesses, creating employment, and expanding digital participation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Takealot Group has launched a pilot Youth Employment Service (Yes) Learnership Programme aimed at tackling South Africa\u2019s youth…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146278,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[28,158],"class_list":{"0":"post-146277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-entrepreneurship"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}