More than 2 300 young South Africans will join a workplace training initiative designed to bridge the gap between education and employment.

McDonald’s South Africa and the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) have announced the recruitment of 2 370 young people into their next hospitality learnership programme.

The announcement builds on more than 1 400 young people already trained through the programme and reflects a shared commitment to giving young people practical skills, workplace experience and meaningful pathways into employment.

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The latest quarterly labour force survey figures paint a stark picture. According to Statistics South Africa, the national unemployment rate increased to 33.6% in the second quarter of 2026.

However, for young people aged 15 to 24, that figure climbs to a staggering 60.9%. Behind these numbers are young South Africans ready to contribute, earn an income, support their families and build independent lives, but who too often struggle to secure the workplace experience required to get their first job.

“We cannot look at the youth unemployment numbers and simply accept them as the reality of our country. Behind every statistic is a young person with a dream, a family, a talent and a future they are trying to build,” said chief people officer at McDonald’s South Africa Dr Mamello Masia.

“This programme is about creating a practical bridge between learning and the world of work, giving young people an opportunity to develop their skills, gain experience and take their first steps towards a career.” The expanded partnership will provide 2 370 young people with a combination of classroom-based and on-the-job training.

Proven employment pathways

The programme has already demonstrated the potential of learnerships to become a bridge to employment. Of the 1 400 learners in the first group of the 2024/2025 programme, 476 were permanently absorbed into McDonald’s South Africa.

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Among those who have moved on from the programme, more than 75% are now employed full-time in the industry, while a further 1.5% have started their own businesses.

“We believe a learnership should be more than a certificate at the end of a programme,” Masia said.

“It should be a steppingstone into a career. Our ambition is to give these young people the skills, experience and exposure that can strengthen their employability and create pathways into full-time employment, whether that is with McDonald’s or elsewhere in the economy.”

For CATHSSETA, the partnership demonstrates the importance of bringing employers and skills-development institutions together to respond to labour-market realities. “The scale of youth unemployment requires us to move beyond good intentions and into interventions that produce meaningful outcomes,” said CEO of CATHSSETA Marks Thibela.

“Young people need opportunities to acquire skills, gain workplace experience and demonstrate their potential. This partnership is an example of what can happen when the public and private sectors work together around a shared responsibility for the future of South Africa’s youth.”

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The initiative was designed with employment outcomes in mind, combining structured learning with workplace training in McDonald’s South Africa operations.

“For us, the measure of success is not simply how many young people complete a learnership, but what happens next. We want learners to leave with skills that are recognised by industry, workplace experience that strengthens their employability and a genuine pathway into employment,” Thibela said.

“The commitment to absorb successful learners demonstrates what is possible when employers take an active role in shaping and creating opportunities within the skills development system.”

Government support for skills expansion

“This partnership, between CATHSSETA and McDonald’s South Africa, is reminiscent of the skills revolution we are driving as government,” Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela said.

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“We are investing in our TVET colleges, while expanding learnerships, internships and work-integrated learning, but we cannot do this alone. The skills revolution requires businesses to come on board, as McDonald’s has, by opening their workplaces to young people so they can gain the practical experience they need to enter the world of work.”

With 2026 declared the year of putting young South Africans to work, national efforts are increasingly focused on creating pathways from learning to earning. “Government cannot do this alone, business cannot do it alone, and young people certainly should not have to carry the burden of unemployment alone,” Masia said.

“The private sector has an important role to play in creating opportunities where young people can learn, grow, gain experience and prove borderless potential.”

The next 2 370 learners will join the growing number of young South Africans who have gained industry experience through the programme, Masia said.

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