Today, one out of two young South Africans are unemployed, giving us the third-highest unemployment rate in the world. Even though there are jobs available, thousands of learners who matriculate and graduate each year aren't necessarily ready for the workplace. In 2014, Spier partnered with Harambee, an organisation committed to changing this.

Harambee is a youth employment initiative that connects employers looking for entry-level talent to work-seekers who are currently locked out of the formal economy. It recruits candidates where existing corporate recruitment networks do not reach, assesses their competencies and matches them to jobs where they are most likely to succeed. Harambee then delivers high-quality work readiness programmes that directly address the risks identified by employers in taking on first-time workers.

So far, Spier has mentored 64 first-time job seekers through our partnership with Harambee.