The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) strategically implements its graduate programmes and learnerships as a crucial component of its broader youth development and economic inclusion strategy.
The core philosophy is to bridge the gap between academic qualifications and the practical needs of the job market, directly tackling high youth unemployment rates by providing essential work-based learning opportunities. The City’s initiatives are designed with a dual purpose: to provide youth with tangible skills and experience, and to meet specific service delivery needs within the municipality.

These programmes serve as pathways to economic inclusion by tackling the significant challenges of youth unemployment and the existing skills gap. They achieve this by directly aligning training programmes with immediate labour market needs and providing a crucial “first step” into the professional world.

A primary function is to break the “no experience, no job” cycle, a major barrier for young job seekers. The CoJ’s internships and learnerships offer a structured work opportunity that gives participants valuable, verifiable work experience and professional references, making them instantly more attractive to future employers.