Thomson Reuters Foundation reports on Harambee, a South African "youth employment accelerator" that links talent-hungry businesses with promising poor kids.  

"The best description I’ve heard is that we’re a dating service and a finishing school," said Lebo Nke, an executive at the social enterprise, which since 2011 has helped more than 50,000 youths find work.  In SA, a record 5.5-million young people are searching for work unsuccessfully, many living in slums far from big employers.  To change that, Harambee sends young recruiters into deprived townships and collects contacts of young people hoping for jobs.  It then invites some into its offices for a day to gauge their interests and skills, test their analytical thinking, and help them create an e-mail account and CV.  It also offers advice on everything from how to dress for a job interview to the kinds of questions they might be asked.  Those without interview clothes can pick up an outfit free.  Young people who show promise for challenging jobs get additional assessment and then vocational training — as much as eight weeks for call-centre work — once a specific opportunity is identified.  Candidates then wait to be called for an interview when one of the 425 businesses Harambee partners with— from Nando’s restaurants to Microsoft and Standard Bank — come looking.  Employers pay a share of Harambee’s spending to prepare a candidate if they hire one.

• Read this report by Laurie Goering in full at BusinessLive

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