Tackle the Skills Shortage While Growing Your Business – Host a Graduate, Build Your Team

We are pleased to share an exciting opportunity in partnership with the Department of Tourism that aims to address one of the sector’s most pressing challenges — the skills shortage — while simultaneously providing meaningful work experience to unemployed youth.

As part of its Demand-Led Skills Development Strategy, the Department is rolling out a Tourism Graduate Recruitment Programme, and we’re inviting SATSA members to express interest in hosting one or more graduates as part of this initiative.

Why Get Involved?

This 12-month programme places qualified, unemployed youth (ages 18–35) with tourism and hospitality training directly into businesses like yours, offering:

• Structured workplace exposure for graduates;
• Additional support in your business at no cost to you — graduates will receive a monthly stipend funded by the Department;
• A meaningful contribution to strengthening the talent pipeline in our sector.

Whether you need help in operations, guest services, admin, or digital marketing — this is your chance to plug skilled youth into your business and shape the workforce of tomorrow.

How it Works

• The Department will recruit and place graduates across all nine provinces.
• Your business can host one or more participants based on your needs.
• The Department will manage the stipend, monitoring, procurement of good and services (uniforms and venues) and reporting.
• Participants will receive a certificate upon completion.

Recruitment criteria will cover all sub-sectors (Hospitality, Travel, Tourism).

Share Your Staffing Needs Here. 

Timelines:

• Recruitment (July – September 2025)
• Placements (October – December 2025)

We’d love to understand your interest and needs so we can guide the rollout in a way that serves both tourism businesses and young professionals.

Please complete the quick Google Form below to express your interest and share your staffing needs. Submit your feedback here. 

We are accepting feedback until close of business, Monday 21 July 2025.

Let’s work together to build a more resilient and skilled tourism workforce — one placement at a time.