TFG has opened six YES Youth Opportunity application routes for young South Africans seeking their first sustained retail experience. The full-time programme runs on a fixed-term 12-month contract and targets candidates aged 18 to 28 who have never joined YES before. Matric is preferable, while participants must cover their own transport and accommodation.
The available routes cover Limpopo, the Free State, the Western Cape, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and a store-specific opportunity at @home in Mall of Africa, Gauteng.
TFG has not announced a stipend, total number of placements or application deadline. Therefore, eligible candidates should submit through the relevant online route while applications remain available.
What does the TFG 12-month programme offer?
The programme gives young candidates an opportunity to enter a professional retail environment and gain their first sustained workplace experience.
Successful participants must commit to a full-time, fixed-term contract lasting 12 months. During this period, they will gain exposure to TFG’s retail environment and workplace expectations.
Although the listings do not provide placement-specific duties, participants can expect to develop professional habits such as:
- Following workplace procedures
- Communicating with colleagues and customers
- Managing time and attendance
- Working within a team
- Following instructions from supervisors
- Adapting to a fast-moving retail environment
- Taking responsibility for assigned tasks
- Building a record of workplace experience
The programme could help candidates who struggle to enter the labour market because they lack previous work experience. However, participation does not guarantee permanent employment after the contract ends.
Who qualifies for the TFG YES Youth Opportunities?
TFG has set clear age, education, employment and study conditions for the programme.
Candidates must:
- Be young South Africans
- Be between 18 and 28 years old
- Be available for a full-time 12-month contract
- Not study full-time during the employment period
- Not have participated in or registered for the YES Programme before
- Not have worked permanently for one employer continuously for more than one year
- Arrange and pay for their own transport
- Arrange their own accommodation where necessary
TFG lists Matric as preferable, which means candidates with Grade 12 may have an advantage. However, the listings do not describe Matric as an absolute compulsory requirement.
Why does previous permanent employment matter?
The programme aims to help young people gain meaningful first-time or early-career work experience.
Therefore, candidates should not have worked permanently for the same employer for more than one continuous year.
Applicants who have completed short-term, temporary, seasonal or casual work should provide accurate employment dates. They should not remove previous experience from their curriculum vitae simply to appear eligible.
Instead, candidates should explain:
- The name of each previous employer
- Whether the work was temporary or permanent
- The starting and ending dates
- The responsibilities they completed
- The reason the contract ended
Accurate dates will help the recruitment team assess whether an applicant meets the employment-history condition.
Can full-time students participate?
Applicants must not study full-time during the listed employment cycle from April 2026 to March 2027.
The programme requires full-time workplace participation. Consequently, candidates must ensure that their studies will not interfere with attendance or working hours.
Part-time students may still need to consider whether their classes, examinations and assignments will conflict with the programme schedule. Candidates should provide honest study information during recruitment.
Why can candidates only join YES once?
Applicants must not have participated in or registered for the YES Programme previously.
This condition allows the programme to reach young people who have not yet received a YES placement. Therefore, candidates who previously joined through another employer should not register again.
Applicants should answer programme-history questions honestly. Previous registration may appear on programme records even if the candidate does not include it in the curriculum vitae.
How can candidates prepare a focused submission?
Candidates should prepare their personal, educational and employment information before opening the online form.
Useful records include:
- An updated curriculum vitae
- A valid South African identity document
- A Matric certificate, where available
- Accurate previous employment dates
- Current study information
- A working telephone number
- An active email address
- The name and contact details of a suitable referee
- Confirmation that transport arrangements are affordable
The curriculum vitae should remain concise and easy to scan. Candidates with little experience can include school responsibilities, volunteer activities, temporary work and customer-service exposure.
Itumeleng’s Insider Tip: Pay close attention to the “one year with a single employer” requirement. Short-term experience does not automatically disqualify you. Include the exact dates and contract type for every previous position so TFG can distinguish temporary work from continuous permanent employment.
Which TFG application route should candidates select?
Candidates should choose the listing that matches the province where they can reliably work. The @home opportunity is specifically connected to the Mall of Africa store.
The six official application routes are:
- Applications for the Limpopo placement must be completed through the official Limpopo online application portal.
- Candidates seeking the store-specific @home placement must use the official Mall of Africa online application portal.
- Applications for the Free State placement must be submitted through the official Free State online application portal.
- Candidates interested in the Western Cape placement must use the official Western Cape online application portal.
- Applications for the North West placement must be completed through the official North West online application portal.
- Candidates seeking the KwaZulu-Natal placement must use the official KwaZulu-Natal online application portal.
Applicants should select a route only after considering their daily transport and accommodation arrangements. TFG will not cover these expenses where they apply.
How should candidates complete the online process?
After choosing the appropriate route, candidates should:
- Create or sign in to a candidate profile.
- Complete all required personal information.
- Enter accurate education details.
- Disclose previous employment honestly.
- Confirm that they have not joined YES before.
- Upload an updated curriculum vitae where requested.
- Review their contact details.
- Confirm availability for the full 12-month contract.
- Submit the application.
- Keep confirmation of the submission.
Applicants should not use one province’s listing when they intend to work in another area. Selecting the correct route helps TFG match the submission to the appropriate placement.
Will TFG provide transport or accommodation?
No. Candidates must arrange and pay for their own transport and accommodation where necessary.
This condition deserves careful attention because the programme runs full-time for 12 months. Applicants should calculate whether they can travel reliably to a potential placement before submitting.
Candidates should not assume that TFG will relocate them or reimburse daily travel costs.
How will employment equity affect selection?
TFG will consider applications in line with its recruitment criteria.
However, the company may give preference to candidates from designated groups under the Employment Equity Act.
Meeting the age, employment-history and programme-participation requirements does not guarantee selection. TFG will still assess the suitability of eligible candidates during recruitment.
Has TFG announced a stipend or closing date?
The official listings do not state a monthly stipend or salary amount.
They also do not provide an application closing date. Consequently, the listings may remain available only while TFG continues accepting suitable candidates.
Applicants should avoid claims or social-media posts that advertise an unconfirmed allowance. Any remuneration details should come directly from TFG during the recruitment process.
Is this a learnership?
TFG describes these listings as YES Youth Opportunities offered through fixed-term 12-month contracts.
The listings do not identify the programme as an accredited learnership or name a registered qualification. Therefore, candidates should treat it as a structured work-experience opportunity unless TFG provides additional training information during recruitment.
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Final Thoughts
The TFG YES Youth Opportunities 2026 give young South Africans a route into a full-time retail environment through a 12-month fixed-term contract.
Candidates must be between 18 and 28, avoid full-time study during the employment period and have no previous YES participation. In addition, they must not have worked permanently for one employer continuously for more than one year.
Six application routes are available, including five provincial listings and an @home Mall of Africa placement. Since TFG has not announced a closing date, eligible candidates should select the correct route and submit while applications remain available.
