Phase two
Phase two: Find & Prepare Your Interns - The Candidate Journey
Once you have employer demand, you need to find the right young people to fill those roles.
How to Do It
Source smartly:
Look for candidates with a strong foundation—an NQF diploma (Level 6 or higher) in a relevant field is an ideal start. There are thousands of such graduates. Consider the SA Youth platform as your first place to look for your learners.
Select rigorously:
Use a robust process: online applications, cognitive and technical assessments, and interviews. Don’t just test for tech skills; assess for attitude, problem-solving, and cultural fit.
Prioritise diversity:
Actively create a strategy to include underrepresented groups, like women and people with disabilities.
Onboard thoroughly:
The first few weeks are critical. Set clear expectations on day one. Use a detailed work-readiness syllabus covering soft skills like professional etiquette, communication, and time management.
DigiLink case study
DigiLink in Action
DigiLink found that only 10% of applicants were successful, setting a realistic benchmark for recruitment efforts.
They involved employers in the final interview stages. This improved assessment quality and made the employers feel invested in the candidates’ success from the very beginning.
Their work-readiness syllabus was intensive but was a key differentiator, creating very high quality output that employers valued.
Candidate Sourcing
Candidates are sourced through any appropriate channel and aggregated on an appropriate aggregation channel
Open recruitment / CX supplier base / etc
Full cycle of candidate selection to meet required number of candidates for different job types
The selection process:
Application > technical and cognitive screening tests > interview
Employers may need to run their own check depending on risk profile
Tools and templates
Key Tools You’ll Need
Candidate specification data engineer
Candidate specification Dotnet developer
Candidate specification JAVA developer
Candidate specification Python developer
Candidate specification software tester
Technical and Cognitive Assessment Platforms
Technical and Cognitive Assessment Guide – Data Analyst
Technical and Cognitive Assessment Guide – Logical Reasoning
Technical and Cognitive Assessment Guide – Software Developer
Candidate Interview Guide – Data Analyst
Candidate Interview Guide – Software Developer
Candidate Interview Guide – Software Tester
Sample Learnership Contract
Candidate Guidelines Document
Privacy Policy
Non-Disclosure Agreement
Lessons from the Field
Spend time on the contract.
Make sure every candidate understands the agreement, the stipend, the expectations, and the goal: a permanent job.
Check employment status.
Some applicants may already have jobs. Verify this to ensure you are truly supporting unemployed youth.