The Department of Science and Innovation-National Youth Service (DSTI-NYS) programme is a component of the government’s overall National Youth Service Programme (NYS). Managed by the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement of the National Research Foundation, the DSTI-NYS programme places unemployed graduates who are under 35 years old in partner institutions for 12 months while also providing them with monthly stipends to cover their basic needs.

Although the emphasis is primarily on unemployed graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, there are occasionally a few spots open for graduates in other fields as well, as defined by the relevant recruitment process. The DSTI-NYS programme, which aims to instil a culture of community service and volunteerism, offers young people the chance to participate in skill-building opportunities and a way out of long-term unemployment by providing them with practical opportunities that increase their likelihood of accessing the economy and instil in them an understanding of their significant role in South Africa’s development.