The Hungry Lion YES Learnership 2026

The Hungry Lion YES Learnership 2026: The Corporate Opportunity

Unlike typical QSR learnerships focused purely on restaurant operations, the 2026 Hungry Lion YES programme offers a unique opportunity to gain experience within the corporate heart of a major multinational business. Successful candidates will be placed at the company’s administrative centres, offering exposure to the complex logistics and decision-making processes that drive a large African enterprise.

Programme Specifics and Location

The learnership is a full-time, 12-month contract set to commence in February 2026.

Host Company: Hungry Lion Fast Foods (Pty) Ltd.
Partner: The programme is facilitated in collaboration with Digicloud Africa, highlighting a focus on integrating digital and administrative competence into the curriculum.
Location: Placements will be made at the Hungry Lion Head Office in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, or the associated corporate warehouse in Kraaifontein. This geographical focus means applicants must be willing and able to travel daily to either of these locations.

The primary focus is on office-based administrative tasks and completing all required learning modules. This exposure is vital, as it allows youth to contribute to departments such as:

Human Resources (HR): Assisting with documentation, recruitment, and employee data management.
Operations & Logistics: Supporting the systems that ensure over 500 restaurants across Southern Africa are supplied and operate efficiently.
Marketing & Administration: Working on corporate communications, documentation, and general front-office coordination.
Warehouse Support: Gaining insight into supply chain management and inventory administration.

By providing a stipend, the programme ensures participants have financial independence while gaining invaluable, career-defining experience. While the exact amount varies, YES stipends are generally compliant with minimum wage requirements, typically ranging between R4,700 and R5,000 per month.

2. Mandatory Requirements and the Profile of a Successful Candidate

The Hungry Lion YES Learnership is highly competitive. Applicants must meet a strict set of non-negotiable criteria before their application can be considered.

Core Eligibility Requirements

The programme is specifically designed to target young South Africans who are currently unemployed and lack formal work experience.

Requirement	Detail
Age	Must be between 18 and 35 years old.
Citizenship	Must be a South African citizen (ID required).
Education	Must have successfully completed Matric (Grade 12) (results/certificate required).
Prior Participation	Must NEVER have participated in a previous YES learnership.
Commitment	Must commit to the full 12-month duration (February 2026 onwards).
Skills	Must be computer literate.
Logistics	Must be willing and able to travel daily to the designated Head Office (Stellenbosch) or Warehouse (Kraaifontein).

The Ideal Competencies and Workplace Skills

Beyond the formal requirements, Hungry Lion explicitly seeks individuals who possess certain soft skills and characteristics essential for success in a corporate environment:

Vibrancy and Enthusiasm: A positive, energetic approach to work and learning.
Interpersonal Skills: The ability to communicate clearly and work effectively within diverse teams.
Drive and Commitment: Dedication to completing the full 12-month commitment and assigned learning modules.
Resilience and Stress Tolerance: The capacity to manage pressure and adapt to a fast-paced corporate environment.
Problem-Solving: A proactive and analytical mindset to address day-to-day workplace challenges.

Incomplete applications—lacking required documentation (CV, ID, Matric Certificate)—will be immediately disqualified, underscoring the necessity of meticulous attention to detail during the application process.

3. The YES Initiative: The National Engine for Youth Employability

To fully appreciate the value of the Hungry Lion learnership, one must understand the foundation upon which it is built: the Youth Employment Service (YES). Launched in 2018, YES is a national, private-sector-led initiative established to confront the systemic issue of youth unemployment.

The Value for the Youth

The core purpose of the YES programme is to provide participants with “quality work experience,” addressing the lack of a formal job history that often bars young people from accessing the labour market. The 12-month experience delivers quantifiable benefits:

Employability Boost: Research indicates that having a YES qualification and professional reference letter can increase a young person’s chances of getting an interview call-back by three times.
Digital Skills Focus: YES placements incorporate accredited and non-accredited learning, often delivered through a data-free mobile app (the YES One App). This ensures youth develop crucial digital literacy and AI awareness, preparing them for future-forward roles.
Economic Injection: The YES programme, through its network of over 2,200 corporate partners, has injected billions of Rands into the South African economy through youth salaries, helping to support local communities and households.

The Mechanism for Corporate South Africa

For a major company like Hungry Lion, participating in the YES initiative is a strategic commitment to national development that simultaneously offers significant business advantages:

B-BBEE Enhancement: YES participation allows companies to significantly improve their Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) scorecard, sometimes by up to two levels. This is a powerful incentive for corporate partners to invest in job creation.
Talent Pipeline: The programme acts as a highly effective, low-risk talent incubator. By observing and training a cohort of motivated young individuals for 12 months, the company can de-risk future recruitment and potentially absorb the highest performers into permanent entry-level roles—such as Junior Administrator, Data Capturer, or HR Assistant—upon completion.
ESG Integration: The initiative allows companies to seamlessly integrate social impact and job creation directly into their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) strategies.

4. Hungry Lion: The Corporate Context and Commitment to Growth

The learnership provides direct access to a company that is rapidly scaling its operations across the continent. Hungry Lion is more than just a local fast-food chain; it is an African growth story.

Company Profile and Scale

Founded in 1997 in the very town hosting the Head Office—Stellenbosch—Hungry Lion has exploded from a single store to a major regional player. Today, it operates a network of over 500 stores across South Africa and multiple Southern African countries, including Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Angola, and Zimbabwe.

Growth Focus: The company aims for further aggressive expansion, which continually generates the need for robust corporate and logistical support functions—precisely the areas the YES Learners will be exposed to.
People-First Culture: Hungry Lion prides itself on a culture of internal promotion, viewing its branch, area, and regional managers as extensions of the Head Office. This commitment to developing staff is mirrored in their investment in structured programmes like the YES Learnership.

The Head Office environment is one where technology and data are paramount. The company has invested heavily in digital transformation, utilising advanced workforce management solutions and artificial intelligence to streamline scheduling, logistics, and productivity. This highly digitised environment ensures that the administrative tasks the learners undertake are relevant to Industry 4.0 skills, not outdated processes.

5. Navigating the Application Process for 2026

The opportunity, which begins in February 2026, requires applicants to act well in advance. The application process is primarily digital and demands precision.

The Step-by-Step Application Guide

Access the Portal: Click the provided link: Hungry Lion YES Learnership Application.
Review Requirements: Re-read the requirements and ensure you meet all criteria (Age, Matric, Citizenship, etc.).
Prepare Documentation: Gather your three essential documents: CV, ID Copy, and Matric Results/Certificate. Ensure documents are in an accepted digital format (PDF, DOCX, etc.) and less than 5MB.
Complete the Form: Fill out all fields on the online application form accurately, paying special attention to the compulsory screening questions (e.g., age bracket, prior YES participation, travel readiness).
Attach Documents: Upload your prepared CV, ID, and Matric results.
Commitment Confirmation: Affirm your commitment to the full 12-month programme.
Final Submission: Complete the human check and submit the application.

Key Dates and Application Tips

The window for this specific intake closes on 24 December 2025, although applicants should aim to submit their information significantly earlier.

Customise your CV: Tailor your Curriculum Vitae to highlight skills directly related to the learnership’s focus: computer literacy, problem-solving, teamwork, and administration. Mention any previous volunteering, part-time work, or school projects that demonstrate these competencies.
Emphasise Soft Skills: Use your cover letter or the application’s competency section to provide specific examples of where you demonstrated resilience and drive. These are highly sought-after traits.
Be Ready for Interviews: If selected, be prepared to articulate your understanding of the YES programme and why you are choosing a corporate, Head Office-based learnership over a retail store role. Show enthusiasm for Hungry Lion’s brand and growth in Africa.

The Hungry Lion YES Learnership 2026 is a critical opportunity for young South Africans to move beyond the unemployment barrier. By aligning the rigorous demands of the private sector with a national empowerment mandate, it offers a real-world, highly employable skill set that serves as a powerful launchpad for a long-term professional career.

APPLY HERE