Around 50 young women spent the afternoon discussing the concept of the “growth mindset” and how to apply it to gaining work experience, meeting career mentors and adding hope to their future prospects.
South Africa (19 March 2025) – There is nothing quite like stepping into a room filled with a group of young women who are excited to take on an opportunity to learn. The hope in the room is palpable. This was the room I stepped into last week as part of the third LeadHERship cohort, which aims to help young women gather the skills and experience needed to land their first jobs.
Your first real job is one you will always remember. But in South Africa, there is this baffling concept that to get your first job, you need experience, and to get experience, you need a job. All of a sudden, you have left school or university, and nobody will give you a shot because you lack experience despite having spades of enthusiasm and a drive to learn. To get that first job, you often have to work for nothing or have a connection that gets your foot in the door.
It was this concept that saw the founding of the LeadHERship programme that brings together industry mentors and eager graduates to bridge the experience gap and connect young women to their potential foot in the door.
Since its launch in 2022, LeadHERship has empowered 156 young women, achieving an impressive 96% completion rate. Nearly half of the participants have secured permanent employment, while others are engaged in part-time work or actively searching for job opportunities. In South Africa, where one salary often supports 3.5 family members, this initiative has already made a significant impact, positively affecting over 500 individuals.
The programme was founded by Lee-Ann Cullingworth, the Pizza Hut Marketing Director for Turkey, Africa, and Germany, and Marlene Von Berg, the Pizza Hut Social Purpose Lead, as a way for the company to give back to women in the regions where they are based. Since its adoption, young women have finally started getting the chance they deserve to enter the job market.
LeadHERship continues to make a profound impact by empowering young women to overcome obstacles and unlock their full potential. Through fostering a growth mindset and offering invaluable mentorship, LeadHERship is transforming lives and creating brighter futures for communities across South Africa.
Around fifty women from Cohort 3 attended the session held last week, where they explored the power of a growth mindset and the importance of continuous adaptation. At its core, the growth mindset is the belief that intelligence, abilities, and talents can be developed through effort, resilience, and perseverance.
Eager to join in, the room of dynamic young women with multi-faceted interests and advocacy for big causes were excited to meet the mentors who would guide them through the coming months within the programme and help them build the relationships and connections needed to hopefully land a job at the end of the programme.
As part of the International Women’s Day theme “Accelerate Action,” the event emphasised the challenges many young job seekers face, particularly the barrier of “I can’t get a job without experience, and I can’t get experience without a job.”
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The Pizza Hut LeadHERship initiative, in partnership with the Youth Employment Service (YES), addresses this challenge by offering young women work experience, skills development, and monthly salaries through one-year quality work experiences placed in non-profit organisations.
Leanne Emery-Hunter, Chief Commercial Officer at YES and guest panelist, shared insights on cultivating a growth mindset and its pivotal role in her career. She stressed the importance of continuous learning and reframing mistakes as growth opportunities.
“Sometimes, a delay in your journey is not a denial of your dreams,” she noted, highlighting the life-changing impact of YES, which has created over 178,000 quality work experience opportunities for young South Africans.
Joining Leanne on the panel was Zandisile Goeieman, a LeadHERship alumna, Tshegofatso Phungwayo, a 23-year-old from Cohort 3 and Olerato Mtshweni, a 25-year-old media content creator.
Since completing her year with LeadHERship, Zandisile Goeieman has landed a job at Investec where she works within the marketing and media department as a content creator and videographer. She stressed the importance of asking for feedback and trying new things when landing a new job.
“A growth mindset is about seeking more opportunities,” she said, encouraging others to trust in their ability to evolve.
LeadHERship may only be in its third year, but the difference is already being felt. Considering the unemployment stats in South Africa for young adults, this programme is finally giving young women a chance!
“They’re breaking the cycle of unemployment, transforming their lives, and creating brighter futures for their communities.” said Cullingworth and Von Berg.
You can find out more about the programme and how to get involved here.
Sources: Supplied
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