Jak Koseff

Jak Koseff leads the Programmme Management Office for TSHEPO 1MILLION, the Gauteng Provincial Government's comprehensive youth empowerment initiative. The programme uses a comprehensive clearing house system to channel youth with a range of different skill levels and profiles into four types of opportunities - demand-led learning, transitional/ temporary work, decent jobs and new economic activity (microfranchising and self employment). These opportunities are delivered through a curated ecosystem of corporate, social sector and training sector partnerships, including a core partnership with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator to run the programme's main clearing house (itself linked to a network of over 400 companies) and incubate the partnership fund for co-investment with the private sector in youth economic empowerment. 

The programme also includes a dedicated Township Marketplace Platform (TMP) connecting township-based businesses at all levels to access to market (principally B2B , via corporate partnerships), access to finance (particularly where linked to offtake agreements) and access to skills and capacity (including fast and less burdensome ways to formalize). A condition of ongoing access to the TMP for small and emerging firms is that they hire/ contract young jobseeekers or interns from the programme as their turnover increases.

Prior to joining the Premier’s office, Jak Koseff  worked for the City of Johannesburg from  2007-2016, following 5 years of work and study in London and New York City, specializing in urban social and economic development.  From 2014-1206, he served in the Executive Mayors Office as Special Advisor: Priority Projects , responsible for the strategic and technical coordination of Citywide ‘game changer’ programmes including the Jozi@work initiative and the Vulindlel’eJozi youth empowerment programme.

Jak holds a Masters in Public Administration jointly awarded by the London School of Economics (LSE) and Columbia University in the City of New York, as well as a Masters In Politics from Rhodes University.

For detailed CV/ resume use the following LinkedIn Profile Address https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakoseff