From Micro-Enterprise to Talent Incubator: How FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory is an Engine for Youth Employability
Youth work placement initiatives are increasingly recognised for being an agile, high-yield talent pipeline that pumps immediate energy into small businesses with limited capacity resources. For many startups, hosting young graduates is a core business growth strategy.
This is true for FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory, a financial services firm. We touched base with Founder Tumelo Makgakga to share insights on his entrepreneurial journey and how the business’ growth engine has been fueled by a strategic partnership with Lucha Lunako.
Founded in July 2020, FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory was born out of a desire to build a sustainable, agile financial practice specialising in supporting SMEs. What started as a solo entrepreneurial vision in the midst of a global pandemic has scaled into a team of nine professionals.
In 2020, we had the dream but lacked the financial capacity to pay corporate-level salaries. By partnering with Lucha Lunako’s youth placement and foundational readiness models, we found a perfect win-win scenario: providing funded graduates with invaluable corporate experience while gaining the hungry, ambitious capacity we needed to scale our business.
– Reflects Founder, Tumelo Makgakga
An Approach to Skills Development
FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory relies on a structured, high-touch mentorship model that takes raw potential and shapes it into professional capability. Youth placed within the firm are integrated directly into the operations and are given a comprehensive look at the machinery of a financial services firm, holding tasks that include:
- Client Logistics: Facilitating client engagement letters and following-up communications.
- Audit Support: Billing and invoicing.
- Administration: Scheduling, minutes-taking, filing and office administration.
We don’t bombard them. We gradually introduce responsibilities, teaching and guiding them through the workflows. If a young person encounters difficulties at a basic level, we don’t penalise them; we evaluate the workload, meet them where they are, and recalibrate.
Alongside the hands-on practical experience at the firm, the young professionals take an intensive 12-week course designed to build emotional resilience, financial literacy and career readiness. This prepares young people mentally and emotionally for workplace transitions, providing a holistic framework for whole-person development.
Redefining Success: Retention, Upskilling, and Self-Discovery
FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory evaluates performance through a quarterly review matrix. The firm assesses a candidate’s execution of tasks, their willingness to learn, and their forward-looking engagement. By asking interns how they would improve their roles, management gains insight into their long-term alignment with the business. The psychological safety and growth mindset nurtured through Lucha Lunako’s framework is designed to support the young professionals along this process of building a vision for their career.
To date, the firm has successfully absorbed two programme graduates into permanent roles, while another is currently completing a formal learnership with SAIPA. FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory defines success beyond pure retention statistics.
“Success is giving experience. Last year, one of our interns realised through this exposure that they wanted to upskill academically and decided to return to school. Even if an intern isn’t permanently absorbed, the corporate exposure inspires them to want better for themselves. Whether it leads to further education or a calculated
career pivot, it is an absolute win because they discover their potential.”
The Bottom Line
FirstPlace Assurance and Advisory stands as living proof that youth employment programmes, when executed ethically with patience and clear strategic intent, can transform small businesses into thriving corporate enterprises. Through deliberate mentorship and robust ecosystem alignment with partners like Lucha Lunako, the next generation of South African professionals isn’t just finding jobs; they are building the foundations of the economy.
