NEF Graduate Programme in Wholesale and Retail

Written by Thabo MokoenaSenior Education Editor

Reviewed & verified by Naledi KhumaloSenior Admissions and Bursaries EditorVerified

The National Empowerment Fund (NEF) is the state agency, reporting to the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, that finances black-owned businesses. In early 2026 it advertised a 12-month Graduate Programme for unemployed graduates, run together with the W&RSETA, the skills authority (SETA) for wholesale and retail. Graduates were placed in the wholesale and retail sector rather than at the NEF’s own Sandton office, and the NEF describes the aim as giving them real work experience, sharper skills and time learning from people in the industry.

The advert closed on 17 April 2026 and is marked “Under Review” on the NEF recruitment portal. The NEF has not advertised a second intake, so this page records what the 2026 listing asked for.

Six provinces for the 2026 placements

The listing (reference nef_000162) placed successful graduates in KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Free State (QwaQwa and Bloemfontein), Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape. It classed the post as an internship contract in the FMCG, retail, wholesale and supply chain category, with market-related pay. The NEF did not publish a rand amount for the stipend, the names of host businesses, or a start date.

Diplomas and degrees the NEF asked for

Applicants needed a completed diploma or degree in one of these fields, or another relevant qualification:

• Business Management, Marketing Management or Entrepreneurship
• Financial Management
• Human Resource Management
• Supply Chain Management or Logistics
• Retail Business Management, or Wholesale and Retail Operations
• Public Management, Public Administration or Office Administration

The other conditions were South African citizenship, computer literacy, and being unemployed at the time of applying. Anyone already registered on a learnership or another graduate programme was excluded. No previous work experience was needed. The advert also listed the attitude the NEF wanted: willingness to learn, good spoken and written communication, attention to detail, teamwork and professionalism.

Applying through the NEF careers portal

The NEF recruits on its own portal, nefcareers.ci.hr. Applicants register with an email address, mobile number and South African ID number, upload a CV (PDF, Word or text, up to 10 MB), and apply to a listing from their profile. The portal also lets people register a CV when nothing suitable is advertised, so that the NEF can find them later. When this page was checked, the only open listing was a senior investment post; there was no graduate or internship advert.

Because the W&RSETA co-funded the 2026 placements, graduates in retail and business fields should also watch the W&RSETA profile for its own bursary and placement rounds. Retail employers’ entry routes are covered on our retail learnerships page, and public-sector internships appear in the DPSA vacancy circular guide.

FAQs