Building the skills powering South Africa’s Maker Economy

Echoing the G20 Young Entrepreneurship Alliance’s call for inclusive growth through expanded opportunity, an unmistakable shift in how South Africans, especially young people, are earning a living is underway. The booming Maker Economy is producing a new breed of entrepreneurs and institutions like AIE are showing them how to make it happen.  

South Africa’s Maker Economy is rising quickly, led by students and young adults who are already designing and producing valuable products and learning to innovate in the maker space before entering the workforce. Instead of waiting for jobs, these innovators are creating economic value through fabrication, digital design, engineering, and small-batch manufacturing, and it’s taking local markets by storm. 

This entrepreneurial shift is reflected in figures from an African Bank Consumer Research Report, which show that 24% of adults and 27% of youth earn income through a side-hustle. A significant portion of this activity involves making and selling goods, showing that South Africans have the skills and drive to create rather than engage in passive retail of pre-existing products. 

With National Entrepreneurship Month coinciding with South Africa’s presidency of the 2025 G20 Summit, the spotlight is firmly on inclusive growth and youth enterprise. Supporting the G20 Young Entrepreneurship Alliance’s (YEA) call for equitable access to entrepreneurial opportunities, South Africa’s own Maker Economy is thriving – driven by young innovators turning living rooms, garages, and classrooms into small-scale production hubs. 

In response, universities and private tertiary institutions are reshaping their programmes to support this growing movement. Innovation hubs, 3D printing labs, and fabrication studios are becoming core parts of education, with institutions like the Academic Institute of Excellence (AIE) driving the Maker Economy through specialised courses and hands-on learning that let students design, build, and refine real products. 

Key skills are defining the Maker Economy 

Modern changes in the traditional workplace, alongside the Maker Economy movement are redefining what skills employers, students, and academics deem more important for emerging entrepreneurs.  

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Future of Jobs Report highlights a number of future-ready skills identified by respondents as most critical to the evolving job market. Among these, AIE has pinpointed seven that stand out as especially relevant for entrepreneurs entering the Maker Economy: 

1. Creative thinking 

Creative reasoning is the backbone of invention and problem-solving, and modern classrooms must equip students to explore new approaches the world has yet to see. This means guiding students, encouraging creative thought, and giving them access to workshops, fabrication spaces, and digital design studios where they can test materials, experiment with form and function, and see how their choices shape the final product. 

2. Analytical thinking 

A creative idea requires logical structure to become a functional product. Analytical thinking allows makers to troubleshoot designs, iterate on prototypes, and solve complex technical problems. Students develop this skill by deconstructing failed prototypes, optimising designs for manufacturing, and applying mathematical and scientific principles to their work. 

3. Technological literacy 

Modern production often depends on the mastery of digital fabrication tools. Technological literacy means operating 3D printers, computer numerical control (CNC) machines that automate tools, and laser cutters with confidence. Hands-on experience in labs helps students become active creators who understand a tool's capabilities and limitations fully. 

4. AI and big data 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping product design and optimisation. Students increasingly use AI for generative design, where algorithms propose efficient structures, and analyse data to inform material choices and production processes. 

5. Systems thinking 

Few products exist in isolation. Systems thinking teaches students to see how electronics, software, mechanics, and materials interact within a single design. This holistic approach is critical for creating reliable, manufacturable, and fit-for-purpose products that work in real-world settings. 

6. Resource management and operations 

Transforming a prototype into a sellable product requires practical business acumen. Students must learn to manage supply chains, control budgets, and plan production runs, bridging the gap between workshops and viable small businesses, and ensuring ideas can scale sustainably. 

7. Quality control 

Finally, market-ready products must be safe and reliable. Classrooms must teach quality control processes that establish testing protocols and help students refine their finishing techniques while upholding strict production standards. 

Specialised labs and further-learning institutions create an environment where these competencies are carefully nurtured, preparing students to either enter the job market as qualified operators, or to launch their own businesses with disruptive products. 

AIE’s Makers Lab, for example, gives students direct access to 3D printers for additive manufacturing, CNC machines for precision shaping, and laser cutters for detailed fabrication. In these spaces, students encounter real-world constraints and learn to overcome them, turning digital concepts into physical objects.  

As we move further into a Maker Economy era, the challenge is less a lack of talent, but an opportunity to apply it. Educational institutions must provide the tools and the guidance to channel creative potential into tangible output. The goal is to turn students into the architects of their own success building businesses that turn creativity into sustainable livelihoods capable of building up a more self-sufficient local economy.