A pilot programme to help disadvantaged students obtain a degree or postgraduate qualification, with work experience and without debt, has struggled to achieve its ambitions as work opportunities for students dwindle in an unbelievably difficult economy that has been rocked by the pandemic.

The ProudAfrique Working Student Programme, launched in April 2020 by ProudAfrique Human Capital (PAHC), is designed to uplift poor black youths who want to study further and build their CVs for future employment opportunities, while offering South African businesses a meaningful way to improve their B-BBEE score by leveraging skills expenditure on the scorecard. Students earn an income while they study and receive a full bursary through the Working Student Programme to remove student debt. Currently, 75% of the students on the programme are black females, the demographic most vulnerable to unemployment.

“What we have learned from the pilot of our Working Student Programme is that we were not prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. The persistent lockdowns, shrinking economy and rising unemployment have created a perfect storm that has thwarted our ambitions to get the participants on our Working Student Programme into jobs, even though the students were already receiving a stipend that matched the basic minimum wage.

“The academic and life skills components of the programme have been tremendously successful but we are grappling with bridging the employment gap. Of the 16 students on the programme in 2021, only five are actively working while some have engaged in volunteer work. In 2022, we are planning to expand the programme and include 30 new students, making the challenge even bigger.

“Spiralling unemployment levels indicate that the need for jobs is always going to be greater than the ability of companies to accommodate working students. But, this does not mean that we cannot make a difference. We want to encourage forward thinking companies to help us grow the programme and help more students by opening opportunities in gateway jobs. At the same time, they can improve their B-BBEE scorecard. Having our students gain work experience while they study is essential to the success of the programme,” says Deon Oberholzer, CEO at Gestalt Group and Director at ProudAfrique Human Capital, which manages the programme.

Oberholzer stresses that the programme is distinguished from other internship and work-while-studying programmes because it removes the burden of debt when students qualify and importantly, equips them with life and work readiness skills to improve their employability, thereby creating more sustainable outcomes. “Work readiness is severely lacking amongst the youth, many of whom have never had a proper job. Even those who manage to achieve a qualification struggle to find work because they have limited skills to enter the formal job market. Our Working Student Programme wants to fill the critical gap in work readiness in order to address the problem of ‘unemployability’ amongst the country’s youth,” says Oberholzer, who points out that graduate unemployment is 40.3% for those aged 15 to 24 and 15.5% among those aged 25 to 34 years.

On the Working Student Programme, participants receive work readiness training, job competency training, study support and mentorship while they focus on developing work skills. In addition, they are enrolled in the Keys to Life programme which teaches invaluable life skills to foster accountability, responsibility and sustainability. The Keys to Life programme is SETA accredited and B-BBEE compliant. Companies benefit from B-BBEE skills development optimisation unlike any programmes currently available due to the programme’s unique structure that could them up several levels on their current scorecard.

“Companies get critical leverage on the scorecard for skills spending on higher education while employing high-performing candidates whose wages are claimable as skills development expenditure. It is an invaluable opportunity for companies to future proof their businesses with high calibre recruits starting at entry level. The programme also offers the flexibility to dovetail with the YES Programme and other learning initiatives within the company.”

Skills development, one of the priority elements on the B-BBEE scorecard, can earn a company up to 25 points, making it critical. But, it is expensive if it is not done wisely according to a proper strategy. The Working Student Programme represents a sound opportunity for maximising skills expenditure. However, Oberholzer says that the benefits go beyond achieving a higher B-BBEE score and meeting skills development requirements. “The real reward is in nurturing the cream of South Africa’s youth on their road to greatness. The feedback we get from our students is validation that we are on the right track and that this programme has great potential to change lives. Several  of our current students would have been forced to abandon their tertiary studies had they not joined the Working Student Programme. We are exceptionally proud of their unwavering will to learn, to pursue their dreams to achieve a qualification, and break the cycle of poverty that has held them and previous generations of their families in its grips,” says Oberholzer.

Hear their stories at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av6pMR07pL0

He concludes: “We have faced some challenges during our pilot of the Working Student Programme but we believe that they can be overcome with constant innovation. When lockdowns forced everyone to work and study at home, we pivoted and restructured the academic components to enable online learning. The students continued to receive their stipends, which in some cases helped feed their families during the pandemic.  The employment component remains a challenge but we will continue to knock at it with a jack hammer until we get it right.”

Companies that are interested in learning more about participating in the Working Student Programme as a means to optimise skills development expenditure for B-BBEE points, while contributing to the upliftment of aspiring students are encouraged to contact them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. See the full Working Student Programme brochure here http://www.pahc.org.za/brochure/

Issued on behalf of Proud Afrique Human Capital by Echo Square PR. For more information please call Kerry Webb on 082 496 0713 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

About ProudAfrique Human Capital
ProudAfrique facilitates learning in a range of subjects and competencies, facilitated through trusted and accredited learning institutions. The company also assists companies with their B-BBEE accreditation to help maximise their B-BBEE benefits from training and development initiatives in the future. ProudAfrique collaborates with the University of the Free State Business School in offering Short Learning Programmes, which are recognised through a process of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to predefined formal programmes, like the Higher Certificate in Management Development. ProudAfrique now also offers the skills programmes that form part of the Diploma in Human Resource Management and the Diploma in Labour Relations offered by the Academy of York.  The learning is directly applied to the workplace by using client-based mentors and extensive workplace-based portfolio work and assignments. http://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=14415

By Deon Oberholzer, CEO: Gestalt Growth Strategies

The perspective that patriarchy is a construct created by men to oppress women effectively implies that we need to destroy it in order to give women a chance to be successful. However, stopping men from being successful is not the solution. If we do that, we will continue to get what we have; the highest unemployment in the recent history in South Africa. Our failure is that women are not being equipped to effectively win. Leave the men to run well while enabling women to run even better may mean that our economy can actually grow.

We should be driving home the message that women are capable and can be massively successful. But, for more women to be successful, they need to identify and harness their power, get educated, and prepare to change the world. In August, being Women’s Month, we heard positive stories of women movers and shakers achieving great things, of efforts being made to address inequality and gender pay gaps in the workplace, of women rising above adversity to get educated and find jobs. This is reassuring and confirms that we should view women empowerment from a perspective of developing inner strength as opposed to the perspective of them needing intervention in order to have a chance of success. Perhaps the mantra we are seeking is; “I am, therefore I do, therefore I have” versus “I have, therefore I do, therefore I am”.

One step forward, two steps back

South Africa was making some reassuring gains in advancing equality for women in the workplace. But, the COVID-19 pandemic has severely stunted the slow-gathering momentum. More women have lost their jobs compared to men, with women accounting for about 2-million of the 3-million jobs lost during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020[ii]. A year later in March 2021, women’s employment was still down by about 8% while men’s employment was back to normal. Women who are employed are working less hours per week, while men, you guessed it, are back to normal.[iii] While the COVID-19 pandemic has undone some of the gains that were made for employment and equality of women over the past two decades, it has also exposed structured fault lines in the country which have had serious knock-on effects, disproportionately impacting the most vulnerable women. Of the country’s unemployed, according to Statistics SA, black African women are the most vulnerable demographic group with an unemployment rate of 38.5%, followed by coloured women at 26%. Women have been impacted harder by the pandemic because they tend to earn less, have fewer savings, work in the informal economy, and comprise the majority of single-parent households. Unfortunately, the burden of childcare mostly falls on women so the closing of schools and early childhood development centres disproportionately affects them.

When there are children to care for, feed and home school, it’s mostly women who step-up to the plate and that means less time to find work or take on more hours. The disproportionate weight of childcare responsibilities born by women dragged them down in other ways. Fewer of them could access the COVID-19 Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRDG). Why? Because the conditions of the grant were such that it could not be accessed along with another grant like the Child Support Grant (CSG). Effectively, unemployed women were penalised if they were also the main caregiver to a child and were claiming for a CSG. The conditions of the SRDG, which partially excluded women and highlighted the snags that come with ignoring gender roles, will have to be revised if it is reintroduced.

Gender roles need questioning

Traditional gender roles that emphasise women as primary caregivers aren’t entirely a bad thing. It is a commonly held view that women are natural caregivers and maternity has immeasurable value in society. But, it is when this role is undervalued and the overemphasis leads to the exclusion of women from work, education and participating in economic activities that it becomes a big point of concern. This has been amplified in the wake of the pandemic. Females were more likely to cite “family commitment” as a reason for not attending school than males (17.1% compared to 0.3%)[iv], according to Stats SA.

Its unemployment figures also show that in both Q1: 2020 and Q1: 2021, more than four in every ten young females were not in employment, education or training. Looking at the impact of COVID-19 on female unemployment worldwide, several reports show that more women than men have lost their jobs. So, this is not unique to South Africa. The industries in which women typically work have been more severely impacted by lockdown closures such as hospitality, retail and domestic services. Women are also segregated into low-wage occupations and the informal sector where they lack social protection. It is time to reset the system to deal with these inequalities. This includes some serious efforts to address the inequality in childcare responsibilities, the inequalities that exist in the opportunities that women have to participate in the job market, the inequalities in the access to education and the unequal balance of single-mom households.

Perhaps we should also be brave and question if the traditional light penalties on men for having children out of wedlock could be contributing to the disproportionate single-mom households. As long as women, as the primary caregivers to children risk their jobs when the schools close, and as long as they continue to be employed in the most vulnerable sectors with the least structural support, it will only get worse. The effects of the pandemic will be felt by women and girls for years to come unless their employability and marketability for better paying-jobs is improved through equal access to education, skills development opportunities, and funding for women-owned businesses.

So, what does action look like and how does it differ from lip service? Well, at the height of the pandemic last year, we launched a Working Student Programme managed by our skills development facilitation business, ProudAfrique Human Capital. It aims to address the issue of employability by equipping students with life and work readiness skills to improve their employability in the formal job market. Students work while they study and receive mentorship, allowing them to qualify with a degree or postgraduate qualification, with work experience and without debt. Currently, we have 12 young women on the programme who are proving that coming from a disadvantaged background does not determine or limit potential. Additionally, our Intombazane Development Trust, whose beneficiaries are young black woman under the age of 29, gives small, owner-managed businesses the opportunity to invest in the development of South Africa’s next generation of female leaders while achieving legitimate, compliant B-BBEE ownership without the risk of fronting.

Our view is that including women cannot be a simple bean-counting exercise. Instead, it should be a concerted commitment to ensuring that when women become part of an organisation, their integration is meaningful and their employability is sustainable. Through these initiatives, we hope to do more than just pay lip service to supporting women in pursuing and achieving success. We want to see women escape the cycles of poverty and dependence that has held them in its grip for generations. ENDS About Gestalt Growth Strategies Gestalt Growth Strategies is a trusted business strategy and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) consultancy. Established in 1998, Gestalt uses original and proven business transformation models to help companies unlock business growth and shareholder value through B-BBEE.

A job-creation initiative that aims to get unemployed South Africans started in their own small businesses quickly has been gaining momentum. The Rapid Job Creation Programme is the brainchild of Willem Gous, who says that it's possible to launch a new business that will financially sustain the founder in a matter of weeks - without funding.

“The latest figures from Stats SA shows a 46% youth unemployment rate, and that is a ticking time bomb. Looking for a job is not an option anymore. South Africans have to take charge of their own employment and the best way to do that is by starting a business. And the good news is almost anyone can do it.” says Gous.

Making it easy 

Entrepreneurship can feel overwhelming when you talk about business models, business plans and more. Says Gous: “That is where our training programme is different, because it presents entrepreneurship within the context, abilities and resources of South African youth, sparking an interest in entrepreneurship while promoting resilience and adaptability.” 

Funding

“Many people have a dream of starting a business but don’t because they believe it can’t be done without funding,” says Gous. In November 2020 the programme enlisted 50 people from Diepsloot and Orange Farm in Gauteng and gave them the task of building a business in 21 days. They had to make enough profit to sustain the business owner. “From that process 30 business were created - from mechanics and internet cafes to school transport, food and many more. However, none of these businesses required any external funding, showing that people do not have to wait to establish a busines, they can start today and become economically empowered.” says Gous. 

Successes

"Three months later 85% of the 30 businesses created in November 2020 were still trading while an additional eight businesses were started to create extra revenue streams for the owners. This shows that the programme instils two of the most entrepreneurial traits - resilience and adaptability in people who otherwise might never see themselves as entrepreneurs,” he says. 

No ideas needed

The programme shows that you do not have to have a brilliant business idea to attend. “Business ideas are everywhere and easy to find in a matter of days or hours. The problem is not that there are not enough good business ideas, but rather in testing them and making sure they generate an income for you. Some of the participants in the initial group of November 2020 started with three or even four business ideas in the 21 days until they found the one that worked for them.” says Gous. 

Working together

“Our company works with other organisations to economically empower people by getting them to start their own sustainable businesses. Currently we work with Afrika Tikkun Services but we are actively looking for new partnerships to help develop more business owners and create jobs” he says.

Organisations can reach Gous at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit http://thehumanentrepreneur.org

With South Africa facing record unemployment - the third highest globally - it is clear that entrepreneurship is the solution to this continuing disaster state. Join us for a two hour session where we identify the most important hurdles limiting entrepreneurial growth - and define the action steps needed to address these hurdles.

The format of the event is two panel discussions with question and answer sessions followed by a summary where agreed actions are laid out and the work can begin. The first panel, chaired by SA SME Association CEO Howard Johnson will focus on economic recovery and the Sector Recovery Plans of SA Associations. The second is chaired by GEASA founder Brennan Williams will deal with Strengthening the SME ecosystem by deepening relations between Government, Big Business and Small Business in support of the Economic Recovery plan.

Panelists include CEO of SACCI Alan Mukoki, Lesley Wentworth, MD of Tutwa Consulting who is representing the EDSE, Khulekani Mathe the Head of Financial Inclusion at BASA, Mxolisi D Matshamba, the CEO of SEDA, Henro Kruger MP and Vukile Nkabinde, Director of Master Plan Development in the Enterprise Development and Entrepreneurship Division of the DSBD.

Entrepreneurial intent is regarded as the best predictor of actual entrepreneurial behaviour. More needs to be done to create an environment where entrepreneurship can thrive. Practical solutions to address issues such as black-listing, pandemic recovery, technology transfer, access to markets and funding and red tape reduction are on the talking list. The aim is to promote collaboration between government and business of all sizes to create a conducive entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Join us and put forward your questions. Which hurdles should be prioritised & what practical steps can they be resolved? How can government and business collaborate better to address the hurdles preventing entrepreneurial growth? 

Get involved, find out more and register on this link: https://the-epi.wixsite.com/intent 

Media Enquiries:
Dylan James
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066 206 2109

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Carl Lotter
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By Devan Moonsamy, CEO of The ICHAF Training Institute

On the one hand, we have massive unemployment, on the other, we have a skills shortage. How can we balance these? The Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) in South Africa explains how we should view the skills shortage in some detail in an article from some time ago. It is still relevant as so many problems have still not been addressed fully and gets to the heart of the unemployment and skills crises. The CDE says, “we are short of skills across the board, including people with the skills to create more jobs.”

This is very true, as I have found. At ICHAF, we don’t simply hire people and put them to work as trainers. We conduct “Train the trainer” initiatives, besides other related activities, so that trainers learn best practices, can do the admin tasks required, and don’t let students who need extra help down. This is critical to increasing the number of skilled workers in SA.

This is also true in another sense. We need job creators – entrepreneurs who create businesses and hire and train staff. Entrepreneurship is pretty daunting for some. It’s not easy for a youth to take on without the drive, skills, and especially the ability to take on the risks involved. Entrepreneurial training helps a lot, as well as experience gathered in the relevant field.

Thus, we also need to realise that, if we have the aptitude for it and can take on the responsibilities and risk that come with a new venture, we should spread our wings and fly. If we have had some good training and experience (including learning some hard lessons too) pretty soon, we will find we can make a livable income running our own business and hopefully offer employment to others too.

Youth entrepreneurs exist, and that’s great, but it is also great when older people upskill themselves, engage in workplace learning, and start to run businesses drawing on their experience, knowledge and maturity. People at all levels and in all fields can be trained, and I have heard time and again managers of recently trained staff say “I can see a difference in their work!”

This makes the manager’s role easier and gives the staff member much more confidence and the ability to meet customer’s needs in a more professional way. We know how frustrating it is to work with someone who, even through no fault of their own, just doesn’t know how to do their job.

Companies that don’t train their staff end up forcing the customer to do so! Or they take their business elsewhere! Companies with good staff get customers in the door and repeat business, which fuels the economy and uplifts people’s livelihoods.

If a company is willing to get their employees into learnerships, or even for short-term intensive interventions, we can fix another problem identified by CDE: “many young people are unemployed because the education system has failed to provide them with the literacy, numeracy, and life skills they need to meet employers’ requirements.” This is so true!

And we mustn’t forget that we are still living with the legacy of apartheid. Thus, older staff members also deserve to be trained, and from experience I have seen that it is not correct that older people struggle to learn. Initially, they may feel overwhelmed and think they won’t manage, but very quickly they get into the swing of things, and they do just as well as the youths. Older people also can tend to take their studies more seriously.

Their maturity is also extremely valuable. In some cases, people prefer to deal with an older individual when their needs are quite specialised. For example, parents will tend to be happier dealing with a school principal who was a good teacher for a number of years and knows a lot about school administration too. A school principal needs quite a lot of training and experience, and that can only come with time. This is not discrimination against anyone; it just means that the education system works better. Beating unemployment means training every one of all ages and all employment levels.

It is true that as businesses grow they tend to diversify their offerings and need more staff with different skills for a variety of roles. Big businesses also seem to have the time and budget to dedicate to training. Small businesses thus tend to neglect training.

It doesn’t pay to cut corners, however, and if a small business wants to grow or even just to tick over, they must take into consideration that client expectations are increasing as other companies start to offer better deals with better-trained staff. SA is becoming increasingly competitive, often with several companies vying for tenders and customers’ money. You have to stay ahead of the game, and the best way to do that is to have a capable team on your side.

Why not start just one or a few staff members you think have potential on a learnership? Investigate the process – and the awesome tax rebate you will get which makes it practically free – and contact a reputable training company that can upskill your staff member with the exact skills they need. You won’t regret it.
ICHAF offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, learnerships and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za | www.devan-moonsamy.com

Job Search e-learning empowers South Africa’s unemployed. We all know that unemployment is one of the greatest problems faced by South Africans, this has been the case for some time and will remain so until concrete, wide reaching and actionable interventions are developed and set in motion.

With an overall unemployment rate of around 27% and a youth unemployment rate hovering around 50% these interventions are needed urgently and in all spheres of the economy. From the creation of new job opportunities to empowering job seekers to be able to actively and successfully secure appropriate jobs. Angelo Pereira Managing Director of GOAL2WORK Jobseekers Toolkit said; “There are many programmes and interventions directed at attempting to reduce the unprecedented unemployment rate in South Africa.

However with the large scale of our unemployment crisis, reaching all of those affected personally becomes logistically almost impossible.” “We have found that whilst we were touching over a thousand individuals annually via our face to face workshops; which are designed to provide a clearly defined course of action aimed at viable positioning in the market in the shortest possible time, this was only a drop in the very large ocean of those needing to learn the essential skill of searching for and securing meaningful employment.”

When considering various options for expanding the reach of the GOAL2WORK programme it soon became apparent that e-learning was the most viable route to follow.

“Most of our target audience, even those in remote areas and with limited financial resources, had access to at least one device with which they could access the internet, mainly via their cell phones.” said Pereira.

With this in mind GOAL2WORK set about developing an e-learning version of their powerful lecture led workshops which teaches the abilities required to develop and implement a successful job search plan whilst reinforcing self-esteem and addressing many other obstacles a jobseeker may face. “It took us over a year to develop a programme which would provide all of the required content in an engaging, fun and interactive way.

The programme is fully animated with voice over, gamification, and interactive exercises.” On the technical front the programme was developed in modules which download as they play and are small enough not to require extensive data. Should users choose they can complete the programme using data on their phones or view small snippets “on the go” and then cover more of the programme when Wi-Fi is available or on home pc’s and tablets.

The GOAL2WORK e-learning programme is now completed and the company is exceptionally excited to make it available to as many unemployed South Africans as possible. Pereira added, ”we have already made the programme available for individuals to purchase via our website, however we are now actively looking for corporate, government and educational institution partnerships to spread the programme as widely as possible to those unemployed South Africans who so desperately need assistance.”

Contact: Angelo at 011 949-9000, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.goal2work.co.za for further information.

Johannesburg May 2 2019. RelatED Education and Gateway International Education, a subsidiary of Gateway Capital, have partnered to provide critical work readiness training for young South Africans. With unemployment among the youth at 52.4% on the rise the role of the private sector of the economy is becoming critically important.

The partnership between long-time operator RelatED Education and Gateway International Education, a subsidiary of Gateway Capital, is a key development in the area of training in the retail sector.

This partnership, between a company with a successful track-record of work readiness education in the wholesale and retail industries, with an organization boasting an enviable history of investment in private education, promises to create a combined entity that will greatly increase the opportunities for young people to enter the work environment.

Since its inception in 2011 RelatED Education has trained over 8 700 learners and nearly 4 000 managers, impacting over 35 retail groups across more than 250 communities throughout South Africa. Their courses range from NQF2 12-month learnerships to NQF 5 supervisory and management training programmes.

These are currently recognised by the Wholesale and Retail SETA, and RelatED aims to extends its training to other industry sectors as well. The organisation is currently one of only three retail training organisations to have received QTOC accreditation.

“We see a particular need to prepare our young people for the world of work. While full time jobs may be scarce, work of some description can be found generally for those equipped with a basic skill set,” said Leigh Blochlinger, CEO of RelatED Education.

Of more than 10 million South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24, nearly one third are currently not in employment, education or training. Young people in remote rural areas generally do not have access to networks that connect them to employment opportunities and have little knowledge of work.

“We intend to accelerate the number of training opportunities particularly for young people. Having trained over 8 700 young learners over the past six years, RelatED’s extensive experience combined with Gateway’s expertise in administration, contract management, and examination puts us in a winning position,” Blochlinger explains.

Gateway was established in 2007 with the objective of developing and expanding world-class international-standard education in Africa. The organisation has built an enviable track record of investment in private education, including a founding investment in the largest Cambridge curriculum distance learning institution in South Africa.

From Gateway’s perspective this investment in RelatED is the company’s first venture into vocational education.

“Our goal is to invest in and help grow premium-calibre institutions in the tertiary education sector. We firmly believe that an ever-expanding wave of truly educated young people will bring about real change in our country and on our continent,” states Marcus Oshry, CEO of Gateway.

Blochlinger is excited about the prospects of the combined group. “South Africa faces huge challenges in youth unemployment. But, by working together, RelatED and Gateway aim to make a meaningful impact by offering even more young people the real chance to work. It’s a model that could, and should, be rolled out across other sectors of the economy,” she concludes.

-- ENDS --

RelatED Education impacts the South African economy one life at a time through continuous work-ready education from internships to tertiary. Their desire is to provide dynamic skills development programmes and build capacity in our South African employee base. Established in 2010, RelatED began its journey servicing South Africa’s retail industry. In the past eight years, they have successfully graduated over 8700 learners, equipped 3742 senior managers, and impacted over 35 retail groups within 250 communities throughout South Africa.

When they started they had a dream to create the next generation of retail managers, and in turn the next generation of social and economic transformers capable of impacting their communities and the economy as a whole. This is why they passionately drive their training programmes, attracting a broad spectrum of learners from South Africa’s largest retail groups, and now the services sector.

Issued on behalf of RelatED Education.

Java Launch: The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) recently launched the latest of their Tech Skills and Job-Readiness Programmes for previously disadvantaged South African youth interested in a future coding or software development career.

24 August 2018 – Young, unemployed South Africans that are passionate about a career in digital are invited to apply before 10 September 2018 to the Java Launch CapaCiTi training and placement programme set to kick off in Johannesburg and Cape Town late September.

CapaCiTi, a full-time tech career accelerator for ambitious youth, earlier this year significantly scaled up its programme delivery to support even more talented young tech enthusiasts. For those who are crazy about technology and ready to work hard – these programmes are a powerful platform to secure your digital career.

The CapaCiTi programmes are to be run at its brand-new tech student campus in Salt River, Cape Town, and at the CapaCiTi training hub at Resolution Circle in Milpark, Johannesburg. CapaCiTi students have direct access to CiTi’s vibrant technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem to access further opportunities and form valuable connections with other tech professionals and leaders through events and mentorship opportunities.

The goal is to equip 3000 talented young South Africans with industry-demanded technology and business skills, placing graduates into internships and permanent jobs in South Africa's leading companies. The Java Launch programme is the most recent high impact programme available to youth in Cape Town and Joburg. The programme is open to previously disadvantaged, unemployed youth.

The Java Launch Programme

Young South African that are interested in solving problems, curious about how things work, are interested in and passionate about mathematics and science, and excited about the applications and growth of tech, will succeed on the Java Launch programme.

The Java Launch CapaCiTi programme teaches students to code with Java, but also the broader technical and business knowledge you’ll need to succeed in today’s workplace. During the programme students will learn the fundamentals of Java, one of the most in-demand and foundational programming languages both within South Africa and internationally.

Participants in the programme will learn:

Java fundamentals (Intro to Java/Variables, Expressions and Statements/Control/Loops)

Java Data Structures and Error Handling (1D arrays, 2D arrays/Types of errors/Exception handling)

Java OOP and Advanced Programming (Classes and Objects/Classes and Methods/OOP principles/Complex topics.

This programme will prepare participants for careers as Junior Software Developers, Software Testers, Software Analysts and Software Engineers; but also as a great foundation for many other digital career avenues.

Application Criteria

All candidates must be 18-35 years old, previously disadvantaged, South African citizens and currently unemployed. The Java Launch programme requires applicants to be in possession of a Matric certificate. Applicants for the Java Launch programme are asked to complete an assessment to qualify for an application interview – this interview tests for problem solving and logic so those with an aptitude for STEM subjects (science, mathematics, engineering, technology) are most likely to succeed.

Pay it forward

While there are no training costs for students on the programmes, graduates will be required to pay forward their training costs only when they are settled into their new permanent job post programme. This pay-back then goes directly towards training of further young South Africans in the programme, thereby contributing to further SA youths’ digital career opportunities.

The pay-it-forward cost for the Java Launch programme is R16 000 for the skills training and coaching and an additional R9 000 travel allowance. Once a participant in the programme is settled in their first job, they will need to pay back the training costs in affordable installments every month, relative to their earnings.

In the years following graduation, CapaCiTi continues to support its alumni to support their career progression.

What to expect?

Individuals are mentored by a network of skilled coaches and receive training in important business skills such as collaboration, critical and creative thinking, presentation and personal branding. Each programme, including the Java Launch, is coupled with a 6-month internship so that candidates have an immediate chance to apply and grow their skills. On completion of the internship, candidate interviews are facilitated by CapaCiTi to ensure graduates are placed in permanent jobs.

Over the past seven years, CapaCiTi has trained over 1000 young South Africans, placing 82% of candidates, 40% being female, in technology positions at 130 partner host companies such as Media24, Woolworths, Shoprite, BCX and Absa.

“I’ve been totally blown away by CapaCiTi. The programme helped me achieve my goal, get my dream job, and start my career in Tech. I had graduated in 2012 with a Diploma in Programming from another institution and struggled to get a job in IT for over 4 years prior to joining CapaCiTi,” states Xavier Mehl who completed the CapaCiTi Software Development Programme in 2016.

CapaCiTi programmes not only provide meaningful opportunity for young South Africans to participate in the digital economy but allow companies to access job-ready young talent to diversify their teams and reduce recruitment and retention challenges. In today's industry, smart and extensive digital technology is no longer an addition but a requisite and data-driven companies who adopt and adapt tech will survive the surge in digital disruption across all sectors.

Are you a young, unemployed South African that fits the criteria and is passionate about a future career in technology?

Then APPLY ONLINE NOW for the Java Launch Programme.

Candidates need to be 18 – 35 years old, previously disadvantaged, a South African citizen and in possession of a Matric certificate.

Start #yourdigitalfuture by applying at: www.citi.org.za/capaciti-apply for the September Java Launch programme.

Connect with CapaCiTi on Facebook (@capacitiza) and Twitter (@capacitiza). 

ENDS 

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ABOUT CAPACITI AND THE CAPE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE (CITI)

CapaCiTi is a programme of the Cape Innovation & Technology Initiative (CiTi), Africa's oldest tech incubator set up to develop initiatives that support and stimulate growth in the South African digital economy. The programme provides unemployed youth with coding and tech skills, psychological and mentoring support, job readiness training, as well as internship and permanent placement in our partner companies. For the past seven years, CapaCiTi has trained young people in the Western Cape, which was then scaled to 4 cities in January 2018, to further scale over the next three years. The Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) as an organisation (NPO) has been instrumental in developing South Africa’s vibrant technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Its highly successful technology business incubation programmes have supported thousands of entrepreneurs in growing their businesses and contributing towards the local economy, alongside supporting key technology innovation clusters – currently Edtech, Fintech, Traveltech and Data Science. CiTi’s Bandwidth Barns are based in Woodstock and Khayelitsha, and are vibrant digital ecosystems for innovation, entrepreneurship and skills delivery. 

The latest disruptive technology is about to change the way the South Africans work.

One of the biggest challenges facing the African continent is the lack of jobs and the distances those that have jobs have to travel each day.  Another major obstacle is the exorbitant fee that labour brokers charge when on-selling the services of the workers.

After a significant development period, Endorsed.africa is proud to announce a solution that will make inroads into these challenges by empowering everyone from the domestic worker and labourer right up to the skilled workforce.

In a nutshell, Endorsed.africa is a platform to where job seekers market themselves based upon their skillset, geographical location and availability and companies or individuals needing assistance can find suitably qualified people.Each worker stipulates the rate they are prepared to work for and the clients can choose based upon reviews and work experience.How many times have you needed a labourer for a day or 2, a nanny or baby sitter. Endorsed has the solution by providing vetted individuals that can provide this service.  

Endorsed believes this will stimulate the economy by making services and products more affordable and giving the workers the opportunity of gaining more experience through more work.Each worker on Endorsed is vetted based upon referrals prior to them joining the Endorsed platform, and these workers will be motivated to provide an excellent service to improve their ratings.Endorsed is an ideal solution for those seeking regular work, or for those wanting to supplement their income while studying or looking after children. 

The first phase of the launch will mostly involve the listing and vetting of job seekers, Endorsed is certainly open for business to provide those needing people to get things done.Watch this space as Endorsed.africa goes about improving the lives of many.