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

Since its inception in 2020, The Marketing Mill has trained nearly 50 young people in content writing, SEO, web development, and digital marketing, hiring more than half of them. And they plan to double this number by 2022 by offering paid internships and SEO and writing courses.

The company was founded in South Africa but has since spread its roots to other places in the world. Many members of the team have operated from places such as Greece, Bali, Amsterdam, Spain and the USA, but most are back in SA now.

In 2020 Travel Tractions expanded its business offering to include The Marketing Mill and improve its rapidly growing internship program. At the same time, the agency created and implemented an online content marketing course with a strong focus on SEO copywriting to be used internally.

Now in 2021, a second course focussed on SEO has been created to advance the internship offering even further. As explained by founder, Matt Davison, "we are very passionate about showing people how to make an income online. And when Covid-19 hit our travel marketing agency, we had a lot of free time on our hands. It made a lot of sense to develop a course to formalize our learnings in a structured way".

The team has plans to create even more courses and release them to the public at a later date to educate even more people. To stay in the loop on all things related to the digital marketing course, you can sign up for course updates on learn.themarketingmill.com.

More about the paid internship 

As many graduates will tell you, finding an entry-level position after graduation is no easy task, especially if you have no prior experience. Standing out from thousands of other applicants is nearly impossible without a giant neon sign saying “pick me”. 

Most graduates also dream of traveling the world, but can’t afford to do so without working. With The Marketing Mill, not only can you earn money but you can also work from anywhere in the world. It is not unheard of to find Travel Tractions team members typing away while camping in the bush or at a beachside cafe. 

With a focus on learning and remote working, an internship at Travel Tractions offers the perfect entry-level job for graduates or even students. With part-time and full-time options as well as flexible hours, gaining work experience and knowledge about digital marketing has never been so convenient for young adults. 

Plus, the interns get one-on-one mentorship from a senior team member during their first six months, helping them to expand their skills and deepen their knowledge. During this time they learn a range of tasks including writing, editing, SEO, social media, and other aspects of digital marketing. And if the individual shows dedication and ability, there is a potential for a longer-term employment. 

Contact Details:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Websites: https://traveltractions.com/ and https://themarketingmill.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/

Travel Tractions Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traveltractions/ 

UNEMPLOYED YOUTH EMPOWERED WITH 4IR SKILLS TO CREATE FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE 

80 unemployed youth from Eastern and Western Cape are being given an innovative opportunity to access fourth industrial revolution opportunities, through a unique training and education intervention initiated by local NPO Abaguquli. 

Abaguquli – which means transformers in Zulu – is a non-profit organisation founded on the philosophy of transforming lives through education and innovation. They offer a range of training interventions with the specific aim of enabling youth to become financially independent through freelancing work opportunities, co-operatives and small businesses that address the daily needs of life and industry in the technology era. 

The learners, 40 from Elsies River Western Cape and 40 from Gqeberha Eastern Cape have participated in a 4-month programme aimed at addressing the current skills and qualifications required to earn a living or generate an income.   

Students learn how to build a website to promote their personal profiles as a freelancer or micro business. They're exposed to eCommerce, apps, bots and plugins to make their websites work for them. Each student leaves with the digital marketing skills to promote their business website online as well as the ability to pitch their skills and vie for paying gigs on freelancer platforms. 

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Build a website with Yola.com. Sites are eCommerce enabled allowing learners to sell products, chat with customers and book appointments online.
• Promote their profile and micro business on social media platforms and to sell their skills on freelancer marketplaces. “The high youth unemployment rate in South Africa, particularly unemployed graduates, means we need a different model and a different approach for young people,” says Aasiyah Adams CEO and Founder of Abaguquli. 

“We need tech savvy young people that are able to start businesses and service clients around the world through remote working opportunities,” added Adams. 

The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) or Industry 4.0 as it is also commonly referred to, is the age of digitisation, automation, smart cities and factories. 4IR is not just about technology, but also about integration, about greater productivity and efficiency and includes advancements that have pervaded every aspect of modern life. 

“Whilst the local economy doesn’t currently have the capacity to absorb unemployed youth en masse, this era of tech innovation and global economic growth, is a means for youth to unlock market opportunities beyond their geographic location to generate an income,” Adams continued. 

In addition to this cohort of upcoming graduates, Abaguquli, which only started operating in 2020, has already seen over 200 learners from Western Cape and Gauteng achieve their remote pilot license (SACAA drone license). They’ve also rolled out courses in 3D printing, Laser printing, Coding and Arduino electronics as well as 3D mapping for precision agriculture.  

Abaguquli is currently working on building mobile labs, fully equipped with state of the art technology, drone simulators and a humanoid, where learners can explore coding, artificial intelligence, data analysis, robotics and other 4IR skills. The objective is to drive the trucks to remote rural areas to create awareness and run mini workshops to educate young minds about future skills. Abaguquli wants to reach out to marginilised individuals and in areas where unemployment and poverty is high. Their vision is that young people could choose careers and paths that will create financial independence through E-commerce and remote working opportunities presented globally.  

“I am extremely excited about this opportunity for these rural communities and am currently engaging with stakeholders in this regard,” added Adams. 

This group of 80 learners will graduate on 18 June in Elsies River Western Cape and 25 June in Gqeberha Eastern Cape. “

We are so proud of these young men and women that have pushed through many hardships, misfortunes and even some physical disabilities to take the reigns of their own futures,” concluded Adams. 

For more information about Abaguquli or to find out more about funding opportunities available visit www.abaguquli.co.za or contact Aasiyah Adams on 071 199 8396 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

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.

Every music video and every concert have a single common thread that runs between them, dance. We’ve all watched in awe as someone moves perfectly in sync to the rhythm and beats of our favourite songs.

Music feeds the soul and sets your feet ablaze with boundless possibilities. Every moment and every beat allow you to explore movement and sometimes, with a little direction those movements turn into a masterpiece. Delta Webster-Choshi, better known as Delta The Leo, shares her knowledge of dance with youths across various landscapes of South Africa.

Combining her passion for dance with that of children, she continues to give of her time to teach the children at Thusong Youth Centre through her company Live.Learn.Inspire Dreamworks and #ChabaRebone movement. Each class is not simply a lesson in dance but is a holistic approach to life focusing on good health, building character and confidence, team spirit and hard work. Mentored by Delta and business-partner Sherole Webster-Choshi and various guests, the two hope to help each child envision and begin to pave the way to a future that not only sees them being academically groomed but well-rounded young adults. “The aim is for us is to give each of these talented children the tools to follow their dreams and instill in them the belief that their dreams are valid,” says Sherole of their passion for the Thusong Youth Centre.

#ChabaRebone has become more than just Delta The Leo’s latest single; it has given rise to a movement that aims to have people exude their talent (wherever it lies) and show it off for the world to see. “Giving every person who enters the class the room to be their truest selves without care or concern for the opinions of others, for me is a blessing. Helping them find their inner confidence is an experience I cherish as I get to watch them blossom weekly,” says Delta. “The most heart-breaking part of getting to know each of these individuals is to learn that often they attend class on an empty stomach as this is often their only option.”

Thusong Youth Centre could really use your help. If you have cleared out your closet recently or can donate food to assist in providing towards meals, your assistance would be most appreciated. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.

Join the #ChabaRebone dance workshops:

Every Saturday morning from 11:00 – 14:00 Thusong Youth Centre in Alexandra. All are welcome; young or old, professional and non-professional dancers.

{pp}Two weeks ago our minister of Education, Naledi Pandor, suggested that three year degree and Diploma programmes be stretched to four years, instead of three.

There are many reasons to disagree with this thinking.