South Africa is faced with a major challenge of high unemployment for young people, associated with a difference in digital skills. The disconnection between the skills that graduates and the requirements of the modern labor market require innovative training programs to fill the gap.
Recent statistics paint a brutal table. The country's unemployment rate has climbed 32.9% In the first quarter of 2025, young people aged 15 to 34 assigned disproportionately. According to statistics SA, a significant increase in unemployment figures.
World economic forums 2025 job future report Underlines similar concerns, revealing that more than 60% of African companies identify skills shortages as a major obstacle to business transformation. The reduction of the workforce is crucial to prepare individuals for the evolution of the employment landscape.
Although these statistics are worrying, they also highlight a critical opportunity: to equip young people with the skills necessary to prosper in a quick digitization economy.
While South Africa celebrates youth month, it is imperative to focus on the empowerment of young people with the skills they need to obtain a job and actively participate in the digital economy.
An initiative meeting this need is the TCS Makers Club, which has expanded its successful skills development program to Kwazulu-Natal, based on its presence established in Gauteng. The TCS Makers Club aims to cultivate a pipeline of qualified technology professionals capable of navigating in the complexities of Fourth industrial revolution.
The current cohort in Durban includes 26 graduates participating in a 12-month program, emphasizing the attracting of talented students from various communities and underrepresented across South Africa. The group includes disabled students, a large percentage of students and individuals from marginalized environments.
Skills development for the future
As the world of work changes due to the improvement of technologies, skills such as the development of IoT, robotics and the use of AI have become essential to prepare employees for jobs for the future. The country's industrial robotics market is currently experiencing significant growth, the sector planned to reach 17 million rands by 2030. This growth should be driven by the demand for automation in different industries.
With the TCS Makers Club, the program focuses on practical application, encouraging participants to develop real world solutions to daily challenges. It promotes a community of problems of problems and creative thinkers ready to stimulate innovation.
In partnership with Oceans Ahead Holdings, this program aligns with the country's Babee skills development objectives and is equivalent to a level 4 qualification of the NQF.
“Throughout the 12 -month period, participants should reach a high level of competence in the main areas of digital skills, measured by standardized assessments,” explains Langa Dube, regional director of TCS South Africa & Rest of Africa. “The program has already demonstrated promising results. Students emerge quickly as leaders in the technological community. ”
In particular, the Durban cohort was selected as one of the two teams to represent South Africa during the regional finals of the Huawei ICT AI Track competition, where their innovative Ferrite Magneto filtration system has attracted significant attention.
They also obtained more than R224,000 in financing intellectual property of the Moses Kotane Institute, which will be used for copyright their prototype Magneto ferrite filtration system. At the same time, three of the learners who are part of the cohort were part of the TCS Sustainathon Top 10 directors, demonstrating their commitment to sustainability and innovation.
A personal trip: the story of Sophia Sithe
Among the many inspiring participants is Sophia Sithe, a 21 -year -old from the canton of Alexandra and raised in Rustenburg. Sithe is a second -year business student at the Regent Business School and embodies the TCS Makers Club transformer potential.
“I first learned the TCS Makers Club during a class of social problems, where our speaker presented an exciting opportunity to explore the technology and the coding of the Internet of Things (IoT),” she says. “The prospect of acquiring practical experience in emerging technologies immediately captured my interest, and I decided to adopt this chance of personal and professional growth without hesitation.”
Thanks to its participation, Sophia has acquired invaluable technical skills, in particular in the programming and the development of software. Beyond the technical aspects, it has considerably improved its collaboration capacities, learning to work effectively within various teams.
“The skills I have acquired thanks to this program have already resulted in tangible entrepreneurial success,” she explains.
With her colleagues, she created a company called Tinkers Club, which visits educational establishments to present to students IoT concepts and coding fundamentals.
“This company shows how the program equipped me both with the technical expertise and the business sense necessary for the real application and the social impact.”
Jadean Wright: Defending innovation and inclusion
Another out -of -competition participant is Jadean Wright, 23, from Wentworth, Durban. Wright's academic journey began in the electric light current, ending its NQF 4 in basic electronics. Currently, she finishes her diploma in HR and her NQF 4 in IoT.
Innovative, feminist and activist, Wright's journey reflects the empowerment favored by the TCS Makers Club. Within the club, she acquired a wide variety of skills, including general skills and project management skills.
“These skills are not only theoretical. I am equipped with the skills necessary to navigate now in space and start my own business, as well as to expand any job possibilities. ”
Support is a cornerstone of the club's success, students receiving facilitators mentoring while obtaining the support of other manufacturers.
After a few months as part of the program, Wright already gives back to the community.
“With one of my partners, we founded a project called The Brocode, where we help men previously incarcerated by providing rehabilitation and strengthening them with technological skills,” she says.
The TCS Makers Club is a headlight of hope and innovation for young people in South Africa, not only offering technical training, but a holistic platform for personal growth, entrepreneurship and community elevation. While more young people like Sophia Sithe and Jadean Wright take the mantle of change, the future of South African digital economy It looks brighter than ever.
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