How Naspers Labs is Tackling Youth Unemployment with an Expert Ecosystem

South Africa needs tech talent. Young people who can build secure software, manage cloud infrastructure, defend networks against cyber threats, and support the digital systems that keep businesses running. The demand is real, and it is growing.

Naspers Labs is meeting that demand head-on through its Digital Skills Accelerator programmes, building a direct pipeline between technical training and entry-level employment in some of the industry’s most sought-after fields. 

Recognising that it cannot solve youth unemployment alone, Naspers Labs has built an ecosystem of implementation experts and capacity builders. These partners are the specialised engines delivering skills programmes across South Africa, both in-person and online:

1. CapaCiTi (UVU Africa): Software Development, AI, Data Analysis, DevOps, Cybersecurity, IT Support, and Networking.  
2. Dynamic DNA: Data Science, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Engineering.  
3.  Afrika Tikkun: Software Development, Modern Desktop, Cloud Development, Java Development, Cloud Administration, and Data Analysis.  
4.  Abaguquli: Generic Management, Data Analysis, Cybersecurity, and Digital Safety.

These technical skills are combined with workplace readiness training, ensuring graduates are prepared not just for the interview but for the job itself.

The evidence is in the people

Zukisa Maliwa from Paarl in the Eastern Cape had never properly engaged with computers until university. Through CAPACITI, an implementation partner funded by Naspers Labs, he trained in software development, learning React and other technical skills at an AWS training centre. He doesn’t sugarcoat the experience: “Believe me, the training was hard and the tests were tough.” But he came through it: “I made it.” Today, he is building a career in software development with ambitions to own his own tech company.

Lerato Tsuletsi from Everton West in the Vaal originally set her sights on medicine. After moving into IT through a Naspers Labs-funded learnership, she discovered a field far broader than she had imagined. Today, she works in network engineering, with ambitions to become indispensable in her field.

These are two different people, with two different paths, but one shared outcome – meaningful employment in tech.

What the numbers confirm

Since April 2022, Naspers Labs has:

• Trained 7,191 young people
• Created 6,241 entry-level jobs
• Ensured 65% of beneficiaries are young women
• Supported 5% of beneficiaries who are young people with disabilities

These aren’t aspirational figures. They are the direct result of deliberate, focused investment in technical skills training and employment placement.

How to get involved

Programmes are open to unemployed graduates from historically disadvantaged backgrounds between the ages of 18 and 34. Applications are made directly through partner websites, where candidates can find the right programme for their qualifications and interests.

The skills shortage in South Africa is real, but so is the talent. Naspers Labs is making sure those two things find each other.

Find out more and apply at naspers.com/naspers-labs

This post is sponsored by Naspers Labs and produced by Media24 Advertising and Content Marketing for News24