• MTN is celebrating a new cohort of graduates from its Digital Skills for Digital Jobs initiative.
• The latest group sees 742 out of 900 graduates complete the 12-month digital skills course.
• MTN has struck a new deal with local youth employment accelerator Harambee.

Out of the 900 young South Africans that entered the MTN Digital Skills for Digital Jobs initiative in 2024, 742 have emerged as graduates with newfound digital skills and readiness to leap into the world of work, the telecom says in an announcement.

MTN launched the latest edition of the Digital Skills for Digital Jobs initiative last year following a R14 million investment and took in 100 South Africans from each of the country’s nine provinces for 12 months of upskilling and education which included MICT-accredited subjects like basic end-computing, coding, web design, robotics, AI, and “other essential skills to prepare them for a future in the competitive IT sector.”

It initially received over 5 300 applications to be part of the 2024 cohort.

The whole point of the initiative, part of MTN’s corporate responsibility plans, is to bring more opportunities to young people to find meaningful employment in tech-aligned spaces. The telecom says that data from many different analysis groups have found that Africa continues to lack in digital skills.

“The challenge in Africa, and particularly in South Africa, is to create opportunities that provide access to world-class training and resources in digital and financial literacy, work readiness, mentorship, and job placement services,” says Arthur Mukhuvha, General Manager of the MTN SA Foundation, its philanthropy arm.

In particular, South Africa continues to be held back by rampant youth unemployment, with over 44.3 percent of the population between 15 and 34 sitting without work or higher education opportunities, per Stats SA, despite a meagre gain in overall employment at the end of 2024.

“Against this backdrop, it is vital that young people are given opportunities to unlock their potential and contribute value to the economy as employees or by pursuing an entrepreneurial path and eventually becoming employers in their own right,” Mukhuvha adds.

As part of its ongoing upskilling drive, MTN says it has struck a partnership with Harambee, a local youth employment accelerator that specialises in connecting first-time job seekers with employers through its SA Youth Mobi app.

“As part of this collaboration, the 1 800 youth from the 2023 and 2024 programmes will be introduced to Harambee’s SA Youth Mobi platform, which will connect them to job opportunities, entrepreneurial support, and additional skills development resources,” MTN explains.

However, anyone can sign up for the free-to-use Youth Mobi app from Harambee, where young people between the ages of 18 and 34 can join the network and apply for learnerships, bursaries and work experience opportunities from “trusted partners” like Standard Bank and McDonalds.

[Images – Provided]