MTN SA Foundation Launches Digital Skills Program to Tackle Youth Unemployment

MTN SA Foundation has unveiled the “Digital Skills for Digital Jobs” program, aiming to benefit up to 900 unemployed young individuals in South Africa. This initiative marks the foundation’s first-ever program targeting youth unemployment and seeks to equip participants with digital qualifications and essential life and entrepreneurship skills.

Our main aim is to ensure local skills align with the demands of the fourth industrial revolution and enable South Africans to participate meaningfully in the African digital advertising market, which is growing every day.

We are seeking to provide a meaningful roadmap to employment and success for the 2023 beneficiaries who started the pilot programme at the beginning of June – appropriately Youth Month in South Africa. The selected participants will undertake three months of digital marketing training skills, followed by two months of life skills and entrepreneurship training.

Arthur Mukhuvha, General Manager, MTN SA Foundation

During the program, participants will acquire knowledge in website design, HTML, website development tools, and e-commerce website management. The life skills and entrepreneurship module includes soft skill development, crafting effective CVs, and a comprehensive week-long course on business startup.

MTN highlights the program’s collaboration with regional municipalities, the National Youth Development Agency, and the City of Johannesburg, which will assist graduates in finding employment opportunities.

The program targets 900 individuals across all nine provinces, with a focus on ICT sector job-seekers, marginalized black women, youth, and people with disabilities. MTN SA Foundation aims to provide a meaningful pathway to employment and success for the selected beneficiaries, equipping them with crucial skills to navigate the digital job market and contribute to South Africa’s digital economy.