mLab and GIZ Partner to Boost Youth Employment Through STEP UP II Digital Skills Programme
The DS4JI II project’s objective is to enhance employment opportunities for youth and refine integration of support services to facilitate successful transition of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) into the digital labour market.
mLab announced a new partnership with the Digital Skills for Jobs and Income II (DS4JI II) project to implement cloud computing career path measures through the STEP UP II programme. The DS4JI II project’s objective is to enhance employment opportunities for youth and refine integration of support services to facilitate successful transition of youth not in education, employment or training (NEET) into the digital labour market.
Through this partnership, mLab will run the second cohort of Step Up, a programme that empowers unemployed youth with digital, cloud computing, workplace readiness, and entrepreneurial skills while also supporting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Step Up first launched in February this year in partnership with Edunova, where 17 young people from Daveyton, Gauteng, trained for six months to become System Administrators. After learning cloud computing technologies, they were placed for 12 months within SMEs that needed digital skills to grow their businesses. Importantly, 59% of the participants were female and 41% were male, showing mLab’s strong focus on gender inclusion.
100 young people will be trained in digital skills and placed with SMEs
With the support of GIZ, Step Up II is advancing and expanding on the success of STEP UP I. This time, the programme will train 100 young people in Gauteng, Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Limpopo. The programme is open to NEET youth with a matric pass (NQF 4) up to those with TVET college higher qualifications such as diplomas and degrees (NQF 5–7). Along with cloud computing certifications that meet specific employer requirements, industry mentorship and work readiness training, participants will gain new in demand skills such as digital marketing and the responsible use of AI for work efficiency.
The programme also aims to guide youth as they move from training into cloud computing jobs and provide cloud and digital services as freelancers in the gig economy.
“The DS4JI II project supports career-oriented training measures that create clear pathways into employment for youth, with a strong focus on young women. Programmes such as STEP UP II equip young people with targeted skills that respond to needs of businesses, enabling them to successfully transition from learning to earning.”
– Tshepiso Teffo, Senior Technical Advisor, GIZ
“At mLab, we see Step Up as more than just a training programme. It is a bridge that connects young people to real economic opportunities while also strengthening the businesses that drive our economy. By equipping youth with digital skills and supporting SMEs, we are creating an ecosystem where both talent and enterprise can flourish.”
– Tendai Mazhude, Chief Operating Officer (COO), mLab
“Gender representation remains central to this programme. In Step Up I, we were proud to see more young women participating, and in Step Up II we continue to prioritise female youth and persons living with disabilities.”
– Gugu Nkosi, Project Manager, mLab
