How learnerships tackle youth unemployment and change lives
In a recent report, Collective X highlights that in South Africa’s fast-evolving ICT sector, the demand for hands-on, technical skills often outpaces the supply, leaving many young people, even those with formal qualifications, locked out of stable, skills-based career opportunities. The reality is stark: diplomas and degrees don’t always translate into jobs, especially when entry-level roles require real-world experience, practical know-how, and digital fluency. That’s where structured, skills-based training programmes complement formal education.
Through targeted, SETA-accredited learnerships and internships that run for 12 months, Vuma is actively working to close these critical skills gaps. Each year, 15-25 unemployed youth are enrolled on the Vuma learnership programme to gain practical experience in network deployment, IT support and systems integration, while simultaneously developing essential soft skills like customer service, communication and workplace readiness. Offered in partnership with government and sector training authorities, this programme is designed to produce skilled, job-ready candidates for the growing fibre and ICT sectors.
Learners are placed directly into working environments where they gain, valuable experience that prepares them for long-term employment, either within Vuma, its partners or the wider tech ecosystem.
More than a tick-box exercise
“At Vuma, learnerships mean active involvement in day-to-day operations, from assisting with fibre installations and maintaining IT systems, to engaging with customers and working on real-time service delivery projects,” says Nishi Sharma, HR & Training Manager at Vuma. “They’re given tools, support and responsibility, and when positions open up, they’re the first people we look at. That’s the intention, to develop a pipeline of future leaders, not just employees.”
This was certainly the case for Boitshoko Rapudi, who joined the Vuma learnership programme in 2016 and climbed her way to success over the next nine years. “I was that girl,” she laughs. “Splicing fibre, climbing into ceilings, sometimes the only female on site, but I showed up every day and grew from installer to project manager, then facilitator, then customer experience in-land manager.”
Her journey began with the Monyetla Work Readiness Programme, a government-backed initiative designed to fast-track skills development in entry-level fibre roles. It wasn’t glamorous, from long hours and physical labour to the pressures of being the only woman in a male-dominated team, but it laid the foundation for a fulfilling career.
For Skhumbuzo Masondo, joining the Vuma learnership programme led to finding his purpose. “I came in with no work experience, just hope,” he says. Through the SETA-accredited programme, he gained hands-on exposure to technical support and internal systems like Salesforce. Today, he’s part of the provisioning team, helping activate and support fibre installations across the country and paying forward the knowledge he’s gained to recruits coming in. “For me, progress only means something if it helps someone else too. My goal has always been to uplift the next person coming in behind me.”
Sharma adds that the programme’s strong placement rate is what keeps the momentum going and what justifies continued SETA funding. “Our learners don’t just disappear after training. They get placed with us, our partners, or other businesses in the sector. These programmes deliver real ROI, not just for the learner, but for the economy,” concludes Sharma.
Recently, a group of 25 unemployed youth were enrolled in a theoretical training programme in Cape Town, starting a transformative journey to gain valuable skills and prepare for their future careers.
Read the article here: https://lifestyleandtech.co.za...