To tackle South Africa’s current crisis of youth unemployment, GirlCode has announced a new Digital Skills Employment Acceleration Programme initiative for women.
This program aims to train unemployed young women in essential software development and work readiness skills, paving the way to meaningful, sustainable employment in South Africa’s growing technology industry.
According to Stats SA, nearly half of South African women between the ages of 15 and 34 remain unemployed and are not studying or in training. Women also remain vastly underrepresented in the tech space, holding fewer than one in four tech jobs nationally. Zandile Mkwanazi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GirlCode, says the program goes beyond learning how to code to ensure the opening of doors to meaningful employment and long-term financial independence.
“This program is designed to be a direct bridge between learning and earning. We’ve designed it to create real economic opportunity for women who are all too often locked out of both education and employment,” says Mkwanazi. “The objective is to provide young women with the tools, support and access they need to get their foot in the door and stay there.”
Open to applicants from across the country, it runs for three months on a full-time basis and includes mentorship, practical training, and sessions focused on preparing participants for the world of work. Learners will need to have access to a laptop and a stable internet connection, and mentors will be assigned for the duration of the course to support learners through both the technical curriculum and softer skills needed to thrive in a corporate environment.
The first cohort of learners has already secured funding thanks to a Grant from Accenture, while GirlCode is currently engaging with additional employer partners to facilitate job placements after graduation. The organization is calling on corporates, particularly in the tech and digital space, to get involved by offering job placements, mentorship, or funding future cohorts.