South Africa is sounding the alarm about the digital skills gap. The urgency for digital talent is clear. The demand is real.
At mLab, this is not a new conversation; it is the mission that we pursue every day. Through our digital skills programmes, we are equipping young people with capabilities in emerging technologies that are shaping the new world of work.
So instead of asking where will this talent come from, perhaps the better question is: how do we put this talent forward?
Continue reading to see how mLab is responding.
“The shortage of digital skills in South Africa demands decisive action. In response, mLab has expanded its digital skills offerings to address various target audiences. These programmes include;
- CodeTribe Academy - for the aspiring Software Developer and Software Engineer - Web, Android and iOS.
- STEP UP - Cloud Administrator training with a suite of specialisations addressing the skills demand within SMMEs - Microsoft Azure, Salesforce, Zoho, AI prompting, digital marketing and cyber security.
- Data Annotation - data labelling text, images, video, and audio for AI model training.
- Introduction to the internet of things - a short course culminating in the development of IOT prototypes.
“We are intentional about the capabilities that we are equipping young people with. Our programmes don’t just teach - they bridge the gap, ushering youth from learning to earning, empowering small enterprises with digitisation potential to enable growth, and unlocking real opportunities for impact,” says Nicki Koorbanally, CEO.
Building on this commitment, we launched the first STEP UP programme in February 2025 in collaboration with Edunova under the Collective X industry initiative. Despite only being able to accommodate 17 youth in this initial pilot, we received an overwhelming response of over 3 000 applications, signalling the hunger from our youth to upskill themselves. The selected cohort was made up of 50% of females, testament to our commitment of closing the gender skills gap in the digital economy.
Fifteen trainees graduated (10 female and five male) from the skills training phase, and have been placed in a 12-month Work Integrated Learning programme among small and medium enterprises in sectors such as EdTech, digital marketing, e-commerce, IT, manufacturing and logistics.
The momentum continues with the call for a second cohort of STEP UP. A total of 231 youth were selected from over 1 500 applications, and inducted into the programme which kicked-off in January this year.
Applications for our 2026/27 CodeTribe Academy 12-month QCTO accredited programme for youth in the Northern Cape opened in February 2026. The programme targets unemployed youth who are looking to gain practical software development skills and start a career in tech.
We received a total of 344 applications, demonstrating strong interest in the opportunity. Based on available funding, 15 youth have been onboarded into the programme , 53% female (eight participants) and 47% male (seven participants).
The programme begins with a one-week bootcamp, followed by the shortlisting of candidates who are invited to the interview phase.
A needs-based subsidy is available for qualifying participants. Applications closed on 24 February 2026.
While delivering our full-time programmes, we heed the call for shorter training interventions in the ecosystem that build excitement about technology and the digital economy.
In January, we hosted Her-AI-Path, a dynamic workshop designed for women who want to start businesses or strengthen existing ones using artificial intelligence. The session introduced practical AI tools that can support and grow women entrepreneurs and young unemployed females in their entrepreneurial journeys.
The workshop was facilitated by our Technology Ecosystems Lead, Palesa Antony, at The Innovation Hub’s eKasiLabs in Soweto on 28 January 2026.
A disturbing trend to note though, is that whilst the ecosystem responds to calls with interest, often much fewer attend the actual events. mLab is taking a key interest in trying to understand the phenomenon. Some cited being unable to attend due to transport challenges, and other commitments.
A total of 26 women participated in the training with positive feedback about their learning opportunity
With the support of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), mLab is supporting early-stage entrepreneurs across three provinces to fast-track the growth of their ventures.
In November 2025, we onboarded 22 entrepreneurs into our start-up accelerator programme: seven from Limpopo, seven from KwaZulu-Natal, and eight from the Northern Cape.
Through the programme, entrepreneurs receive:
- Seed funding to unlock growth.
- Market research support to validate opportunities.
- Business de-risking guidance to strengthen sustainability.
- Access to networks and industry partners.
- Structured mentorship from experienced ecosystem players.
Further updates are coming soon.
“Our focus is not just on certification, but on building confident problem solvers who can adapt, innovate and add value in evolving digital environments. We call on companies, start-ups and organisations looking for capable, driven digital talent to partner with us and tap into this growing pipeline of skilled young professionals.”
"Graduates from our STEP UP II programme will be available to add value to businesses from July 2026, hence we are encouraging business leaders who are looking for trained digital talent to complete our expression of interest form to avoid disappointment and to facilitate our vetting and matchmaking process. Please express your interest here. " - Gugu Nkosi, mLab Project Manager.
Feel good story
We are proud to share that Northern Cape-based SME The StartUp Legal, a legal partner for South African start-ups and scaling businesses that offers tailored, practical legal services from employment law and contracts to intellectual property protection and business compliance, has hired two of our CodeTribe graduates.
Karabelo Pule Nthoroane has joined the team as Frontend Lead-UX and Consistency, and Lebogang as Backend Support Engineer - Integrations and Reliability.
Their skills and passion reflect our ongoing commitment to developing and supporting top digital talent. Read more of their stories and journey with mLab here.
mLab out and about
Tendai Mazhude spoke to Business Day TV about South African SMEs and the digital talent they need to grow and scale. mLab has been helping SMEs build this talent through the Step Up Programme, supporting businesses with the digital skills they need to succeed. Tendai chatted with Business Day TV reporter Khaka Ngcofe about this work. Watch the full interview here.
Let’s connect to absorb talent into your organisation, collaborate on training, co-create programmes, or partner with us to grow the ecosystem.
E-mail us at info@mlab.co.za.
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