In response to South Africa’s critical youth unemployment crisis and the growing demand for digital skills, OpenText South Africa has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to local skills development through its flagship graduate programme, the Sediba Digital Academy.
Now in its third year, the Sediba Academy is a strategic initiative designed to address the disconnect between academic qualifications and real-world ICT employability. Meaning “fountain” or “well” in Sesotho, Sediba symbolises a continuous source of knowledge and empowerment – an apt name for a programme that has already positively impacted thousands of young lives.
“The Sediba Digital Academy is more than a graduate programme – it’s a collaborative talent pipeline built on the African proverb, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’,” says Thabiso Hlatshwayo, Solution Consulting Senior Manager at OpenText. “We are proud to work with our customers, partners and staff to help South African youth realise their potential in the digital economy.”
The programme was established to address three core goals:
- Bridging the skills gap: With youth unemployment surpassing 40%, the academy trains graduates in high-demand ICT areas, including cyber security, AI, enterprise content management and information governance.
- Equipping graduates for the future: Training goes beyond OpenText technologies to include databases, servers, operating systems and soft skills like professional communication and presentation.
- Supporting national development priorities: The programme aligns with South Africa’s Skills Development Act and transformation objectives, with a strong focus on gender equity and youth empowerment.
What sets Sediba apart is its holistic, community-driven model:
- Customers such as SARS, Sanlam, SASSA, Western Cape Government, Umngeni-uThukela and eThekwini Municipality offer graduates real-world experience on live systems.
- SME partners like Dugson Consulting, Cestasoft and KJT provide mentorship and workplace exposure.
- OpenText staff, both local and global, volunteer as mentors to give graduates international perspectives and lifelong professional relationships.
To date, the programme has attracted over 3 000 candidates through a structured and values-driven selection process that considers not only academic qualifications, but also a candidate’s personal journey, preparation and potential. Participants range from diploma holders to master’s graduates in ICT-related disciplines.
The curriculum includes soft skills training, technical certification (fully funded by OpenText) and 10-11 months of immersive learning within partner and customer environments. The ultimate aim is full-time employment – and many graduates are hired by the very organisations they train with.
“Success is not just measured in certifications but in meaningful, lasting employment,” adds Allyson Towle, Marketing Manager and SMME Operations Manager at OpenText. “We are proud that many of our graduates now hold permanent roles with customers and partners who were part of their journey.”
Looking ahead, OpenText plans to continue expanding the Sediba Academy in alignment with its global strategic objectives and the evolving needs of its partner ecosystem.
“This is not a once-off programme – it’s a sustainable, scalable model to build a digitally empowered generation,” concludes Towle.
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