More than 150 unemployed young South Africans have completed the Telkom Foundation's RT15 ICT Skills Learnership Programme and secured accredited qualifications to improve their prospects in the job market.
Delivered in partnership with Telkom Consumer, the programme forms part of a five-year Supplier Development and Localisation Initiative with the National Treasury.
According to Telkom, learners receive not only training and connectivity support but also structured workplace exposure and pathways into economic participation through partnerships with corporates and SMEs.
“As businesses increasingly adopt technologies such as cloud computing, cyber security, data and AI, success depends less on access to technology and more on having people who can apply it effectively to solve real business challenges,” said Loraine Vorster, VP for sub-Saharan Africa at CompTIA.
Each year, the programme recruits 210 unemployed young people from across SA and equips them with MICT SETA-certified NQF level four and five qualifications in marketing, telecommunications networks, systems development and business analysis.
To date, 1 106 learners have been trained through the programme, supported by an investment of more than R85 million over the past five years.
According to Telkom, 22 participants from the last cohort have secured permanent or temporary employment, while two have continued their studies and one has launched a business.
The Telkom Foundation's programme joins similar industry-led digital skills initiatives, such as the MTN Foundation's ICT learnership, which provides accredited training and workplace experience to unemployed youth as part of broader efforts to strengthen SA's digital skills pipeline.
The programme is being run amid persistently high levels of youth unemployment. Statistics SA's Q1 2026 Labour Force Survey recorded unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 stood at 45.8%, rising to 60.9% for those aged 15 to 24.
Telkom previously spoke to ITWeb about the importance of expanding access to digital education through initiatives that equip learners from disadvantaged communities with learning resources.
“To address the country’s unemployment crisis, it is incumbent on the private sector to create sustainable pathways for employment for the youth,” said Judy Vilakazi, head of the Telkom Foundation. “This begins with recognising that academic qualifications, structured business training and workplace exposure are critical building blocks of an ecosystem that works.
“With this programme, Telkom is not only building individual capability but also developing a pipeline of skilled young talent ready to contribute to the ICT sector, strengthen local supplier capacity and advance South Africa’s digital economy,” Vilakazi added.
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