The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has partnered with technology training and career development company ALX to equip South Africa’s youth with digital and entrepreneurial skills.

The partnership will leverage the strengths of both organisations to make high-quality digital learning resources in IT, management and business available to South Africa’s youth.

The partnership is also to raise awareness that ALX’s technology training and career programmes are fully sponsored.

The ALX training programmes include Virtual Assistant, AI Career Essentials, and Professional Foundations courses, which are provided through online and in-person training.

The partners will scale out ALX’s digital courses and leadership programmes across the NYDA’s online platforms.

By standardising and expanding the reach of ALX’s courses, the partners will enable more youngsters to harness the power of technology to establish and grow their businesses or secure meaningful employment.

“Our partnership with ALX will provide our youth with the tools and knowledge needed to participate in the digital economy, ensuring that they are not left behind in this constantly evolving world that’s heavily driven by technology,” says NYDA CEO Waseem Carrim.

“The aim is to develop leadership skills, bolster entrepreneurship and promote technological advancement among the nation’s young people, and ultimately contribute to a more robust and resilient economy. This is necessary to drive economic growth and address the country's very high unemployment rate,” he says.

Further, one of the collaboration’s strategic goals is to educate young people about the myriad opportunities within the digital economy and demonstrate how ALX’s programmes can propel and future-proof their careers.

By focusing on recruitment and outreach, the partnership will increase the number of South African youth enrolling in these technology training courses, thereby expanding their career prospects and contributing to national economic growth, Carrim says.

ALX aims to have taken two-million young Africans through its training programmes by 2025, with a target of reaching three-million by 2030.

According to the latest Statistics South Africa statistics, 60.8% of youth aged 15 to 24 years, and 41.7% of those aged 25 to 34 years, are unemployed.

Digital transformation offers enormous potential for youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, yet many young people in South Africa lack the skills needed to capitalise on the rapidly growing technology sector.

“Our mission at ALX is to bridge the digital divide by removing barriers to entry for African youth. By partnering with the NYDA, we aim to reach more young people and provide them with access to world-class education that is not only accessible and affordable but also tailored to the demands of the global digital economy,” says ALX South Africa GM Divesh Sooka.

Geographic remoteness, security risks and lack of financial resources continue to hinder access to learning and lifelong-learning opportunities for many young South Africans, particularly in rural areas and marginalised communities, says Carrim.

This partnership will make ALX’s programmes widely available, ensuring that even the most disadvantaged youth have the opportunity to build a better future, he says.