One year after announcing its partnership with the South African government’s Jobs Fund, Microsoft South Africa and partners such as the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA), the MICT SETA and business training partner Nethope have introduced the first group of Student2Business graduates.

The first 499 students have completed their internships under the Student2Business programme. In addition to these graduates, there are a further 700 young people who are still undergoing internships and are on track to finish during this calendar year.

“The major success factor of this internship programme lies in the fact that 80% of the graduating students have gone on to find formal employment in the ICT sector this year,” says Nqobile Dlamini, citizenship lead at Microsoft SA.
“This is a substantial achievement that is sorely needed in light of the World Economic Forum’s scathing Global Risk 2014 report stating that South Africa has the third highest unemployment rate globally among its youth.”

South Africa’s ICT sector is a key area in which the youth can make a real difference to the country’s future success by addressing current economic challenges and employment problems head-on.

“The Student2Business programme is one of the Microsoft’s 4Afrika initiative success stories which in this instance aims to develop skills of all Africans. In this way and as a proudly South African company, we are able to assist and guide many more South African job seekers to gain relevant industry experience and secure future employment opportunities,” says Dlamini.

“The Student2Business programme has had a huge impact on my life and it is because of this initiative that I am the person I am today,” says Benathi Mkatshane, Student2Business graduate. “This programme had done a lot of things for me that I didn’t expect, such as sponsoring my courses and assisting me to build my personal brand. In addition, Student to Business supported me in my career, and pushed me to be successful.”

Natalie Pillai, HR Consultant in the Risk Intelligence & Business Intelligence division at Discovery Health, sheds light on the benefits of the Student to Business programme from an employer’s perspective.

“It can sometimes be difficult to find the graduates who possess the right set of skills, technological literacy, and attitude to fit in with our company. Thanks to this internship programme, we get to work with students for a year to mould them and provide them with on-the-job skills they require to become invaluable future Discovery employees.”

Najwah Edries, National Treasury Head of Employment and Social Security PMU, adds, “Government’s motivation with the Jobs Fund is to create jobs by supporting initiatives that generate employment in innovative ways. The Student2Business internship programme is the perfect vehicle through which to create quality and sustainable employment opportunities for the youth of South Africa.”

Since inception, a total of 8 000 students have been through the Student2Business programme since it started, with 1 236 of these benefitting from the initiative just during the last year. In total, more than 3 000 graduates over the next two years will be trained and will embark upon careers within the ICT sector with companies looking for new talent.