JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 26th, 2025-/African Media Agency(AMA)/- Nearly 90 per cent of 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 are in low-and middle-income countries, and an estimated 22 percent do not have jobs and are not in education or training. In sub-Saharan Africa specifically, 21.9 percent of young people fall into this category.

The digital skills divide between young people and employers is a big challenge and contributes to a high youth unemployment rate, particularly in the Global South. The SAP Educate to Employ initiative is a digital pathway which aims to address this challenge and enable young people’s skills for a digital economy. Set-up in Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a public-private-youth ecosystem from UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited, the initiative connects young people with real opportunities for learning and work.

Globally, young people are three times more likely to be unemployed than adults. In South Africa, this reality hits home for 27-year-old Edmond Shange, who—like many of his peers—continues to struggle to find work despite finishing high school.

Printing CVs and travelling to hand them in costs money – a resource South Africa’s unemployed youth can barely afford. Yet, according to Edmond, as many as 300 young people often line up at a single employer to submit their applications. “I faced a lot of challenges trying to apply for jobs,” he says. “It’s very tough for young people like me.” His experience reflects a broader crisis. “In Africa, over 70% of the population are young people, and another four million enter the job market every year, competing for fewer than half a million new jobs,” notes Nadi Albino, Deputy Director at UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited.

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Internationally, 65 per cent of teenagers lack the digital skills required for 90 per cent of today’s jobs. The fast-changing global economy demands increasingly specialised expertise, but many young people are not learning the skills they need to secure these opportunities.

The search for virtual upskilling led Edmond to the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a public-private-youth ecosystem supported by UNICEF’s Generational Unlimited, which offers opportunities for young people to learn, earn, and create impact. It was during his pathway to employment where Edmond was first introduced to SAP Educate to Employ, an SAP initiative delivered to YOMA through the implementing partner, Umuzi. His curriculum comprised of 700 hours of targeted training focused on building soft skills and technical expertise.

After completing the course, Edmond says he feels much more confident with his skills. As a result, he has recently secured an internship as a software developer at a startup gaming company based at Wits University Tshimologong Precinct.

Whether young people are educated, trained or employed has significant implications for their overall well-being and ability to promote future economic growth, development and sociopolitical stability. Unfortunately, most traditional education systems do not address the emerging youth digital skills gap. 

This realisation was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the initiative. “SAP Educate to Employ was created to support young people who are neither in education nor employment, providing them with training, certification, and guidance to access roles within our ecosystem,” explains Eugene Ho who leads SAP’s global CSR flagship skilling programs targeted at youths in need.  

“Through a multilayered curriculum, the initiative has successfully helped candidates with high-school qualifications,” he says. “The initiative provides young people with the tools, the skills, and the resources that they need to secure employment or to employ”, adds Nadi Albino in an SAP News interview. 

Internationally, 65 per cent of teenagers lack the digital skills required for 90 per cent of today’s jobs. The fast-changing global economy demands increasingly specialised expertise, but many young people are not learning the skills they need to secure these opportunities.

The search for virtual upskilling led Edmond to the Youth Agency Marketplace (YOMA), a public-private-youth ecosystem supported by UNICEF’s Generational Unlimited, which offers opportunities for young people to learn, earn, and create impact. It was during his pathway to employment where Edmond was first introduced to SAP Educate to Employ, an SAP initiative delivered to YOMA through the implementing partner, Umuzi. His curriculum comprised of 700 hours of targeted training focused on building soft skills and technical expertise. 

After completing the course, Edmond says he feels much more confident with his skills. As a result, he has recently secured an internship as a software developer at a startup gaming company based at Wits University Tshimologong Precinct. 

Whether young people are educated, trained or employed has significant implications for their overall well-being and ability to promote future economic growth, development and sociopolitical stability. Unfortunately, most traditional education systems do not address the emerging youth digital skills gap. 

This realisation was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the initiative. “SAP Educate to Employ was created to support young people who are neither in education nor employment, providing them with training, certification, and guidance to access roles within our ecosystem,” explains Eugene Ho who leads SAP’s global CSR flagship skilling programs targeted at youths in need.  

“Through a multilayered curriculum, the initiative has successfully helped candidates with high-school qualifications,” he says. “The initiative provides young people with the tools, the skills, and the resources that they need to secure employment or to employ”, adds Nadi Albino in an SAP News interview. 

UNICEF does not endorse any company, brand, organization, product or service.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of SAP Africa.

Visit the SAP News Center. Follow SAP on Twitter at @SAPNews.

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