Promoting positive youth development and creating excitement about technology and innovation remains one of the biggest priorities at mLab. With an understanding of the high need for programmes that engage young people in intentional, productive, and helpful ways to help them realise their potential or strengths, we make positive youth development efforts. 

Our efforts for positive youth development include hosting hackathons, virtual and physical workshops to stimulate entrepreneurial and innovative thinking.  

 A gist into the Northern Cape Tech Open Day events

Getting young people to be excited about technology and entrepreneurship, means that we have to go where they are and most importantly where we see the need for a revival of enthusiasm. 

As we try to build a digitally empowered tomorrow, we see the importance of introducing young people to technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), so we empower them with the necessary tools and information.

In the Northern Cape province, we hosted two ‘Tech Open Days’, on 18 May 2023 we visited Boston City College, and yesterday (24 May 2023) we went to Northern Cape Urban TVET College. 

Kabelo Gaotlhaelwe, who is a facilitator of our coding programme the CodeTribe Academy said, “I am happy to be able to impart skills to young people and I think doing activations in colleges or universities is crucial, these activations are an opportunity for youth to access information and to use it in the best ways possible”.

Why does mLab prioritise youth skills development?

South Africa has a critical skills shortage, according to the jobs portal Career Junction, the IT and finance sectors are the most affected by this shortage. 

Also taking into consideration the high rate of unemployment in the country, it is therefore important to prioritise youth skills development, to enhance their employability, hence we make efforts to engage them in technology and innovation. 

To name a few highlights from our youth skills development interventions, on 25 May 2023, participants of our short Internet of Things (IoT) course completed the programme and are graduating in Kimberley, in the Northern Cape.

Where gratitude is due, we would like to especially thank the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA), for partnering with us to make this prestigious programme a success.