Shaun Fuchs advocates for creating job creators this Youth Month

As South Africa grapples with staggering youth unemployment rates – 61% among 15 to 24-year-olds and 40% among 25 to 34-year-olds – the urgency to equip matriculants with tech skills and entrepreneurial know-how has reached a critical juncture.

Read more: Roedean School victorious in Crawford International Lonehill’s U15 Shaun Fuchs water polo tournament

Shaun Fuchs, CEO and founder of Centennial Schools, said as we wrap up Youth Month the education system must take a proactive approach to developing young tech leaders and entrepreneurs who can create their opportunities and drive economic growth.

By fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, the next generation will be empowered to tackle unemployment and shape a brighter future for themselves and the country.

Also read: Jobseekers kicked out by community

“Given our economic outlook and ever-increasing unemployment rate, young South Africans can’t rely purely on the formal sector for employment. It’s become imperative that we equip our youth with the skills and acumen they need to start and run businesses that thrive. We must create a generation that is not only employable but also capable of creating employment.”

He said a recent report had highlighted the severe shortage of tech skills in the market, with four in five South African organisations reporting negative effects due to this insufficiency.

The most in-demand skills include cybersecurity and data analytics, coding, and digital transformation. When recruiting, more than two-thirds of companies cite technical skills as an important attribute, even though most of them look for digital transformation capabilities.

Fuchs believes that democratising these tech skills for the youth is crucial, as it not only addresses this critical gap but also empowers a new generation to drive innovation, economic growth, and social progress in an increasingly digital world.

Fuchs, who is also a serial entrepreneur, said these were future-forward skills that young people needed to integrate successfully into the business landscape and attain economic independence.

“We have an increasingly skills-intensive labour market that is failing to create jobs for millions of unskilled youth, and this is compounded by a deteriorating education system that continues to churn out a largely unskilled workforce. The result is a gross mismatch between labour supply and demand. We need to strive towards creating a new generation of leaders who are ready to tackle the challenges of the future job market.”

Related article: Netcare warns jobseekers and offers these tips