The new initiative equips young women with tech training and mentorship to tackle youth unemployment and open doors to careers in the digital economy
Johannesburg, South Africa (02 September 2025) – With South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis still alarmingly high, a new initiative by GirlCode is offering young women a chance to step into the country’s growing tech sector.
The organisation has introduced the Digital Skills Employment Acceleration Programme for Women, designed to provide unemployed women aged 18 to 35 with in-demand software development and work readiness skills.
According to Stats SA, nearly half of South African women between the ages of 15 and 34 are unemployed and not in education or training. On top of that, women remain underrepresented in the tech space, holding fewer than one in four jobs nationally. GirlCode is doing so much more than equipping young women; they are also aiming to close the visibility gap in the tech space. GirlCode Founder and CEO, Zandile Mkwanazi, says the programme was created to change this reality.
“This programme is designed to be a direct bridge between learning and earning. We’ve designed it to create real economic opportunity for women who are all too often locked out of both education and employment,” says Zandile. “The objective is to provide young women with the tools, support and access they need to get their foot in the door and stay there.”
The full-time programme runs for three months and combines mentorship, technical training and workplace preparation sessions. Participants will need a laptop and reliable internet access, and each learner will be paired with a mentor for guidance on both coding and the softer skills required to thrive in a corporate environment.
Funding for the first intake has already been secured through a grant from corporate investors. GirlCode is also working with employer partners to help graduates find placements, while encouraging more companies in the digital and tech space to support by offering jobs, mentorship, or funding.
Zandile stresses that this is not just a short-term project.
“This is a long-term play. We want to build a pipeline of female talent who are work-ready, certified and plugged into South Africa’s digital economy,” she says.
Those interested in supporting the initiative or finding out more can visit here.
Sources: Supplied
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