Corporate leaders and youth development organisations met in Sandton to discuss how volunteering could be structured into pathways to employment for young South Africans.
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With an estimated two million young people unemployed in South Africa, business leaders, volunteer organisations and youth development practitioners say skills training alone is not enough, arguing that young people need clear pathways into jobs through internships, mentorship and workplace experience.
The issue took centre stage during a strategic dialogue hosted by Discovery in partnership with the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) at the organisation's Sandton head office, where delegates discussed how corporate volunteering could be used to improve youth employability.
Speaking at the event, Andronica Mabuya, head of corporate social investment at the financial services organisation, said many young people remained excluded from employment despite having the talent to succeed.
"The purpose of this platform is to co-create and ideate solutions for young people. We believe that many young people are sitting at home without employment not because they lack talent, but because clear pathways have not been created for them," she said.
"As corporates, we need to step up and take shared responsibility – not only within our own sectors, but by working together to find meaningful, scalable solutions. If we continue to operate in silos, we will not achieve the necessary impact or realise the true return on investment in youth initiatives."
Participants said youth development programmes needed to go beyond online learning by combining technical skills with mentorship, practical workplace exposure and opportunities for employment.
Nichole Cirillo, executive director of the International Association for Volunteer Effort, shared global insights from the organisation's Call to Action for the Future of Volunteering, which encourages governments, businesses and civil society to strengthen support for volunteers as part of broader sustainable development efforts.
Cirillo also highlighted preparations for the United Nations' International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development in 2026, saying South Africa could demonstrate how volunteering contributes to employability, resilience and economic inclusion.
Among the programmes discussed was IBM's SkillsBuild initiative, which provides free training in areas including artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science and cloud computing.
Through IAVE's Reskilling Revolution Africa initiative, delivered in partnership with IBM SkillsBuild and local implementing organisations, more than 54,000 learners across Africa have participated in the programme. According to organisers, participants have earned more than 2,000 digital credentials while completing over 153,000 learning hours.
Langelihle Gumede of Lungelo Youth Development told delegates that many young people continued to face barriers including limited access to digital devices, internet connectivity and guidance into unfamiliar industries.
"Not just skills. We need real pathways. Internships, learnerships, a first job. Without that visible destination, the journey feels pointless," Gumede said.
Discussions also focused on the importance of designing programmes with communities rather than for them, with participants highlighting mentorship, facilitator support and local context as key factors in keeping young people engaged.
Technology platform Zlto also presented its digital volunteering and rewards system, which enables young people to earn incentives for participating in community projects, learning programmes and entrepreneurship activities.
According to organisers, the platform has nearly 1.5 million registered users, has facilitated more than 3.3 million transactions and recorded about 2.7 million volunteer and learning hours.
The dialogue concluded with participants discussing ways for businesses, implementation partners and volunteer organisations to work together on youth employment initiatives ahead of the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development in 2026.
The event's central message was that volunteering should not be viewed as an end in itself, but as one of several tools that can help young South Africans move into meaningful employment when combined with skills development, mentorship and opportunities in the labour market.