EduPower Creates Employment for 20 Learners Through Innovative B-BBEE Learnership Model

EduPower Creates Employment for 20 Learners Through Innovative B-BBEE Learnership Model

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Training provider transforms learnerships into permanent jobs for unemployed youth

Learnerships are widely recognised as a powerful tool to develop work-ready skills for South Africa’s unemployed youth. But EduPower Skills Academy is proving that skills development can go even further — by turning training into real, permanent employment.

In a major milestone, EduPower has created full-time jobs for 20 of its graduate learners, offering them life-changing opportunities beyond training certificates.

A New Approach to Skills Development

According to Rajan Naidoo, Managing Director of EduPower, the Academy recognised early on that South Africa’s unemployment crisis required more than traditional training models.

“In 2019, the writing was on the wall that unemployment was going to skyrocket. We decided to do something about it,” says Naidoo.

That decision led to the development of a powerful absorption model — one that recruits, trains, provides work experience, and ultimately employs learners once they complete their learnerships.

From Training to Employment: How the Absorption Model Works

EduPower’s absorption model goes beyond certification. It is built on a clear pathway:

  1. Recruit unemployed learners
  2. Deliver accredited learnership training
  3. Provide structured workplace experience
  4. Offer permanent employment opportunities

This approach ensures learners are not left behind after qualifying — a challenge many South African graduates face.

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Proven Success and Growing Impact

EduPower piloted the model in 2020, absorbing three graduate learners into employment. The success of that pilot directly led to the current intake of 20 employed graduates.

Looking ahead, EduPower plans to:

  • Create jobs for over 100 learners by 2022
  • Continue expanding opportunities in the years that follow
  • Prioritise inclusion, with more than half of beneficiaries being people with disabilities

This demonstrates how inclusive skills development can deliver meaningful economic impact.

Graduate Learners Become the Workforce

Some of the 20 graduates have joined EduPower directly. From April 2021, an impressive 70% of EduPower’s staff will be made up of its own graduate learners.

Beyond internal roles, many employment opportunities are created through entrepreneurship and small business operations, where learners become part of growing SMEs.

Collaboration With B-BBEE Sponsor Companies

EduPower’s absorption model is powered through collaboration with South African blue-chip corporates.

For B-BBEE Skills Development, sponsor companies:

  • Fund recruitment and training
  • Provide partial funding for absorption into employment
  • Support long-term job creation

In return, companies benefit from:

  • Skilled, job-ready talent
  • Sustainable transformation impact
  • Five bonus points on the B-BBEE scorecard for absorption

Training With a Purpose

At the heart of EduPower’s success is a simple philosophy:
Training is not the goal — employment is.

Too many graduates remain unemployed despite having qualifications, often because they lack work experience or references. EduPower’s model addresses this gap by ensuring graduates are fully job-ready when they complete their learnerships.

“Certification is important, but real change happens when people are employed,” says Naidoo.

By offering jobs where learners can apply their skills, EduPower helps graduates enter the middle-income economy, contributing to long-term economic growth.

Why Learnerships Matter

Learnerships remain one of the most flexible and effective tools for skills development in South Africa. They offer:

  • A blend of theory and workplace experience
  • Opportunities for youth with or without Grade 12
  • The ability to earn while learning
  • A direct pathway to economic participation

EduPower’s absorption model strengthens this impact by ensuring learners are not left unemployed after completion.

A Model Where Everyone Wins

EduPower’s approach delivers value across the board:

  • Learners secure long-term employment
  • SMEs gain skilled staff and grow sustainably
  • Corporate sponsors achieve meaningful B-BBEE impact
  • Communities benefit from increased economic activity

As Naidoo concludes:

“Learnerships are life-changing. Through our absorption model, they are now also helping small businesses flourish. Everyone wins.”

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