The collaboration leverages IBM SkillsBuild, a free digital learning platform, to provide critical training in a country facing significant employment challenges. The move comes as global trends in automation threaten sectors vital to South Africa’s economy.
South Africa’s business process outsourcing (BPO) and call center industries are particularly vulnerable to disruption from advancing AI and automation technologies. While the direct causes of recent job shifts remain under-studied locally, trends in the US, where white-collar automation layoffs reportedly surged in 2025, signal a potential future for the global market.
“At IBM, we believe that access to technology skills is a catalyst for inclusive economic growth,” stated John Matogo, corporate social responsibility leader for IBM Middle East and Africa.
Instead of focusing on job loss predictions, the initiative prioritizes creating flexible learning systems. According to Sam Gqomo, founder of the Womandla Foundation, the program offers approximately 36 free learning paths in STEM, entrepreneurship, and creative fields.
Khadija Richards, head of impact at Womandla, argued that automation will primarily transform, not eliminate, jobs built on repetitive tasks. New roles are emerging in AI supervision, customer-experience design, and digital operations management.
A key theme of the launch was the misalignment between rapid technological change and slower education and policy cycles. Many traditional hiring systems do not recognize alternative credentials like short-course certificates, creating barriers for self-taught and informally trained youth.
“The key gap is alignment, not ability,” Richards said. “The system must ensure early AI fluency, applied learning, and recognition of alternative credentials.”
This partnership between IBM, Womandla, and the International Association of Volunteer Effort represents a targeted effort to bridge that gap, ensuring South Africa’s youth can shape, rather than be displaced by, the future of work.
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