Kate Buchanan
Closing South Africa’s skilled workforce gap
South Africa’s unemployment rate is among the highest in the world. While numerous factors feed into this nationwide challenge, a combination of skills shortages and qualification mismatches between workers and employer demand is largely to blame.
Over half of South Africa’s workers are either overqualified or underqualified for their roles. According to experts, this mismatch only exacerbates the ongoing unemployment problem—especially for youth. As of May 2023, the unemployment rate among South Africa’s 10.2 million young adults reached a staggering 62.1%, with an estimated 3.7 million youth (36.1%) unemployed or not enrolled in educational or training programs.
The education-employment mismatch
The skilled trades sector (referred to as the artisan sector in South Africa) is a crucial driver of economic growth and job creation, but its potential remains underrealized in South Africa and across the African continent. As part of its National Development Plan, South Africa’s government has set a target to address the skilled labor shortage by producing 30,000 new artisans annually by 2030.
Despite the government’s ambitious targets to increase enrollment in technical and vocational education and training (TVET), the system is underperforming. Current TVET programs are complex to administer, difficult for learners and parents to navigate, and often lack quality assurance.
With current vocational programs falling short, South Africa has an opportunity to establish more viable talent pipelines and equip more learners and workers with the skills needed to meet employer demand.
Why BluLever Education?
The Autodesk Foundation is pleased to welcome BluLever Education (BluLever) to our Work & Prosperity portfolio. BluLever is a South African startup addressing the country’s skilled labor shortage by creating pathways to job security and economic opportunity for artisan entrepreneurs and businesses.
BluLever aims to bridge the gap between workers and employers by offering skills-based apprenticeships and business programs for anyone interested in plumbing and electrical careers, equipping learners with in-demand, career-relevant skills. Each BluLever apprentice’s tuition is funded through a blend of scholarships, employer contributions, student self-financing, and income share agreement (ISA) financing.
To ensure its programs’ effectiveness, BluLever validates the existing skills gap, develops curricula with industry insights, and secures work placements for incoming apprentices. Employers sign letters of intent, confirming their capacity to hire apprentices at an agreed-upon pay range, which helps de-risk the three-year commitment for both BluLever and the apprentices. BluLever also focuses on helping learners and jobseekers develop non-technical skills that are transferable across industries, enabling more pathways to careers and economic mobility.
Since launching in 2019, BluLever has placed more than 200 apprentices with over 50 employers. Gender balance has been achieved in all its apprenticeship cohorts, and apprentice retention rates with employers have remained high. BluLever graduates receive government certification from South Africa’s Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) and can expect to earn a living wage post-graduation, with the potential to earn a family-sustaining wage within a few years.
Our collaboration
With support from the Autodesk Foundation, BluLever will expand its operations and develop additional training programs to address South Africa’s urgent need for skilled tradespeople. The company will leverage Autodesk resources, industry expertise, talent, and networks to advance its mission and create more education and employment opportunities for South Africans.
“Ensuring that artisan education evolves to equip artisans with skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) will critically impact the future of how engineering solutions are implemented and maintained. Autodesk’s deep expertise in technology and the Autodesk Foundation’s experience supporting nonprofits and startups will help us empower the next generation of artisans.”
— Jess Roussos, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, BluLever Education
Looking forward, BluLever intends to optimize its current campus before broadening its reach across South Africa and other African nations.
Learn how BluLever Education is addressing South Africa’s skilled labor shortage by training the next generation of artisans for the future of work.