Unemployment woes meet skills shortages - the potential of learnerships to turn the tide. According to Rajan Naidoo, the Managing Director of EduPower Skills Academy, the gap between job market demands and the skills held by potential employees widens each year, leaving numerous key vacancies unfilled.

There is no denying South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis. At 42%, nearly half of the people aged between 25 and 34 years old are unemployed. However, there is one sector that continues to offer our youngsters hope of employment and a rewarding career, our burgeoning call centre industry.

Youth Day commemorates the Soweto Uprising in 1976, a reminder of the courageous scholars who fought for freedom and equality. What better way to honour their memory than to inspire South Africans with moving accounts of today’s brave youngsters, individuals who have triumphed over personal adversity to make a brighter future for themselves and others. One such story is that of Smangele Chiyi.