Building South Africa’s education to employment pipeline
South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis is not a talent problem, it’s a pipeline problem. Through our partnership with the Spirit Education Foundation and our Educating Futures™ initiative, Salt Africa is building a long-term education-to-employment pathway that supports scholars from high school through to professional careers.
How education, mentorship and long-term commitment are reshaping opportunity in South Africa
When you’re raising children, you become acutely aware of how much their future depends on access. Access to education, to guidance and belief.
Potential is universal, but opportunities are not. That truth sits at the heart of our partnership with the Spirit Education Foundation (SEF).
For us at Salt Africa, this is not a corporate initiative driven by optics, tax rebates or scorecard metrics. This partnership is an investment, a long-term commitment grounded in something much simpler: if we believe in talent, we must invest in it early.
If we want to create futures, we must be educating futures.
Through SEF, we sponsor four high school learners for the full duration of their five-year secondary education. We support the annual Feet4Fees trail run. And through our Educating Futures initiative, our team actively participates in mentorship and skills development.
But the real impact is not measured in rand value. It is measured in trajectory
Join the conversation on 27 May in Cape Town.
Four scholars, four futures in motion
Term 1 of 2026 offered an early window into how Spirit Foundation scholars are growing not just academically but also as individuals navigating the pressures of adolescence, subject choices, and the weight of their own ambitions. Four Grade 9 scholars, four distinct journeys.
Tadiwanashe (Tessa): Excellence built on resilience
Tessa delivered one of the strongest academic performances in the cohort this term, maintaining above 85% across subjects despite navigating social challenges that affected her focus. She takes pride not only in her results but also in her honesty about where she fell short: she acknowledges she lost motivation at times and didn’t always manage her time well. Her plan to address that – earlier revision, a weekly study schedule, more writing practice, and regular feedback from her English teacher – reflects a maturity well beyond her years.
Beyond the classroom, Tessa has joined the Coding and Robotics Club and is a Sunday school teacher at her church, having recently taken part in community outreach over the Easter weekend. She has set her sights on becoming an AI systems engineer, drawn by how technology can solve real-world problems. The tension between her own aspirations and her parents’ preference for actuarial science is something the Spirit team is walking alongside her through, offering resources and space to make a decision that is truly hers.
“Your support shows me that my future actually matters.” — Tadiwanashe Mrubi
Damon: Growing into confidence and responsibility
In his second year with the Foundation, Damon is settling into the rhythm of high school with enthusiasm and an honest assessment of the challenges ahead. His overall achievement of 71.78% reflects a solid start, and he is actively working to strengthen his weaker subjects, particularly Mathematics and English. He sees the academic pressure not as a deterrent but as a prompt to grow – stepping out of his comfort zone and discovering new things about himself in the process.
The annual Spirit Foundation camp proved to be a turning point. Participating fully in every activity, connecting with new peers, and absorbing different perspectives of life, Damon returned to school with a new sense of focus: he was more patient, more intentional, and more serious about the subject choices that would shape his path. Medicine, accountancy, engineering, and education are all on his radar — careers defined, in his words, by their ability to “make a difference in humanity”.
“I feel like I needed to become successful one day — not only for the feeling of being important, but for the satisfaction of knowing that my hard work is not going to waste.” — Damon Jehoma
Yaqeen: Academic strength and emerging leadership
Yaqeen arrived in Grade 9 with momentum already building. Awarded a certificate for consistent and conscientious performance throughout Grade 8, he carried that recognition into the new year with quiet determination. Re-elected as class representative for a second year, he is also broadening his footprint in school life – active in the Muslim Students Association, sound and lighting, iPad Champs, and first aid – with an eye on even more leadership opportunities ahead.
His interest in real estate has crystallised as a career direction – a field, he says, where he feels he can be fully himself. Despite facing some pushback from others about that choice, he has remained clear-eyed and resolute. The Spirit Foundation camp during the holidays offered another landmark moment: he completed the full high-ropes course after holding back the previous year. He went ziplining for the first time — small acts of courage that reflect a larger pattern of growth.
“Because of your contributions my family doesn’t have to worry about me — thank you so much, they mean everything to me.” — Yaqeen Alexander
Ahlomle: Adaptability, ambition and discipline
The transformation in Ahlomle since his quiet, introverted Grade 8 year has been one of the more striking stories in the 2026 cohort. He is proud of the person he is becoming: more social, more confident, building friendships, and actively stepping into activities that would previously have felt out of reach. His mentors describe clear, consistent progress in both his participation and his willingness to engage.
This term’s standout achievement was earning a place on the A team of his school’s chess club — a result of sustained effort, learning from mistakes, and developing the ability to stay composed under pressure. The discipline and focus he has built through chess is, he says, spilling over into his academic work and his broader approach to school. New teachers with varied teaching styles have added further energy to his learning, and Ahlomle is embracing the environment around him with an openness that sets a different tone from where he started.
“I made it onto the A team in the chess club, which I’m really proud of — this has helped me become more focused and disciplined, not just in chess but in other areas too.” — Ahlomle Vanga
Four scholars. Four schools. Four distinct personalities working through the particular pressures of adolescence while carrying something larger — a sense that their futures are being shaped right now, in the choices they make, the challenges they rise to, and the people they are becoming.
From scholar to professional: The power of continuity
This partnership is not abstract.
Salt’s AEMEA Marketing Manager, Billie-Jean Demas, is a Spirit alumna herself. Her journey from SEF scholar to global marketing leader reflects what sustained belief and mentorship can unlock.
She shares, “What stays with you about Spirit is that it’s more than the sponsorship—it’s community. It’s been 17 years since I was a Spirit Scholar; that’s almost 20 years of belonging, support and connection. I’ve been able to stay meaningfully involved by giving back my time and effort, from joining interview panels for the next round of scholars to working with the team at Salt on workshops and events where we can show up for SEF in a practical way. That ongoing connection matters.”
Then in January 2026, something extraordinary happened.
Courteney Steenveld, also an SEF alumna, joined Salt as an Associate Consultant through our Graduate Academy. She is beginning her professional career with us in Cape Town.
She shares: “Becoming a Spirit Scholar in high school changed the course of my life. The scholarship gave me stability and belief when I needed it most, but what mattered just as much was that Spirit stayed connected after matric. Checking in, encouraging me and keeping me part of a community. That ongoing support is why I heard about the opportunity at Salt. Five years on, Spirit still has my back, and with Salt as a sponsoring partner, it feels like a full-circle moment.”
This is a milestone; we didn’t expect it so early in our partnership with Spirit. It demonstrates that our support and commitment to the youth of South Africa can and must go beyond grade 12 through tertiary education and into early employment.
Why this pipeline from educating to creating futures matters
South Africa faces one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world. More than 60% of young people aged 15-24 are not in employment, education or training. Even for those who complete school, the transition into sustainable economic participation remains uncertain.
This is not a talent deficit. It is a pipeline challenge.
If we want to build resilient businesses and inclusive economic growth, we cannot begin at the hiring stage. We must start earlier, at education access, mentorship and career exposure.
That is what building an education-to-employment pipeline truly means.
Four grade 8 scholars building foundations.
An alumnus stepping into her first career.
A leader in our business whose journey began the same way.
This is an investment in continuity, not a charity.
Educating Futures in action
Educating Futures is Salt’s commitment to bridging the gap between education and employment.
SEF provides access and academic grounding. Salt extends that through mentorship, career guidance and, where possible, professional opportunities.
We are not simply sponsoring learners.
We are building confidence. We are expanding networks. We are strengthening employability.
Creating Futures is not just a slogan. It’s our mission and a responsibility.
Building South Africa’s education-to-employment pipeline requires patience, partnership and long-term commitment.
Join the conversation
The work these scholars represent — and the broader challenge of bridging education and employment in South Africa — is the focus of an upcoming event in Cape Town. Salt South Africa is hosting “From Educating to Creating Futures”, bringing together educators, employers, and changemakers to explore what it takes to build a pipeline that actually works.
If you’re working in education, talent, or social impact—or simply want to understand what closing South Africa’s skills gap looks like in practice—this is a conversation worth being a part of.
Attend our Educating Futures event in Cape Town
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