For many young people in South Africa, the challenge isn’t just acquiring skills, it’s understanding where and how to use them. At iHub Africa, we know that bridging the gap between training and opportunity takes more than just technical know-how; it requires exposure, networks, and insight into the real-world marketplace. The truth is you don’t know what you don’t know. Job-shadowing provides an avenue into the marketplace to learn, to observe and to build meaningful connections.
That’s why every iHub student completes a minimum of 10 hours of job-shadowing as part of their graduation requirements. It’s not just a box to tick. It’s a window into possibilities they may have never imagined.
Why Job-Shadowing Matters
For young people from underserved backgrounds, workplace exposure does three critical things:
- It builds networks: Students connect directly with industry professionals and potential employers, expanding access to opportunities.
- It challenges assumptions: It breaks stereotypes about what certain roles and industries look like, making invisible career paths visible. We encourage students to shadow in roles and environments they really want and those they really don’t want.
- Informs Aspirations: By experiencing roles firsthand, students align their ambitions with the realities of the marketplace, setting clearer, more grounded career goals, and pursuing upskilling opportunities that are best aligned.
In a job market where competition is intense and opportunities limited, these insights can be transformative. South Africa faces one of the highest youth unemployment rates in the world nearly 45% of young people aged 15–34 are unemployed (Stats SA, Q2 2025). But the challenge goes deeper than job scarcity. Even where opportunities exist, employers frequently cite a skills mismatch: graduates leave school or training with knowledge that doesn’t align with market demands, leaving many entry-level roles unfilled while thousands of capable young people remain locked out of the economy.
This is where exposure matters. By engaging directly with companies, professionals, and emerging industries, iHub students gain not just technical competence but market-relevant insight seeing what employers value, how teams work, and where growth opportunities lie. These are the ingredients that help bridge the gap between potential and placement.
2025 at a Glance: Our Job-Shadowing Impact
This year, our students immersed themselves across 27 companies in 9 different industries. From boutique media firms to tech startups, SEO agencies to music industry creatives, the exposure was vast and diverse.
Here’s a snapshot of our 2025 outcomes:
- Total Students on Job-Shadow: 48 out of 52
- Student Participation Rate: 92%
- Industries Represented: Multi-tiered media agencies, boutique marketing firms, SEO specialists, tech companies, freelancers, insurance, transport, non-profits, and the music industry.
- Roles Shadowed:
- Digital Marketers
- SEO Specialists
- Social Media Managers
- Biddable & Programmatic Teams
- Content Creators & Designers
- Copywriters, Advertisers, and more.
This level of exposure helps students see themselves in spaces they once thought inaccessible, and imagine new ways to navigate the evolving world of work.
Let’s bridge the gap together.
The youth unemployment crisis isn’t going away on its own. It takes collaboration between students, employers, educators, and funders to close the skills gap and open real pathways to opportunity. Whether you’re a company, a mentor, or an advocate for youth employability, there’s a role for you in this journey.
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