An opinion piece by Natasha Joubert, reigning Miss South Africa
Digital transformation has occurred in the last few decades, with the global economy
increasingly dependent on technology. This has made tech skills critical tools for
development and economic growth.
When I heard that women make up about 35% of the tech workforce worldwide – a
significant improvement from the early 2000s when that figure stood at 9% – I resolved to
use my reign as Miss South Africa to make it easier for women (and men) to enter this
crucial field.
In South Africa, where IT and technology remain the top employment sectors for earning
potential, there are approximately 44 000 unfilled entry-level digital vacancies.
However, the demand for skilled professionals far outstrips supply and there is a severe skills
shortage, exacerbated by deep socioeconomic disparities, further deepening the real digital
divide.
I believe that the way to increase these skills is to make study available to more young
people who cannot afford the fees, by awarding them bursaries. To this end I have used the
education wing of my advocacy campaign, The Natasha Joubert Collection, to secure
bursaries through willing partners in the technology sector.
The impact of this shortage stretches far beyond the technology sector; it affects any
industry reliant on digital services and solutions. There is a huge call for South Africans to
acquire more tech skills, with coding emerging as a cornerstone for modern education and
empowerment.
Closing the digital divide through coding
With South Africa’s unemployment rate at a staggering 32.1%, coupled with the tech skills
gap, urgent collaboration is needed. Partnerships among private entities, educational
institutions and governmental bodies are vital. Coding bootcamps are key resources in
closing these gaps.
Coding presents a promising career path in South Africa with a growing job market and
huge potential for growth. The average coding salary is R420 000 per year (R215 per hour),
while entry-level positions start at R150 000 annually. Experienced coders can even earn up
to R960 000.
Having coding skills can also open up diverse career trajectories based on individual
interests. Popular roles include software engineering, web development, data science, and
cybersecurity. With the right training and experience, coders can enter industries like
finance, healthcare, e-commerce and more.
The benefits of bootcamps
Bootcamps are newcomers to education and have had a big impact in a short time. But
that’s not to say they’ve been easily integrated into the educational landscape. In fact,
they’ve often been met with concerns over credibility, and, in some cases,
they’ve proven to be prohibitively expensive where students are unable to obtain funding or
scholarships.
To stay competitive, universities must adapt. Integrating practical, skills-based learning
alongside theory could attract more students. Collaborations like this could see universities
lending their credibility to bootcamp courses that focus on practical, employment-oriented
training, helping to future-proof South Africa’s workforce development.
“Bootcamps provide an affordable, fast-tracked way to gain in-demand tech skills,” says Riaz
Moola, CEO and Founder of HyperionDev, Southern Africa’s largest tech education provider,
which has brought coding skills to thousands of students in more than 40 countries. “At
HyperionDev, our bootcamps focus on building a comprehensive, job-ready skillset across
multiple tech stacks.”
A pivotal partnership for educational access
At the Natasha Joubert Collective, we’ve partnered with HyperionDev and ASUS to support
skill development and widen educational opportunities in South Africa. We’re offering 10
coding scholarships for selected students to join a comprehensive six-month full-stack web
developer bootcamp offered by HyperionDev.
We want to highlight the importance of making education accessible to all, encouraging
students to pursue rewarding tech careers – key drivers of economic advancement.
Embracing the Future with Coding Education
Coding bootcamps are not merely educational alternatives, but they are also essential
catalysts in South Africa’s strategic response to the evolving demands of the global digital
landscape. As the gap between the need for tech-skilled professionals and the availability of
trained individuals widens, bootcamps provide a pivotal solution that is both timely and
relevant.
The collaborative efforts between organisations like HyperionDev, educational bodies, the
Government, and initiatives led by respected South Africa underscore a collective
commitment to reshaping South Africa’s educational frameworks and economic future.
