Takealot, South Africa’s largest e-commerce group, is teaming up with the government’s Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to pilot a digital skills programme in three technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges. Formalised on Wednesday, the programme aims to align classroom teaching with the demands of the digital economy.
Critics have long called out South Africa’s higher education system for producing graduates whose skills do not match market needs. With youth unemployment at 46% and more than half of TVET graduates unable to find work, the Takealot-DHET partnership is a rare attempt to bridge education and employability by embedding industry into vocational training. The goal is to prepare students for jobs in e-commerce, logistics, and digital entrepreneurship.
The programme will select one TVET college in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape provinces, near Takealot’s distribution hubs. Students will gain access to revamped curricula, mentorship from Takealot staff, and work placements at company facilities.
“We want to ensure that learners who graduate can be absorbed into our facilities for work-integrated learning,” Tshepo Marumule, head of policy and external affairs at Takealot Group, told .
Takealot employs over 6,500 people with plans to grow that number, but scaling e-commerce operations requires more than infrastructure; it demands agile, future-facing skills, said Takealot Group CEO Frederik Zietsman.
“With the rise of AI and the Fourth Industrial Revolution, we need to ensure South African youth are empowered to go from learning to earning,” Zietsman said. “There is a growing digital divide, and the skills in the market are not matching what the market needs.”
A wider digital skills agenda
The TVET college program is just one of four initiatives under the partnership. Others include textbook delivery using Takealot’s logistics network, scaling its existing bursary program, and the township economy initiative, which supports local manufacturers and restaurants with digital tools.
“Given the scale of youth unemployment in South Africa, we see TVET colleges as critical partners in building pathways into work,” said Marumule. “By linking graduates to opportunities in e-commerce, logistics, and digital entrepreneurship, this partnership is about turning training into real, sustainable jobs.”
For Takealot, the partnership helps build a pipeline of digital talent and suppliers in a market where local manufacturing and e-commerce skills are underdeveloped. For the government, it provides a chance to modernise vocational training and link it directly to job opportunities in the digital economy.
DHET Deputy Minister Dr Mimmy Gondwe noted that “as a department, we know too well the challenges facing our post-school education and training system. Many young people struggle to transition from learning to earning, and our TVET colleges carry the weight of these expectations.”
“At the same time, the economy is changing, e-commerce, logistics, and tech-enabled services are reshaping how we live, work, and trade,” she said. “The question is: how do we prepare our youth not just to survive, but to thrive, lead, and innovate? This partnership is one way forward.”
The programme will roll out in three phases: curriculum updates, student mentorship, and job placements. By aligning training with the realities of the market, Takealot and DHET hope to turn TVET graduates into a workforce ready for South Africa’s digital future.
“Our work with TVET colleges is about ensuring that graduates receive industry-relevant skills,” said Marumule. “Through curriculum reform, mentorship, and work-integrated learning at our distribution centers, we want to prepare young people to step straight into the digital economy,” said Marumule.
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