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South Africa’s education crisis is no longer simply about access to universities or bursaries. Thousands of young people receive financial support every year, yet many still fall through the cracks before graduation or struggle to enter the job market afterwards.
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The real challenge is not only funding education; it’s about creating a support system that carries students from opportunity to employability. This is where InnoVent’s bursary programme is quietly doing something different.
The need for initiatives like this has never been more urgent. According to the latest Statistics South Africa labour market data, youth unemployment remains one of the country’s biggest economic threats. In Q1 2026, 4.7 million South Africans between the ages of 15 and 34 were unemployed, while unemployment among young people aged 15 to 24 stood at a staggering 60.9%.
South Africa faces youth unemployment crisis and skills shortage
Government itself has repeatedly acknowledged that South Africa is facing both a youth unemployment crisis and a growing skills shortage. In 2025, the South African government stated that “one of the root causes of unemployment is the skills mismatch, particularly lack of skills in the digital sector, including Artificial Intelligence.”
This concern is increasingly reflected across both government and industry. The National Skills Fund allocated R800 million toward digital and technology skills development programmes linked directly to employment outcomes. The focus on employability rather than education alone is becoming central to South Africa’s long term economic strategy.
InnoVent’s bursary programme for students
Against this backdrop, InnoVent’s bursary programme stands out because it does not simply fund students and walk away.
While many bursary schemes focus purely on paying tuition fees, InnoVent has built a far more hands-on model designed to help students not only study, but succeed, graduate, and enter the workforce. InnoVent has extended 153 bursaries since 2015, with a reported success rate of 96.73%.
The programme forms part of InnoVent’s broader corporate social responsibility initiatives and aligns with the company’s long-standing focus on expanding access to technology and opportunity. Its CSR structure includes a Foundation that owns part of the business and is focused on financing talented students and helping them secure employment after graduating.
“Involvement with each student throughout their academic journey”
What makes the programme notable is not simply the number of bursaries awarded, but the level of involvement with each student throughout their academic journey.
In addition to study fees, students may receive assistance with accommodation, books, data, laptops, iPads and monthly stipends to help them focus on their studies without the constant pressure of survival.
The programme also includes regular academic monitoring, mentorship and even tutoring support where needed. More importantly, the programme targets students who often fall into the gap between financial hardship and traditional funding mechanisms.
InnoVent CFO Zakhe Khuzwayo.
“We concentrated on individuals who could not get funding through NSFAS. Our goal was to support those who had the potential to succeed but lacked the financial means to pursue further studies,” says InnoVent CFO Zakhe Khuzwayo.
The programme also reflects South Africa’s broader skills development needs. Students supported through the initiative study across multiple disciplines, including accounting, law, culinary arts, engineering and IT related fields. In some cases, the focus has included helping young African women enter industries where representation remains low, including chemical engineering and technology sectors.
“The strongest differentiator is what happens after graduation”
But perhaps the strongest differentiator is what happens after graduation.
Khuzwayo says rather than ending the relationship once a student completes their studies, InnoVent continues to track graduates, assist with employability, support CV development and help connect students with work opportunities. “We also maintain a graduate database to monitor where former bursary recipients are working and how they are progressing professionally.”
One former bursary recipient who studied accounting reportedly progressed into forensic auditing, highlighting the type of long-term impact the initiative aims to create.
For Nhlakanipho Mkhize, the InnoVent Bursary Programme was the turning point that enabled him to complete his studies and realise his ambition of becoming a Chartered Accountant. Having faced financial exclusion during his university years, he is now a Chartered Accountant (CA(SA)) at Rand Merchant Bank, where he is part of the bank’s prestigious Count CA Programme.
“The InnoVent Bursary Programme turned my dream into reality. It gave me the stability to succeed and the confidence to pursue a career that impacts industries, economies and communities,” says Mkhize.
“Programme’s impact has extended beyond South Africa’s borders”
The programme’s impact has also extended well beyond South Africa’s borders. Edivaldo Abranches, who received support after finishing matric, is now an Audit Manager in Bermuda, managing a portfolio of multinational investment management companies, hedge funds, private equity firms and insurance companies.
“InnoVent gave me an equal opportunity that everyone deserves. It took a talented but previously disadvantaged individual and gave me access to rooms I would never have entered otherwise,” says Abranches.
Khuzwayo adds: “For InnoVent, the programme is deeply personal rather than compliance driven. It’s about leading with heart, helping where we can, paying it forward and living by example.”
At a time when South Africa faces rising youth unemployment, widening inequality and increasing concern around graduate employability, programmes like this highlight an important reality: funding alone is not enough.
“Young people do not only need access to education. They need guidance, mentorship, practical support and someone willing to walk the journey with them until they are able to stand on their own. And in a country where many bursary programmes disappear once the cheque clears, that may be the most important investment of all,” he concludes.
