The Eastern Cape Provincial Government continues to create conducive environment to help unlock growth and recovery for unemployed youth. This time around, Provincial Government has partnered with Microsoft South Africa and officially launched first of its kind Digital Skills Virtual Innovation Hub, in Komani recently.

The partnership is with Microsoft South Africa and implementation partners are the Eastern Cape Socio-Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC), the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (Nemisa), Walter Sisulu University and non-profit organisation Afrika Tikkun.

This hub forms part of an empowerment partnership to develop critical digital skills and build the ICT capability of individuals and small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Ultimately, these skills will drive broader efforts to build a digital economy that will

help unlock inclusive growth for the region and better enable economic recovery.

Young people in the province will be targeted through a basket of multi-sectoral technology, broadband and infrastructure priority projects as part of the Virtual Skills Innovation Hub. Selected partners will provide training required by the province for up to 100 interns as part of the Microsoft Internship Programme,

which is a job creation initiative geared towards delivering in-demand technology skills to unemployed youth.

Our aim is not necessarily to get unemployed youth employed, but to bridge the digital divide in our society and produce young people who will create employment for others.