South Africa has one of highest youth unemployment rates in the world. According to the OECD, one in two young people in the labour market is unemployed and nearly one in three young people is neither in employment, nor in education or training. The root causes lie in poor quality of education, racial segregation and poverty that are particularly affecting underprivileged youngsters. One of the consequences identified by Sci-Bono is the difficulty to get hired in the IT jobs due to lack of youth skilled labor. To bridge this gap, the project targets underprivileged young people with no access to technological resources and especially female students with strong motivation. 

In 2015, one in two young people in the labour market is unemployed and nearly one in three young people is neither in employment, nor in education or training (OECD, 2015)

The aim of Sci-Bono’s programmes is to provide to youth from underprivileged backgrounds around Johannesburg, valuable sought-after skills and qualifications to be integrated in the IT market. The program aims to build bridges between job seekers and companies to tackle recruitment difficulties due to a lack of adequate training and skills.

The Foundation is covering the costs for the student selection, training fees and work placement fees. The foundation also connects with local Air Liquide teams so they can be engaged in Sci Bono’s mentorship, workshops, girl learner programs, sciences career focus week and charity events.