We’re taking a break As we wrap up an impactful year, the team will be offline from Monday, 16 December, to recharge and gear up for an exciting 2025. We’ll be back, refreshed and ready to continue shaping the digital jobs landscape, on Wednesday, 8 January. Wishing our entire ecosystem a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year. Thank you for being part of our journey! #CollectiveX #ThankYou #HolidaySeason #SeeYouIn2025 #DigitalFuture
About us
A highly coordinated strategy involving both the public and private sectors, focusing on developing entry-level digital skills, is essential to tackle the digital skills shortage in South Africa. Collective X, a not-for-profit organisation, is a coordinating intermediary driving a national digital skills strategy to address market failures and unlock scalable, demand-driven solutions. Historically, South Africa’s digital skills ecosystem has operated in silos, leading to inefficiencies and a mismatch between skills supply and market demand. Our role is to align skilled youth with employer needs, using outcomes-based funding to quickly scale solutions. Our immediate goal is to build a robust entry-level digital skills pipeline, ultimately positioning South Africa as a global competitor. Through a national collaborative initiative, Collective X has developed a plan to drive a national digital skills strategy to address current market failures. Our change strategy will address the inefficiencies in the skilling system to ensure businesses have access to the right digital skills to remain competitive, foster growth, and generate employment. If successfully implemented, this plan could double South Africa’s national output of digital skills and create approximately 500,000 high-value digital jobs over the next decade for marginalised young people. As part of our change strategy to address how digital skills development and absorption has taken place in the South African ecosystem, Collective X focuses on four key areas for success: 1 - Co-funding for change and scale 2 - Apply the SFIA Framework 3 - Implement Work-Integrated Learning 4 - Ecosystem Advocacy
- Website
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https://thecollectivex.org
External link for The Collective X
- Industry
- Digital Accessibility Services
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 2023
- Specialties
- digital skills, digital jobs, and youth employment
Employees at The Collective X
Updates
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #10 Empowering First Cohort of Learners One of our biggest achievements this year has been welcoming the first cohort of over 75 young South Africans into their digital skills journey—the very reason we do what we do. Through collaboration with key training partners, these learners have already reached critical milestones, including completing SFIA baseline assessments and actively engaging with opportunities via the SA Youth platform. Empowering young talent isn’t just about filling the digital skills gap, it’s about creating a future where South Africa’s youth are equipped to innovate, lead, and thrive. To our partners, mentors, and ecosystem: thank you for making this achievement possible. Together, we’re driving meaningful change and shaping brighter futures. #CollectiveX #YouthEmpowerment #Top10Achievements2024 #DigitalSkills #FutureReady #Innovation
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #9 Growing Media Presence Collective X gained significant recognition in the media this year, spotlighting our innovative approaches, impactful initiatives, and strong partnerships that are shaping the digital skills landscape in South Africa. From the outcomes of our inaugural #CollectiveXChange Conference to the incredible response to our first co-funded initiative, these stories reinforced our commitment to building a robust entry-level digital skills pipeline. With every feature, interview, and article, we’ve been able to amplify our vision for a thriving digital economy, ultimately positioning South Africa as a global competitor in the tech industry. Our good news stories are getting better, and we can't wait to tell the world about them next year. #CollectiveX #MediaRecognition #Top10Achievements2024 #YouthEmployment #DigitalSkills #Innovation
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #8 Growing Digital Skills Ecosystem This year, Collective X has taken significant strides in expanding our vibrant digital skills ecosystem. Through conferences, industry engagements, and our co-funding initiative, we’ve built a network of hundreds of partners, including employers, skilling providers, and industry leaders, all working toward a shared mission: growing digital jobs in South Africa. A thriving ecosystem like this is more than just a network—it’s a powerful driver of innovation, collaboration, and real change. Together, we’re creating opportunities, scaling impact, and positioning South Africa as a hub for digital transformation and youth empowerment. We’re grateful to all our partners for their commitment and look forward to building on this momentum in 2025! #CollectiveX #DigitalEcosystem #Top10Achievements2024 #YouthEmployment #DigitalSkills #PartnershipsMatter
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #7 Digital Skills Industry Fund Launch One of Collective X’s proudest moments this year was the launch of our private-sector-driven Digital Skills Industry Fund, a bold step towards scaling critical digital skills training and creating opportunities for South Africa’s youth. With R50 million raised—and more in the pipeline— this initiative has set the stage for tens of thousands of young South Africans to access the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Our first project aimed to support 600 young people, but the overwhelming response from 26 employer partners, resulting in a total of 2871 digital jobs committed, shows the immense demand within South Africa. This is just the beginning. Together with our partners, we are driving impactful change and ensuring the digital future is inclusive, sustainable, and full of opportunity. #CollectiveX #DigitalSkills #Top10Achievements2024 #YouthEmployment #ImpactAtScale #DigitalFuture #SouthAfrica
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #6 Enhanced Brand Launch This year, we took a bold step forward in aligning our identity with our mission by unveiling a modern, future-focused brand at our inaugural #CollectiveXChange Conference. Our refreshed brand reflects our unwavering commitment to shaping a thriving digital future for South Africa. It embodies our purpose: to empower communities, drive economic growth, and create meaningful connections between the supply and demand of digital skills. At Collective X, we focus on facilitating the right training, at the right time, for the right price—ensuring we make a measurable impact in unlocking opportunities for South Africa’s youth and advancing the digital economy. This enhanced identity represents not just a new look, but a deeper dedication to collaboration and innovation as we continue our work to bridge the digital skills gap. #CollectiveX #BrandLaunch #Top10Achievements2024 #DigitalSkills #EconomicGrowth #EmpoweringCommunities
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #5 Inaugural Collective X Conference One of Collective X's standout achievements this year was hosting the first-ever #CollectiveXChange Conference, an inspiring gathering of over 300 delegates committed to driving collaboration and accelerating solutions for youth employment in the digital economy. Co-hosted with BPESA, Business Unity SA, DIGITAL COUNCIL AFRICA, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator and Youth Employment Service (YES) South Africa, the event brought together over 300 industry leaders, policymakers, and changemakers to tackle South Africa’s digital skills gap and youth unemployment head-on. The conference was a powerful platform for progress, showcasing innovative public-private partnerships, inclusive hiring practices, and demand-driven skilling strategies that are paving the way for sustainable job creation. As we reflect on this pivotal moment, we’re reminded of the power of collaboration in shaping a brighter future for South Africa’s youth. #CollectiveXChange #YouthEmployment #DigitalEconomy #Top10Achievements2024 #CollectiveX #DigitalSkills #CollaborationForImpact
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #4 SkillsTX Partnership – Elevating Skills Development This year, Collective X proudly announced a groundbreaking partnership with SkillsTX, aimed at revolutionising workforce development. This collaboration introduces SFIA-aligned skills assessments into training programmes. By leveraging the globally recognised Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA), this partnership ensures that training programmes are not only about gaining knowledge but also building practical, job-ready proficiency. This alignment allows us to set clear benchmarks for success, helping training providers deliver impactful, measurable outcomes that meet both industry standards and employer needs. This collaboration is a significant step toward our goal of scaling digital skills development in South Africa and creating a workforce that’s competitive on a global stage. We’re thrilled to see how this initiative is already shaping training excellence and driving meaningful progress in the digital economy. Stay tuned for more in our Top 10 Achievements of the Year series! #CollectiveX #Top10Achievements2024 #SkillsTX #SFIA #DigitalSkills #SkillsDevelopment #ImpactfulInnovation
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𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗔𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰: #𝟯 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 One of Collective X’s proudest achievements this year has been our role in the second phase of the Government Business Partnership, an initiative led by President Cyril Ramaphosa and championed by Business Unity SA (BUSA) and Business Leadership SA (BLSA). This phase prioritises youth employment and focuses on unlocking opportunities in high-growth sectors like digital jobs, tourism, and global business services (GBS). A core element of this collaborative approach is the ‘Do More’ campaign, led by BUSA. As a key partner, Collective X has joined forces with Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator and Youth Employment Service (YES) South Africa to tackle youth unemployment through inclusive hiring, enhanced skilling programmes, and support for township and informal economies. Together, we are scaling demand-driven digital skills, placing 10,000 young people into meaningful roles and driving South Africa’s economic recovery. At Collective X, we believe that bridging the gap and unlocking the full potential of the country’s youth is only possible through meaningful partnerships. Together, we’re building pathways to brighter futures, equipping the next generation with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive. #GovernmentBusinessPartnership #CollectiveX #YouthEmployment #DoMoreCampaign #DigitalSkills #InclusiveHiring #SouthAfrica
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Top 10 Achievements of 2024: #2 Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund This year, Collective X had the privilege of being selected as one of 12 implementation partners for the Jobs Boost Outcomes Fund—a groundbreaking initiative designed to secure sustainable, quality jobs for unemployed, excluded youth. This R300 million fund is set to skill over 5,000 unemployed youth and secure sustainable jobs for them within 18 months is the largest youth employment outcomes fund in the world, and a major innovation in the South African government’s effort to confront SA's chronic youth unemployment problem. Our participation underscores our commitment to scalable, demand-driven solutions that not only equip young people with in-demand skills but also ensure they thrive in the workforce. We’re excited to be part of this ambitious effort to transform lives, empower communities, and drive economic growth. Stay tuned as we continue to share our Top 10 Achievements of the year! #CollectiveX #Top10Achievements2024 #JobsBoost #DigitalSkills #YouthEmployment #ImpactAtScale
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