Building pathways into tech careers
Recognising three critical challenges, which include the limited pathways for young South Africans to enter skilled IT careers, the exponential demand for software developers, and youth unemployment exceeding 60% in 2021, Jessica founded redAcademy to bridge the gap between education and industry.
Traditional education models were failing to prepare graduates for the real world. In response, Jessica developed an accelerated, industry-integrated learning model known as Career Sprint, powered by Skills-Integration-as-a-Service (SIaaS). This approach ensures that students, affectionately called Sprinters, gain real-world experience while training, making them immediately employable upon graduation.
With a deep passion for empowering youth, Jessica’s model directly addresses the ICT skills shortage while creating meaningful, future-ready career opportunities. By embedding Sprinters into client environments, redAcademy doesn’t just teach, it transforms.
Through these partnerships, graduates gain practical experience on live client tech stacks, guided by senior developers and mentors. The result? A remarkable 96% employment rate for redAcademy graduates, redefining industry expectations of junior developers and offering businesses a cost-effective way to grow local talent.
Inside the 12-month career sprint
The redAcademy programme is QCTO-accredited and spans 12 months of immersive, experiential learning. It takes place inside live client environments, with training tailored to each partner’s specific tech needs. With over 6.7 million children in South Africa living in households with no employed adult, this model brings real workplace experience from day one — bridging the education-employment divide.
The first six months focus on mastering the client’s tech stack and operational systems and the second half transitions Sprinters into real-world project delivery. By the time they graduate, they have not only built the technical skills but also the work-readiness and soft skills that make them valuable contributors from their very first day of employment.
As a demand-led organisation, redAcademy ensures that every learner trains for real opportunities. Clients commit their demand before training begins, guaranteeing that graduates move directly into roles within partner businesses — closing the loop between training and possible employment.
Inclusivity by design
At redAcademy, no coding experience is required to apply. Instead, the academy looks for candidates with the attitude and aptitude to succeed. In a country where only about 6% of school-going children complete university, this approach opens doors to avast pool of untapped talent who may lack formal qualifications but possess hunger, curiosity, and potential.
The academy recruits from diverse backgrounds, reflecting South Africa’s demographics, and focuses on cultivating problem-solvers and lifelong learners. As Nashid Cassiem, Client Relationship Manager, explains, “We seek candidates who show curiosity, positivity, and passion over previous qualifications. These are the youth who might be excluded from other opportunities, and we make it our mission to include them.”
By training youth on the exact technologies and workflows used by their clients, redAcademy ensures that learning is always relevant, practical, and inclusive.
Real stories, real impact
redAcademy’s results are best reflected in the stories of its graduates — young South Africans who have sprinted from unemployment into meaningful tech careers.
- Zaphea Greenslade went from waiting tables to working as a Junior Software Engineer, after gaining confidence and technical expertise through the programme. She has since spoken on a national stage at The Collective X Conference, sharing her journey from service work to software.
- Phophi Muravha, who joined straight after matric, is now a Software Engineer at age 20, recently winning the Old Mutual SMEgo Pitchathon for her own business idea — a testament to the programme’s entrepreneurial impact.
- Tumiso, a 2023 graduate, mastered Cypress automation testing through the programme and has since joined one of South Africa’s leading retail software companies.
- Jamie-Lee Martin, the first in her family to complete matric, once unsure of her next step, is now permanently employed in a software team and thriving in her new passion for coding.
Each story is proof that redAcademy’s approach doesn’t just produce developers, it builds confidence, agency, and purpose.
Scaling for a future-ready South Africa
redAcademy’s ambitions don’t stop at software development. With growing adoption of their SIaaS model, the academy is expanding into quality engineering, data science, and project management.
Scalability has been designed into every aspect of the business. Their bespoke Learning Management System and recruitment platform, both built in-house, allow them to replicate operations across clients seamlessly. With QCTO accreditation, strong management processes, and a replicable model, redAcademy is poised to scale nationally and beyond.
Through partnerships with government, corporate, and industry bodies, redAcademy is helping to secure South Africa’s tech talent pipeline while empowering youth to build sustainable, future-proof careers.
As Jessica notes, “With our scalable model and the abundance of talented youth eager to make an impact, we can position South Africa as a global hub for tech talent much like the Western Cape has done for the global business services sector.”
A future built on potential
redAcademy’s success lies in one bold idea: With the right structure, mentorship, and belief, potential can outperform privilege.
By aligning education with industry demand, and opportunity with purpose, redAcademy is not only redefining how tech education works — it’s reshaping how South Africa sees its youth. Because when we invest in people with passion and possibility, the future writes itself. To learn more about their impact, visit our website.
