By Lizelle Strydom, Managing Director, CareerBox Africa
Africa has the youngest population in the world with more than 400 million young people aged between the ages of 15 to 35 years. However, youth unemployment in sub-Saharan Africa is high – the International Labour Organisation (ILO) found that in 2023, the youth NEET (not in employment, education, or training) rate in sub-Saharan Africa stood at 21.9 percent.
These figures point to the pressing need to create employment and economic opportunities for Africa’s youth. Without investments into skills development and job creation we cannot hope to escape the burden of inequality on the continent. Empowering young people with meaningful work not only drives economic growth but also fosters stability and resilience across communities.
The Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) has emphasised the importance of dignified and fulfilling work, not just job creation, and highlighted the importance of inclusive policies that consider marginalised groups. This is where impact sourcing as an employment model holds great meaning for the continent.
Making a difference, one placement at a time
Across Africa, employers are struggling to recruit staff because of a mismatch between skills development and available opportunities, while our youth struggle to find opportunities in formal employment where there is a chance of career progression. Impact sourcing can provide an important bridge for youth from marginalised communities, including young graduates, who are unable to find sustainable employment opportunities through traditional routes.
The impact sourcing model is well known to be a powerful solution that holds the potential to transform lives and uplift communities. Indeed, research indicates that five to six family members benefit when a person who is below the poverty line or long-term unemployed is placed in a position within the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry.
One misguided belief is that impact sourcing is strictly the domain of unemployed previously disadvantaged youth who lack further education. What isn’t spoken about as often is those young people who have completed tertiary education and graduated with a degree, only to find that they can’t secure employment in their chosen field, with a lack of foundational workplace skills cited as one of the reasons for this.
The role of workplace readiness training
Across all markets, workplace readiness is the cornerstone of successful impact sourcing. Whether working with university graduates or post-secondary school youth preparing for entry-level positions, the goal is the same: to prepare individuals for sustained success in the world of work.
Not only does the impact sourcing process provide these school leavers and graduates with vital workplace readiness training, but also imparts the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace, such as mastering emotional intelligence, social skills and communication skills.
To deliver the desired results, these training programmes must be tailored to local needs and client requirements but still share common elements such as customer service excellence, digital fluency, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence. The combination of job-specific knowledge with critical soft skills not only improves employability but also enhances retention and performance, benefiting both employees and organisations.
Bridging the gap for under-educated youth
In South Africa, the impact sourcing model often focuses on youth who show tenacity and grit, yet have not had access to opportunities for tertiary education. These individuals face systemic barriers to employment, including limited digital literacy and workplace exposure.
Here, the emphasis is on foundational training – digital skills, time management, and professionalism. For these eager youth, workplace readiness programmes are critical to bridging the gap between potential and performance. By investing in these young people, impact sourcing transforms lives and communities, offering a pathway out of poverty and into the formal economy. The benefits are manifold – research shows that women who are employed uplift not just their families, but their communities too, while employers who use impact sourcing experience lower turnover rates than through traditional recruitment processes.
Unlocking the potential of unemployed graduates
In contrast to its southern neighbour, Kenya has a large pool of unemployed graduates – young people with degrees but limited access to formal employment. The challenge here is not basic literacy but digital access as well as the mismatch between academic preparation and workplace expectations.
Impact sourcing in Kenya focuses on refining soft skills, enhancing business communication, and providing real-world experience through structured onboarding and mentorship. This approach helps graduates transition from theoretical knowledge to practical application, giving them the skills and confidence to compete on an international stage.
Screening applicants for soft skills such as communication abilities, general attitude and Workplace readiness training has proved to be critical to long-term success. The BPO industry, as a customer- and service-focused industry, requires a particular brand of resilience and people-oriented aptitude, and pre-screening candidates to ensure their fit is an important step in the impact sourcing process.
Another lesson learned from years of screening and training entry-level employee candidates is to implement, measure and assess the effectiveness of integrated training programmes, and to provide feedback on the successes, challenges and lessons learnt. This continuous feedback loop ensures that training is constantly refined and improved, in turn improving placement outcomes and long-term stability for this employee population.
Impact sourcing has the potential to drive economic growth across Africa
The way the BPO industry uses the impact sourcing model in South Africa is easily replicable across the continent. Already, CareerBox Africa has opened branches in Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana, with a new site opening in Botswana shortly, building on the lessons learned in South Africa to develop workplace readiness training programmes that are adapted and tailored to different cultural, educational and client requirements.
By adapting to the unique socio-economic realities of each country, the company creates scalable, sustainable employment solutions that drive inclusive growth. This model not only meets the talent needs of global clients but also contributes to the broader development goals of the continent.
As Africa’s digital economy continues to grow, impact sourcing offers a blueprint for how business can be a force for good, creating jobs, building skills, and transforming futures. The lessons learned in one market and applied in others will ensure a steady pipeline of talented young people into a growth industry, providing benefits to Africa’s youth and Africa’s companies alike.
Lizelle Strydom is the Managing Director of CareerBox Africa, an impact sourcing organisation which identifies and recruits talented, underprivileged youth and women, equipping them with high-demand digital skills before placing them with corporate partners. Connect with Lizelle on LinkedIn or visit https://www.careerbox.co.za/.
