The immersive approach: a market-driven solution to the demand for tech talent

South African businesses are suffering from a broken graduate placement system. Current methods are placing unprepared IT graduates into roles and exposing critical skills gaps. This is impacting business operations significantly. But a skills-integration-as-a-service (SIaaS) model developed by redAcademy is a proven solution. This model is having such commercial and operational success that it is being expanded into other highly skilled tech roles. The customer-driven growth into the most in-demand skills is proof that this model is helping solve the country’s IT talent needs.

Only half of IT graduates are considered fully prepared for immediate employment in their field, resulting in technology skills gaps that are directly affecting the operations of 65 percent of businesses in South Africa. Skills-integration-as-a-service (SIaaS) pioneer redAcademy is tackling these gloomy stats head-on with a revolutionary model that creates a collaborative ecosystem of tech talent, corporate partners, and their experiential learning hub – a fully customised and managed end-to-end service.

With a 96 percent placement of graduates into employment as testament to the success of the model, redAcademy MD Jessica Hawkey says, “Listening to the market and responding to its needs is crucial to our approach. To create a collaborative ecosystem, we consistently deliver value to our business clients, our young tech talent and constantly evaluate the effectiveness of redAcademy to fill the IT talent pipeline by serving both our candidates and clients.”

As a direct response to market needs, redAcademy is adding project management, cybersecurity, and AI developer programmes to their existing software development, software tester, test automation, and data science practitioner programmes.

“Importantly,” says Hawkey, “our rapid response to training for skills that are actually needed by businesses today, is because we do not train at arm’s length. We are fully connected, working inside our client businesses.”

redAcademy selects young South Africans to train for QCTO and MICT SETA-accreditation, but this is only part of the innovative approach. During months one to six, candidates – called Sprinters – study the theory in their chosen fields. For the full programme, Sprinters are embedded in the live business environment, operating within client companies. Months seven to 12 immerse candidates in real world experience where they deliver leading enterprise technology solutions while redAcademy oversees and hosts the full program in the live client space, and manages candidates’ delivery.

“In practical terms,” says Hawkey, “we’re helping to transform the way youth enter careers and the way businesses secure future talent to fill some of the most in-demand IT roles.

“Companies are aware of all the ways IT skills gaps impact their businesses, and they really do want to be part of an increased flow of talent through the IT pipeline, but they’ve got to focus on their core business. redAcademy is able to offer a point of immersion through our proven SIaaS model that takes care of every aspect of the partnership from QCTO qualifications admin to every aspect of integration into the client’s ecosystem. But we don’t stop there; we are contracted to deliver results to our corporate clients through our talented Sprinters.”

“Recruiting for critical roles incurs significant cost for companies and miss hires are expensive not only in monetary terms, but in disruption to business operations. Sprinters’ delivery of work into the client’s business is evidenced while trained by redAcademy inside the live environment. Once they enter full-time employment, they contribute to the team from their first day. The amount of time, money, energy and benefit this brings to the business is immense.”

The synergistic nature of the redAcademy model is solving a critical pain point that threatens business transformation, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025.

Hawkey says, “At the end of the year, our Sprinters are interviewed by the clients they’ve worked for under redAcademy’s management and guidance – keep in mind that at this point, rather than a report card, they’ve been assessed according to a set of KPIs and each client’s workplace standards. During the interview process, Sprinters have the confidence to speak directly to the benefit that they’ve already given to that company, and they also understand why they want to be a part of that organisation, which is known to them just as the candidate is known to the organisation.”

In the current South African context where businesses and youth face enormous challenges, the potential of the immersive approach is immense. By bringing together talented youth and the strategic needs of business using a pioneering skills-integration-as-a-service approach, a powerful ecosystem is created that not only fills the IT talent pipeline but ignites South Africa’s digital revolution.

redAcademy’s unique SIaaS model can be easily adopted by businesses. And because the academy’s background is rooted in business and software, they understand the need to fully manage customisation, team management and administration throughout the full lifecycle of the program. Onboarding is a mere two to three hours and the rest – program customisation, setup, placement interviews, management, and QCTO administration is taken care of by redAcademy. All clients need to do is assess the immediate benefit to their businesses.