UJ leads EU-backed project to build future-ready job creators

As South Africa faces persistently high youth unemployment and rapid shifts in the world of work, the University of Johannesburg (UJ), through its Johannesburg Business School (JBS), is rethinking how higher education prepares graduates for life beyond the classroom.

The Addressing Future Jobs (AFJ) Through Entrepreneurial Skills Development and Work-Integrated Learning project has secured a €400 000 (approximately R8.1 million) grant from the Erasmus+ Programme. Led by Ms. Rachel Khoza (JBS), Dr Chante Botha (JBS), and Dr Varaidzo Denhere (JBS), the project aims to equip young people with entrepreneurial skills and hands-on workplace experience to succeed in an evolving economy.

The project officially launched in January 2026 and will run for two years. Working alongside South African TVET colleges and European partner institutions, AFJ is designed to strengthen alignment between higher education and labour-market needs while promoting innovation, employability, and self-employment.

“This project goes beyond theory,” says Professor Letlhokwa George Mpedi, Vice-Chancellor, UJ. “It is about empowering our students with the confidence, skills, and experience to compete and thrive in the real economy.”

He adds that the initiative aligns closely with UJ’s long-term UJ 2035 strategy, reflecting a strategic shift towards entrepreneurial skills development and work-integrated learning that prepares graduates not only to be employable but also to drive innovation and deliver meaningful societal impact.

The AFJ project responds to growing global and local evidence that traditional classroom-based teaching alone no longer equips graduates with the practical skills demanded by today’s labour market.

Employers increasingly seek professionals who can apply knowledge in real-world settings, adapt quickly and think entrepreneurially. By integrating entrepreneurial skills development with structured work-integrated learning, AFJ introduces hands-on experience that strengthens workplace readiness and supports a smoother transition from university into employment or enterprise creation. In South Africa’s context of persistent youth unemployment, this approach offers a timely and practical intervention.

According to Professor Alistair Mokoena, executive dean of the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) and project lead, the initiative represents both an institutional responsibility and a long-term investment in young people. “South Africa’s youth have enormous potential, yet too many complete their studies without the tools required to navigate the workplace or launch sustainable ventures,” he says.

“By building educator capacity and strengthening partnerships between universities and industry, we are creating learning environments where students gain practical experience, test ideas with confidence and translate innovation into real economic opportunity.”

Educator capacity building forms a core component of the project. Over the next two years, more than 100 lecturers across participating institutions will be trained in innovative, practice-based teaching methods, including role-playing, case studies, and start-up pitch simulations. These methods are designed to embed entrepreneurial thinking and work-integrated learning across a broad range of disciplines, from business and marketing to agriculture and accounting.

The project also places strong emphasis on strengthening Career Centres, equipping staff with enhanced tools to provide employability guidance, entrepreneurship counselling and start-up incubation support. By reinforcing the systems that assist students beyond the lecture hall, AFJ aims to achieve sustainable, institution-wide impact rather than isolated interventions.

The consortium brings together South African partners, including Majuba and Vhembe TVET Colleges and the Mangosuthu University of Technology, alongside European collaborators from Italy and Greece. This collaboration combines international best practice with local relevance, ensuring that solutions are both globally informed and contextually grounded.

Prof Mpedi concludes that preparing graduates for the future requires a fundamental shift in how higher education responds to change. “Preparing students for future jobs means preparing them for roles that may not yet exist.

That calls for adaptability, creativity and strong problem-solving skills. Through initiatives such as AFJ, we are strengthening the connections between education, industry and entrepreneurship so that graduates emerge not only as job seekers, but as contributors to economic growth and agents of meaningful societal change.”