The Deutsche Bank South Africa Foundation launched its Born To Be programme in Sophiatown, Johannesburg, last month to help tackle youth unemployment in South Africa.

More than four-million South Africans under the age of 25 are not employed, as they do not have the skills required for employment and, therefore, do not contribute to the local economy.

The Born To Be programme will enable the Deutsche Bank to channel its resources to primary and high school education interventions to alleviate youth unemployment.

The programme comprises 14 educational intervention programmes, support for teacher training and development, and assisting youth in developing skills.

The programme was created in partnership with South African nonprofit organisations whose operations include a valuable educational component and which produce measurable impacts and results in youth empowerment.

Deutsche Bank South Africa chief country officer Peter Wharton-Hood says the goal of the programme is to equip the next generation of youth from disadvantaged backgrounds to become the workforce of the future, which is in line with the Deutsche Bank’s values and beliefs of sustainability and partnership.

“Encouraging collaboration among our partners is part of the foundation’s approach to ensure that we reach as many young people as possible. In 2013, we facilitated the introduction of the National Qualifications Framework 4 Early Childhood Teacher qualification as one of private school Sparrow Schools’ further education and training college qualifications this year,” says Wharton-Hood.

The first ten graduates are set to complete at the end of the year.

The Deutsche Bank South Africa Foundation has been supporting Sparrow Schools since 2001. To date, nearly 4 000 youths in Gauteng have benefited from the foundation’s support, all of whom have had difficulty in coping academically in mainstream schools.

These youths have either entered the job market or have enrolled at higher education institutions, where they have gained vocational qualifications through specialised educational training at Sparrow School.

The foundation has sponsored more than R100-million to date in supporting the development of more than one-million youth in South Africa through its selected projects.