Online learning company Trace, in partnership with Senghor University, in Egypt, and the French Development Agency (AFD) have launched a free online vocational training platform – Trace Academia.

The platform has been built for young South Africans to build their skills and to find or create jobs.

The partnership was formed to create a training programme to develop and support the professionalisation of the creative and cultural sector in Africa.

The platform, which can be downloaded as an app from the Google Play and Apple App stores, was created in response to the high rate of youth unemployment in South Africa and the rest of Africa.

Trace Academia focuses on empowerment through educating and training young people.

Trace Academia courses are created in collaboration with leading companies, institutions and experts to ensure that the skills provided are well matched to market needs. A localised, interactive and entertaining course format keeps the learner’s attention and significantly improves course completion rate.

The platform will launch with several locally produced training courses including Get Started with Digital Marketing, developed by Grow with Google; How to Become a DJ, developed by Trace; Spark your Interest in Electricity, developed by energy company Schneider Electric; Become a Successful Entrepreneur, developed by Valued Citizens and the University of Johannesburg; Become a Real Handyman, developed by building supplies multinational Leroy Merlin; and Own Your Situation, developed by contraceptives company Durex.

Trace Academia's goal is to train more than 25-million youth by 2025. It also seeks to develop hundreds of courses to help empower young people to become employable or become employers.

Trace Academia will primarily target young South Africans in its inaugural year.

The AFD provided €650 000 in financing that will be used to fund a training course dedicated to understanding the challenges of the sector and providing workable solutions.