Inside Our Digital Skills Programme
Being a young person today is complex and fast-paced. There’s so much to take in when it comes to technology. Trying to understand it, adapting to it, learning it, and figuring out how you fit into it… or how to make it fit you.
Why Digital Litracy Matters in Livingstone
And with all these feelings, plus the growing digital literacy gaps, especially in our own community, we felt the need to step in and do something about it. We knew we had to play our part in reducing these gaps and making digital learning more accessible to young people here in Livingstone.
The world is moving a lot quicker into the digital space, and it’s not waiting for anyone to catch up. That’s exactly where our Digital Skills Programme comes in. It’s here to fill that gap. Our Digital Skills Programme helps answer the question: How we provide the youth of Livingstone with the right digital tools, skills, and confidence to adapt, compete, and create new opportunities for themselves.
A Space That Feels Like Possibility
You’ll find the ABSA Mosi-oa-Tunya Innovation Hub right in the heart of Livingstone’s town centre, with its easy access, the programme has become a place where young people come to learn, grow, and build. The energy in the hub is unlike anything else. It feels motivating. It feels captivating. Its reassuring. You walk in, and you just know we designed the space to help you find solutions . It makes you feel like it’s possible, like you belong there, like your ideas belong there. Moreover, the space encourages you to think, build, and dream bigger than you thought you could. It nurtures ideas and gives you the tools to bring them to life. It’s a place that breathes resilience, creativity, and strength.
Girls in ICT Day Celebration
How The Programme is Run
Behind the scenes, the hub is run by Tisa Botha, Hub Manager, who makes sure everything runs smoothly, welcomes students, and encourages more young people to come and experience all the hub has to offer. And at the heart of the learning experience is Bracious Mukuka, our incredible Digital Skills Instructor. His energy, experience, and excitement for teaching are unmatched. He brings the course to life in a way that keeps students coming back not just to learn, but to improve, push themselves, and actually enjoy the process. His influence on the programme has been essential. He doesn’t just teach; he inspires. In fact, he challenges every student to believe that they’re capable of doing more and being more. That’s the kind of experience you get when you’re part of this programme. A programme and course instructors that are supportive, engaging, and always pushing you to the next level.
Youth participating in digital skills training at the ABSA Innovation Hub in Livingstone
ABSA entrusted us with full control over the Innovation Hub space and the curriculum. Together, we recognised the urgent need to empower young people in Livingstone: to open doors for them, challenge them, and help them adapt to a rapidly changing digital world.
This partnership is more than a collaboration. Rather, it’s a shared commitment to building a generation of adaptable, tech-savvy, and opportunity-ready young people. It’s given us the freedom to shape the hub into something truly meaningful for the community: a space where young people can learn practical, in-demand skills that boost employability, spark entrepreneurship, and strengthen self-belief.
What Learning Looks Like
Our sessions are practical, engaging, and centred around real-world scenarios. They work on their own websites, pitch their ideas to their peers, get feedback, and learn how to improve the user experience, and the overall functionality. Every week, students take part in Web Development and Product Design lessons that push them to build, think critically, and solve problems. In Web Development, students learn to build functional websites from scratch using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and improve the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to make websites easier to navigate and more user-friendly. While in Product Design, students learn how to understand user needs and create digital products that solve real-world problems and learn how to pitch their product ideas with confidence and clarity.
Our students are actively learning to build, create, and present.
Since the programme began, 12 students have successfully graduated from the course. Out of these, one student secured full-time employment, and two have already completed paid digital projects .These are the kind of real-life outcomes that motivate us to keep the programme going.
“A number of our students have created some really impressive projects. They’re so good they could be launched right away.”
The ABSA Mosi-oa-Tunya Innovation Hub first cohort of graduates
Impact That Goes Beyond the Classroom
The impact doesn’t end when the lessons do. Take Mirriam Syamakata, one of our very own students, as an example. After completing her lessons at the hub, she landed her very first web development client. Not long after that, she secured formal employment where she now applies her new skills daily. The purpose of it all is to prepare young people to step confidently into the digital world, help them build their careers, chase their dreams, and create better futures for themselves and their families.
“The space is so freeing, positive, and encouraging. It helped me realise my passion for web development and gave me the confidence to chase it”
Mirriam Syamakata, holding her certificate of completion from the programme
Digital Skills Going Forward
The digital world isn’t slowing down and neither are we. What’s next for the Digital Skills programme? Our next cohort kicks off this June, with exciting improvements made to the programme and the students experience. It’s going to be a lot more hands-on, with bigger opportunities inside and outside of the programme. We’re also expanding into local high schools, introducing coding clubs to inspire younger learners. And, we’re committed to showing you more of what happens here at the ABSA Innovation Hub and in the Digital Skills Programme through our social media platforms.
