


On 27 February 2023, the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos visited redAcademy, an innovative skills and experiential learning hub, and gained a first-hand look into how the organisation uses innovative training methods and a partnership-led approach to building a sustainable pool of tech talent in the city and beyond.
Alderman Vos had the opportunity to meet and speak to Sprinters, as candidates in training are known, current clients and investment partners. The redAcademy team shared their strategic vision in being a specialist talent training partner, and showcased their blended approach to learning and development, with a focus on the experiential learning in working on live client projects.
Speaking about the impact that skills development and training has for Cape Town’s tech industry, Alderman James Vos explained that “Technology is going to change the way we do business and this will depend on a work-ready workforce. Training for training’s sake is going to take our economy nowhere.
As part of the City of Cape Town’s economic action plan, Alderman Vos said workforce development played a key role in the economic growth the City was striving towards. “With our people-centred economy, we need to consider the innovation that exists and how it ties into our current infrastructure and our economic plan. With the goal of positioning Cape Town as the top FDI region in South Africa, it is the City’s vision to grow the economy with businesses and investors across all sectors. For the tech industry, redAcademy’s approach to software talent training makes commercial sense. Coding is inherent to innovation and the development of our country’s infrastructure.”
Jessica Hawkey, Managing Director at redAcademy explained that the organisation’s vision was that of a country and industry where there are an abundance of skills and jobs for South Africa’s youth in the tech industry. “By blending theory with real-world experience on our client partners’ live projects over the span of a single year, our vision is to support companies to create a work-ready pipeline of software developers, who are equipped with the necessary soft skills and already on board with the company culture. For redAcademy, it’s not just about receiving a certificate, it’s about getting our youth in sustainable jobs. We are focused on economic growth and tackling unemployment head on.”
In closing, Alderman Vos stated that “investors need to believe in the talent and the innovation that is in Cape Town and innovative approaches to training, such as redAcademy’s approach, provides the job readiness that Cape Town needs for its high growth sectors, with the tech industry front and centre.”