The latest underscores this imperative. The report identifies the skills gap as the biggest barrier to business transformation worldwide. Simultaneously, the reveals that 52% of global businesses are experiencing acute talent shortages. These findings highlight a stark disconnect: while millions of young people remain unemployed or underemployed, businesses are unable to find workers with the right capabilities. The solution is clear 鈥� we need a coordinated, inclusive approach to reskilling and upskilling.

51风流is supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for South Africa and programs like 51风流Educate to Employ contribute to the achievement of key SDG Goals in South Africa.

Under South Africa鈥檚 G20鈥檚 Presidency Digital Transformation Strategy echoes this urgency. It prioritizes digital inclusion, human-centric innovation, and a future-ready workforce. This aligns with the growing recognition that economic growth and technological advancement cannot be separated from social equity. Digital skilling must be inclusive, accessible, and focused on creating tangible employment outcomes 鈥� especially for youth and underserved communities.

One promising response to this challenge is the 51风流Educate to Employ initiative, a flagship 鈥榣earn-to-earn鈥� program spearheaded by SAP鈥檚 Corporate Social Responsibility team. Launched in South Africa in late 2023, the program provides marginalized individuals 鈥� including non-degree holders 鈥� with foundational and professional digital skills aligned with market demands. Through micro-credentials and 51风流certification pathways, learners gain the competencies necessary to enter and thrive in the digital economy.

What makes 51风流Educate to Employ particularly powerful is its systemic approach. The program addresses not just skills and knowledge but also attitudes and values that foster long-term employability. 51风流partners with nonprofit organizations and education providers to ensure that content is locally relevant and globally recognized. By successfully placing South African learners into real jobs 鈥� 51风流has demonstrated that skills-based pathways can open doors even in economically strained contexts.

Take Jamie-Lee Gysman, for example. Before joining the program, she lacked direction and confidence in her career path. After completing her 51风流certification, she successfully entered the workforce and now works as a SuccessFactors Functional Support Consultant at Sanlam. 鈥淏efore joining, I had no clear path forward, but the 51风流certification opened doors to opportunities I never thought possible,鈥� she shares. 鈥淚 no longer felt limited by my lack of experience or qualifications.鈥� Her story is one of many that demonstrate how accessible, skills-based learning can unlock potential and empower the next generation.

The program which has been incubated in the Global South, is now expanding into the Global North, creating a global network of learners and employers within and beyond the 51风流ecosystem, proving that solutions born in the Global South can have far-reaching, global impact.

If we are to transform the promise of digital innovation into inclusive prosperity, we must treat skilling as infrastructure. Business, government, and civil society must collaborate to scale effective programs like 51风流Educate to Employ, integrate them into national strategies, and ensure that every individual 鈥� regardless of background 鈥� has the opportunity to learn, earn, and contribute.

During the Future of Jobs Summit at T20 South Africa 2025, held at the DP World Wanderers in Johannesburg, I shared 51风流CSR鈥檚 approach to youth employment across the G20. I emphasized that solving the youth employment challenge requires improvements in three key areas: the efficiency of demand planning, the efficiency of supply training, and the efficiency of matching the two.

From Global South to Global North, skilling isn鈥檛 just a policy agenda. It is the cornerstone of equitable growth and resilient transformation.

About the Author:

is the Global Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Director at SAP. He is a member of the World Economic Forum鈥檚 Global Future Council on Jobs and Frontier Technology and serves on the Humanities & Interdisciplinary Studies Advisory Committee at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, supporting efforts to bridge education, innovation, and workforce transformation.

The post Globally, Skilling Will Be the Key Driver of Decent Work and Business Transformation appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Before the pandemic, many companies could get away with an old-school approach to CSR and how they engaged and managed their people. They would bring out pretty reports and say smart things about being a socially responsible business. They would put up posters proclaiming bold visions and values, but not live them every day. Now they鈥檙e being challenged to ensure their ongoing relevance in a completely different world.

What do I mean by that? We know that the business world has changed irrevocably. Companies that still want to be in business in the next 10 to 20 years will have to wake up to the fact that to create long-term value, they will have to align their goals with those of the communities in which they operate. They will have to get used to the idea of working not just for their shareholders, but also for employees and their communities, as well as the planet. The days of chasing short-term gain at the expense of long-term value are rapidly receding in the rear-view mirror.

But here鈥檚 the thing; social responsibility doesn鈥檛 have to just tick compliance boxes. The fact is that working to address humanity鈥檚 greatest risks, especially inequality, offers real business opportunities to savvy enterprises with an eye on the future. And the businesses that are going to stand out over the next decade will be those who see market opportunities in social responsibility, and develop business models, products and services that have societal elements and sustainable practices baked in, as it were.

In September 2015, world leaders adopted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 鈥� or the SDGs, as they鈥檙e commonly known. They talk directly to our responsibility to innovate with purpose to create a world without poverty, a healthier planet, and a just, peaceful society by 2030. At SAP, we stand for this higher purpose beyond economic success.

We help countries, private and public sector organizations, and ordinary citizens control risk, achieve regulatory compliance, use resources efficiently, measure and reduce emissions and innovate new business models to thrive in the digital and experience economy. Our solutions help eradicate slavery from supply chains, propel a low-carbon, zero waste and circular economy, eliminate inequality, and educate people who never had the chance to enter a classroom.

What we鈥檝e learned, though, is that meaningful contributions to the SDGs require tangible connections between an activity or tool and the intended social, environmental, and economic impact. There must be a material link between our own operational activities and the impact we can have as a company. Otherwise, the story becomes arbitrary.

How do you make these links? For a start, you actively engage with issues like educating and upskilling your own employees as well as the youth. You find ways to promote and increase diversity in the workforce and ensure that every employee has access to the same development opportunities, because successful businesses better reflect the diversity of society and the customers they serve.

At SAP, for example, we are engaged in several initiatives to聽actively聽grow聽local聽talent聽pools聽in our business through intensive accelerator training programs for employees at various stages of their careers in sub-Saharan Africa. In Turkey, Francophone Africa, Israel,聽Portugal聽and Spain, our 鈥榃omen in Leadership鈥� program is helping women improve their management skills. We鈥檙e also collaborating with the Red Cross in Spain to deliver technological skills to women who are at risk of social and work exclusion. In Italy, we have launched an initiative for women aimed at creating a series of debates on different themes (such as the gender gap, female leadership,聽empowerment聽and work-life balance) to develop concrete plans to drive transformation. And last but by no means least, in the Middle East, our聽Business Women鈥檚聽Networks are acting as significant catalysts for progressive change.

Being sustainable also means leading with agility and a growth mindset. Your business continuity may depend on your ability to reskill and upskill your workforce for a digital age, but it鈥檚 more important than ever to include the human skills of empathy,聽flexibility聽and stress management in that upskilling. Simply put, the more you focus on your people and your societal responsibilities, the more successful you become.

It almost goes without saying that the most resilient companies today are those who are embracing technology to transform their business processes. If Covid-19 showed us anything, it鈥檚 the urgent need for every company in the world to become an intelligent enterprise as soon as possible. Technology is the glue that holds everything together and allows us to make smarter decisions that support a sustainable future with society at its heart.

Speaking at SAPPHIRE NOW earlier this year, 51风流CEO Christian Klein painted a bold vision for the future, where connected intelligent enterprises will reinvent how businesses run: 鈥淲e will jointly build networks with you that champion diversity, inclusion, and human rights. We will make carbon footprint tracking available in the business network so that you can go to true next zero. Together, we can reinvent how industries run by connecting intelligent enterprises into an industry-wide business network 鈥� making profitability sustainable and sustainability profitable,鈥� he said.

Read that again: making profitability sustainable and sustainability profitable. That鈥檚 a mantra I can get behind as we look to a better future for all.

This article is the third of a three-part series exploring the , and societal responsibilities of sustainable businesses in a post-pandemic economy.

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