Offering professional opportunities to fresh graduates across South Africa

In 2020, we conceived a pioneering initiative known as the Data School to promote professional development in South Africa[1]. The programme was designed to solve a social challenge while also addressing a business problem. Youth unemployment is a major concern in South Africa, where it has been growing in many parts of the country for the past decade, especially outside big cities.

At the same time, Forvis Mazars in South Africa had identified a difficulty in hiring auditors with the necessary skills for their IT audit services. This situation persisted over the years despite there being a broad talent pool with degrees in subjects like sciences and mathematics. Within this context, the Data School was created to train unemployed graduates in the use of data analytics tools, such as Microsoft Excel, Python and Microsoft Sequel. The objective is to equip young adults with the specific skills required to become IT auditors at our firm—or at any other organisation suited to their needs.
 

[1] Please note this video was created in 2022 while we were still operating under the brand name ‘Mazars’