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A room full of learners in school uniform with the volunteers who ran their career exposure day

Connecting bright young minds to economic opportunities

Young Aspiring Thinkers is a South African EdTech social enterprise. Career Studio, our AI career guidance platform, combines self-discovery, personalised career planning, real-world exposure and opportunity navigation, closing the gap between aspiration, education and employment.

Book a meetingOpen Career Studio
  • Injini
  • Mastercard Foundation

One operating model

From first question to first opportunity. We find the learner, understand their interests, show them the world of work, and hand them a live pathway to economic opportunity.

  1. Learners in their own school hall on a career exposure day

    Source

    We reach young people where they already are.

    Through schools, campuses and the communities around employer operations, prioritising young people with the fewest networks.

    • Learners & parentsCareer guidance for every young person, whatever their background.
    • SchoolsEntire cohorts reached, with data insights to guide support.
    • Universities & TVETsA measurable transition from study to employment.
    • EmployersTalent from every pathway (traditional, vocational, entrepreneurial and emerging), each valued equally.
    • Funders, SETAs & governmentTargeted reach into Quintile 1–3 schools, and to rural, female and disabled youth.
  2. Learners in red school uniform in front of a YAT banner at their school

    Vet

    A data-driven route to economic opportunity.

    Every young person builds a profile across five dimensions, and it powers every step that follows.

    • 01Academic performance
    • 02Socioeconomic context
    • 03Psychometric fit
    • 04Geography
    • 05Career alignment
  3. Schoolgirls with their hosts in the reception of a law firm on a workplace visit

    Expose

    They see the work before they commit to it.

    Day in the Life experiences tie each career to tailored preparation, across traditional, vocational, entrepreneurial and emerging pathways.

    • Learners & parentsCareers they have seen become careers they can choose.
    • SchoolsContent aligned to African curricula and to in-demand jobs in each country.
    • Universities & TVETsStudents who progress through every stage and see it through to completion.
    • EmployersEarly exposure and ready talent pipelines, built on data.
    • Funders, SETAs & governmentExposure to scarce and in-demand occupations, so aspiration follows labour-market need.
  4. Graduates at a YAT programme table with laptops, ready for the next step

    Pathway

    From uncertainty to informed action.

    A plan that bridges education and employment, with the next concrete step to take.

    • Learners & parentsA clear plan, backed by concrete next steps.
    • SchoolsCareer clarity that builds from first exposure to final decision.
    • Universities & TVETsStudents who chose deliberately and are more likely to stay.
    • EmployersOutcomes you can measure, report and use to make decisions.
    • Funders, SETAs & governmentTransitions into study, training or work: the results you are accountable for.
Learners in school tracksuits taking notes around a boardroom table on a workplace visit

Young people can't choose careers they have never seen

Career exposure in South Africa is rationed by geography, income and family network. Decisions get made against a narrow, inherited picture of what work exists and what it is worth.

  • 47.4%

    of South African youth aged 15–34 are unemployed

    Stats SA QLFS Q2 2026

  • ~10%

    of unemployment is structural: skills mismatches and weak education-to-employment pathways

    South African Reserve Bank

  • >68.9%

    of Grade 12s have never met a professional in their field of interest

    YAT research 2025

  • 51.7%

    of employed South Africans work in occupations they were not educated for

    DHET

The gap is not aspiration. It is the personalised support young people need to discover who they are, navigate their options and progress into aligned economic pathways. Every pathway counts, from university and TVET to a learnership, emerging fields or starting a business.

Netflix for careers

Every young person already knows how to find their next show. Career Studio lets them find their next career the same way.

Retention loop

“What should I explore next?”

  1. A learner on a phone beside a parent, facing a line of professionals: a nurse, a chef, a pilot, a site engineer and a musician

    Browse different shows

    Explore different careers.

  2. Two learners on their phones at a busy crossing as a surgeon, chef, ballerina, pilot, welder and photographer walk past

    Get recommendations

    Personalised picks based on what you like.

  3. Two learners in hi-vis vests laughing as an engineer in a hard hat shows them a machine

    Watch a trailer

    Experience a “Day in the Life” of a career.

Growth loop

“What opportunity can I pursue next?”

  1. A smiling professional at his desk in an open-plan office

    Choose a show

    Choose a career pathway to explore.

  2. A learner in school uniform reading his phone in a corridor

    Watch the series

    Build the skills or pursue the education pathway.

  3. Six learners in school uniform sitting on a wall, talking and laughing

    Finish the series

    Progress into an economic opportunity.

See the platformOpen Career Studio

Our track record

Running since 2019. Others do career days, or assessments, or bursary administration. We do all of it as one intervention, with the audit trail to prove it.

OracleEdtech Impact Quality Pedagogy certification mark

Oracle Greenlight to EdTech certification

In 2020 we started running Oracle's Greenlight programme in person at Ponelopele Secondary School: career exposure, mentoring and bursary support, one school at a time. What worked there is built into Career Studio, and its learning design now carries the Edtech Impact Quality Pedagogy certification.

  • 430%

    increase in learners who qualified for the Oracle bursary

  • 230%

    increase in learners taking part, 2020 to 2023

  • 42%

    of learners assisted with tertiary applications, including financial aid

  • 8,100

    learners impacted to date

    YAT Impact Report 2025

  • 81%

    pedagogical approach score for Career Studio

    Edtech Impact Quality Pedagogy evaluation

  • 3.7/5

    learning engagement score for Career Studio

    Edtech Impact Quality Pedagogy evaluation

Our full record

Who we work with

Companies, foundations, government, universities, colleges and youth organisations fund, host and hire alongside us.

Corporate partners and sponsors

  • BCG
  • Nedbank
  • BMW
  • Oracle
  • Werksmans Attorneys

Foundations

  • Mastercard Foundation
  • Trevor Noah Foundation
  • Mr Price Foundation
  • MTN SA Foundation

Higher education and TVET partners

  • University of Pretoria
  • Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria
  • Belgium Campus iTversity
  • Münster School of Business

Youth employment and impact ecosystem

  • Injini
  • Global Changemakers
  • Emzingo U
  • ChangeNOW
  • Y20 South Africa
  • Youth Vision Assembly 2025

Where you plug in

The team

Meet the team

  • Monewa Matlwa

    CEO & Co-Founder

  • Lebo Mmatjie

    Higher Education and Training Lead

  • Jude Otenyo

    Senior Developer

  • Kulungile Siwahla

    Project Lead

  • Peter Makgamatha

    Growth & Partnership Lead

  • Bhekisizwe Qwabe

    Operations Intern

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From career exposure to a first opportunity

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