Microsoft Places 64 Graduates in 11 South African Departments to Speed Digitisation
Updated
Updated · ednews.africa · Jun 18
Microsoft Places 64 Graduates in 11 South African Departments to Speed Digitisation
2 articles · Updated · ednews.africa · Jun 18
Summary
Sixty-four unemployed graduates have been embedded in 11 South African national and provincial departments in three-year roles funded by Microsoft through June 2028.
Each recruit holds at least an NQF Level 7 qualification and completed Microsoft Power Platform certification before joining live automation and digital-transformation projects that began in March 2026.
The placements target a key government bottleneck: limited in-house digital capacity to automate approvals, digitise document management and replace manual tracking with dashboards.
Microsoft says the model links skills training to sustained employment, aiming to improve citizen services while building a longer-term public-sector digital talent pipeline.
What happens to South Africa's digital progress when Microsoft’s funding for these key government roles ends in 2028?
Are these 64 graduates building a better government or simply a captive future market for Microsoft's technology?
Can a corporate program truly solve a nation's deep-seated skills gap, or is it just a temporary fix?
Transforming South Africa’s Public Sector: Microsoft’s EEIP Places 64 Certified Graduates in 11 Departments for Digital Innovation
Overview
In March 2026, Microsoft South Africa launched a transformative digital skills programme under the Equity Equivalent Investment Programme and Public Sector Workplace Placement. The initiative places 64 unemployed graduates with NQF Level 7 qualifications into 11 government departments for three years of full-time employment. Microsoft funds their salaries and invests in their ongoing professional development. Each graduate completes a Microsoft Expert Technical Certification in Power Platform, gaining low-code and no-code skills to create digital solutions. These graduates help reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve data visibility, driving digital transformation and modernising service delivery within the public sector.