Career Quest, the flagship of the Learn.Earn.Rise (L.E.R.) programme, gives every young South African a map from Grade 9 subject choices to a first job, a funded study place or a business idea. Corporate South Africa can help put it in every learner’s hands.
Every year, young South Africans make decisions that can shape the rest of their lives. They choose school subjects, consider study pathways, apply for funding, and begin exploring careers. Yet too many make these choices without access to clear, reliable information about the opportunities available to them.
The consequences can be significant. A Grade 9 learner may drop Mathematics without fully understanding which careers that decision might close off in the future. A matric learner may miss a university, TVET college or bursary deadline and lose an entire year of opportunity. In many cases, these setbacks are not caused by a lack of ability or ambition. They are caused by a lack of information.
South Africa does not have a talent shortage. It has an information gap.
“Talent is everywhere in South Africa. Information is not,” says Nozuko Mzamo, Founder of Ukiyo and the Global Student Support Platform (GSSP). “Every young person deserves a real plan, not a guess.”
Bridging that gap is the driving purpose behind Learn.Earn.Rise (L.E.R.) Career Quest, a new initiative designed to help young people understand their options and make informed decisions about their futures.
A map, not a lecture
Rather than presenting career guidance as a once-off presentation or a collection of brochures, Career Quest transforms it into an interactive journey that learners complete at their own pace.
Participants progress through 11 Levels that take them from self-discovery to workplace readiness. Along the way they learn about subject choices, APS requirements, National Benchmark Tests, tertiary applications, funding opportunities, CV writing and interview preparation.
The programme also introduces learners to 12 Career Worlds, helping them explore a broad range of industries and professions. Through Virtual Mentors, learners meet real professionals who share their experiences and insights about how they entered their chosen fields.
Most importantly, Career Quest does not leave young people with vague inspiration. Each participant completes the programme with a practical, personalised plan that belongs to them and reflects their own goals and circumstances.
The programme is available online through the Learn.Earn.Rise platform and is open to any young person wishing to explore their future opportunities. Whether they are still in school, have recently completed matric, or are currently unemployed and searching for direction, Career Quest is designed to meet them where they are.
Built for the classrooms that need it most
Digital access remains a major challenge in many South African schools and communities. While online platforms create exciting opportunities, not every learner has reliable internet access or a personal device.
Career Quest was designed with this reality in mind.
In addition to the online experience, the programme is available as a printed workbook distributed free of charge to learners in schools adopted by partner organisations. This ensures that a lack of connectivity does not become another barrier to opportunity.
The programme also creates opportunities for young adults through the deployment of L.E.R. Ambassadors. These ambassadors are recruited from the communities surrounding participating schools, trained to deliver the programme, and provided with a stipend.
This approach creates a dual impact. Learners gain guidance from relatable role models who understand their local context, while unemployed young people gain meaningful work experience, training and income that can strengthen their own career prospects.
How corporate South Africa can help
Career Quest is scheduled to reach its first 10 high schools during the 2027 school year. The scale of its future impact will depend on partnerships across the public and private sectors.
Organisations can support the programme in several ways.
The first is through school adoption. Investing and funding a Grade 9 class of approximately 100 learners for a year. This includes printed Career Quest books, two paid and trained L.E.R. Ambassadors, programme monitoring and evaluation, and impact reports.
Companies can also contribute through employee volunteering. Professionals from across industries can serve as Virtual Mentors, helping learners see possibilities they may never have encountered within their immediate environments.
Finally, strategic platform, content and rollout partners can help expand Career Quest beyond the initial schools and into communities across the country.
Partnerships may qualify as B-BBEE Socio-Economic Development contributions, or Enterprise Development depending on programme structure. Ukiyo is also approved as a Public Benefit Organisation able to issue Section 18A tax certificates.
Be part of the quest
Learn.Earn.Rise is an initiative of Ukiyo, powered by the Global Student Support Platform (GSSP). Career Quest launches for young people in January 2027 with a simple but ambitious goal: ensuring that no young South African loses opportunities simply because they did not know they existed.
Information unlocks opportunity. When learners have access to the right guidance at the right time, they can make decisions with confidence and move towards futures they can clearly see.
To partner with Learn.Earn.Rise Career Quest, contact Nozuko Mzamo at info@ukiyo.africa.
