BRICS SA Skills Working Group
BRICS SA Skills Working Group (BRICS Future Skills) is a South African non-profit skills development initiative and one of nine working groups of the BRICS Business Council. It runs annual BRICS Future Skills Challenges, the Atlas of Emerging Jobs foresight research, and Skills Camps for youth aged 16-35 across all five BRICS nations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What BRICS SA Skills Working Group does
BRICS SA Skills Working Group, operating under the brand "BRICS Future Skills," is a non-profit skills development initiative and one of nine working groups of the BRICS Business Council. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa, the organization creates a pipeline of skills directed at future and emerging jobs for youth aged 16-35 across all five BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa). Its primary constituents are BRICS youth participants, with secondary engagement of industry experts, government bodies, and academic institutions.
The organization operates four interconnected programs: the BRICS Future Skills Challenge (an annual multi-day hybrid skills competition — described as a "Skills Olympics" or hackathon — covering 15 skill areas including cybersecurity, data science, robotics, drones, BIM, RPA, digital twin, and renewable energy), the Atlas of Emerging Jobs (a proprietary foresight methodology that identifies new, transforming, and obsolete jobs in specific sectors, launched June 8, 2023 for the Food & Beverage Manufacturing sector in partnership with FoodBev SETA), Skills Camps (monthly knowledge-sharing webinars across BRICS nations with joint curriculum development), and a Career Guidance Tool (interactive companion to the Atlas). The 2023 challenge hosted 120 South African competitors and hundreds more from other BRICS nations at the Joburg Expo Centre.
The business model is non-profit and grant- or sponsorship-funded. No fees are charged to participants; South African competitors' travel expenses are covered. Funding flows from government bodies (FoodBev SETA, Gauteng City Region Academy, CIDB, CSIR), corporate sponsors (Naspers, EOH, COEGA, Schneider Electric), and in-kind contributions from academic partners (Nelson Mandela University, University of Johannesburg, University of Cape Town). The organization has a small team of 6 employees and is led by Chair Mapule Ncanywa (also head of Naspers Labs) and Project Manager Joanne Brink (founder of TechWays).
BRICS SA Skills Working Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- BRICS SA Skills Working Group
- Legal name
- BRICS Future Skills
- Website
- https://bricsfutureskills.co.za
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- BRICS SA Skills Working Group (BRICS Future Skills) is a South African non-profit skills development initiative and one of nine working groups of the BRICS Business Council. It runs annual BRICS Future Skills Challenges, the Atlas of Emerging Jobs foresight research, and Skills Camps for youth aged 16-35 across all five BRICS nations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
BRICS SA Skills Working Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Skills Development and Workforce Training
- NAICS
- Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure) (EDAAAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
Keywords
Where BRICS SA Skills Working Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Johannesburg
- HQ country
- South Africa
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
BRICS SA Skills Working Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Non-profit/Government-funded initiative: BRICS SA Skills Working Group is one of nine working groups of the BRICS Business Council and operates as a non-profit skills development initiative. Funded through government bodies (FoodBev SETA, GCRA), corporate sponsors (Naspers, EOH, COEGA), and institutional partners (universities, CSIR). No revenue is generated from participants - competitions are free to enter with travel expenses covered for South African competitors.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
BRICS SA Skills Working Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
BRICS Future Skills is a non-profit skills development initiative that runs the BRICS Future Skills Challenge (a multi-day, hybrid Skills Olympics for youth aged 16-35 across future skill areas), the Atlas of Emerging Jobs (a foresight framework and career guidance tool mapping new, transforming, and obsolete jobs in specific sectors), and Skills Camps (monthly knowledge-sharing webinars and joint curriculum development across BRICS nations). Participation is free for competitors, with the initiative funded through government bodies, corporate sponsors, universities, and research institution partners under the BRICS Business Council umbrella.
Product overview
BRICS Future Skills operates as a skills development and competition organization offering four interconnected programs: the core BRICS Future Skills Challenge (a multi-day competition where youth aged 16-35 benchmark their skills globally), the Atlas of Emerging Jobs (a foresight roadmap and career guidance tool identifying future jobs and required skills), Skills Camps (monthly webinars and training across BRICS nations), and the Career Guidance Tool (an interactive companion to the Atlas helping youth prepare for emerging roles). These programs work together to create a pipeline of skills leading to future and emerging jobs for youth.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- BRICS Future Skills Challenge A multi-day, hybrid online and in-person Skills Olympics / hackathon competition where BRICS youth aged 16-35 solve real-world problems in future skill areas (including Cybersecurity, Data Science, Manufacturing Robotics, Drones, BIM, Mobile App Development, Renewable Energy, Aircraft Maintenance, Agri IoT, Digital Twin, Internet Marketing, and RPA). Participation is free and South African competitors' travel expenses are covered. The 2023 edition hosted 120 South African competitors and hundreds more from other BRICS nations at Johannesburg Expo Centre.
- Atlas of Emerging Jobs A foresight research framework and downloadable report that identifies new, transforming, and obsolete jobs expected in specific sectors, along with required skills programmes to support upskilling. The first sector report was launched for Food & Beverage Manufacturing and serves as a sector workforce planning tool.
- BRICS Skills Camps Monthly knowledge-sharing webinars on various future skills topics delivered across BRICS nations, combined with joint curriculum development with BRICS country partners. Topics include health technologies and other future skills areas.
- Career Guidance Tool An interactive tool within the Atlas platform that helps parents and youth explore and prepare for future jobs by identifying future, transforming, and obsolete roles in the Food & Beverage Manufacturing ecosystem.
Quantifiable outcome
- South Africa won 10 silver and bronze medals plus 5 medals of excellence in 2022
Companies that use BRICS SA Skills Working Group
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
BRICS SA Skills Working Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
BRICS SA Skills Working Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FoodBev SETAcoreMain partner and co-launcher of the Atlas of Emerging Jobs initiative. The FoodBev Manufacturing SETA collaborates on skills foresight and workforce development research for the food and beverage manufacturing sector.
- Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA)coreGovernment skills development body for Gauteng province. Provides bursary support and strategic alignment for youth skills development initiatives.
- NasperscoreTechnology company providing support through Naspers Labs initiative. The Chair of the BRICS Business Council Skills Group heads Naspers Labs.
- EOHminorTechnology services company providing expertise in RPA and solutions architecture for skills development programs.
- COEGA Development CorporationminorDevelopment agency providing HRD consulting support and operational assistance for skills development initiatives.
- CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)minorGovernment research organization contributing expertise in cybersecurity research and sector-specific technical knowledge.
- Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)minorGovernment body responsible for construction industry development. Contributes research director expertise to the Skills Working Group.
- Nelson Mandela UniversityminorUniversity providing academic expertise in mechatronics engineering, drone technology, and RPAS systems for skills competition areas.
- University of JohannesburgminorUniversity contributing technopreneurship centre leadership and expertise in built environment digital management for BIM and other skill areas.
- University of Cape TownminorUCT contributes to skills development programs and expertise sharing in technology and innovation areas.
- MICT SETAminorMedia, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority supporting skills development in ICT areas.
- Schneider ElectricminorEnergy management and automation company supporting skills development in renewable energy and related future skills areas.
- TechwayscoreFounded by Joanne Brink, TechWays provides project management for the BRICS Skills Challenge. Founder brings CA qualification and experience with FPD and Endeavor.
- ZindiminorAfrican data science competition platform supporting data science and AI skills development initiatives.
- Explore AIminorAI education platform contributing to data science and AI-related skills development programs.
- CAPACITIminorSkills development organization supporting the BRICS Future Skills initiatives.
- CITIminorOrganization contributing to skills development and workforce development initiatives.
- RPA NuggetsminorRPA training and expertise provider supporting robotic process automation skills competition areas.
- ERoute2MarketminorDigital marketing and e-commerce support for internet marketing and digital skills development.
- Starlite AviationminorAviation company providing aircraft maintenance expertise and national expert support for the aircraft maintenance skill area.
- InspiriL MarketingminorMarketing services company supporting skills development and communication efforts.
- National Business InitiativeminorOrganization providing executive support and expertise for skills development programs.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
BRICS SA Skills Working Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- MICT SETA: South African Sector Education and Training Authority for Media, Information and Communication Technologies. Comparable as a SA institutional skills-development body funding ICT training, also an existing BRICS Future Skills partner.
- Udemy: Global online learning marketplace with extensive catalogues in the technical skill areas the BRICS competitions target. Comparable as a broad-incumbent lifelong-learning platform and competitive substitute for skills-camp programming.
- Coursera: Global online education platform offering certifications and courses in the same future-skill domains (data science, cybersecurity, cloud, AI). Represents the scaling threat and the potential partnership/commercial-distribution counterpart.
Emerging players
- African Leadership University: Pan-African tertiary institution focused on leadership, technology and entrepreneurship skills for African youth. Comparable target demographic, African geography and future-skills positioning.
- Explore AI: South African AI and data-science training platform delivering skills courses relevant to the AI/data categories in BRICS Future Skills competitions. Comparable in local skills-market segment (also an existing BRICS Future Skills partner).
- Andela: Africa-focused technology training and talent marketplace that builds technical skills pipelines for global employers. Comparable in target demographic, African tech-skills focus and employer-of-record pathway.
Regional players
- CAPACITI: South African skills development non-profit delivering ICT and digital training to unemployed youth. Operates in the same geography with overlapping beneficiary cohort and digital-skills curriculum focus.
Direct peers
- WorldSkills International: Global non-profit running skills Olympiads across ~60 member countries with annual competitions in dozens of skill areas. The single most direct analogue in mission, format (multi-day skills Olympics for youth) and international benchmarking.
- Zindi: African data-science competition platform running data science challenges for African practitioners. Closely comparable in competition-based engagement model, African geography and data science / AI skill focus (also a BRICS Future Skills partner).
- Generation (McKinsey Social Initiative): Global youth skills-to-employment non-profit offering intensive short-course training across multiple sectors. Directly comparable mission, target demographic (16-35), employer-linkage model and use of competitions/hackathons as part of programming.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
BRICS SA Skills Working Group social profiles
Digital presenceBRICS SA Skills Working Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
BRICS SA Skills Working Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
BRICS SA Skills Working Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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BRICS SA Skills Working Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about BRICS SA Skills Working Group
What does BRICS SA Skills Working Group do?
BRICS Future Skills is a non-profit skills development initiative that runs the BRICS Future Skills Challenge (a multi-day, hybrid Skills Olympics for youth aged 16-35 across future skill areas), the Atlas of Emerging Jobs (a foresight framework and career guidance tool mapping new, transforming, and obsolete jobs in specific sectors), and Skills Camps (monthly knowledge-sharing webinars and joint curriculum development across BRICS nations). Participation is free for competitors, with the initiative funded through government bodies, corporate sponsors, universities, and research institution partners under the BRICS Business Council umbrella.
Is BRICS SA Skills Working Group a public or private company?
BRICS SA Skills Working Group is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was BRICS SA Skills Working Group founded?
BRICS SA Skills Working Group was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is BRICS SA Skills Working Group based?
BRICS SA Skills Working Group is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, in the Africa region.
How does BRICS SA Skills Working Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: non-profit/Government-funded initiative.
Who are BRICS SA Skills Working Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are MICT SETA, Udemy and Coursera. Emerging players are African Leadership University, Explore AI and Andela. CAPACITI is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are WorldSkills International, Zindi and Generation (McKinsey Social Initiative).
Does BRICS SA Skills Working Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for BRICS SA Skills Working Group.
What industry is BRICS SA Skills Working Group in?
BRICS SA Skills Working Group's product category is Skills Development and Workforce Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAEAD, Professional & Applied Skills Noncredit Certificates (Non-licensure), with a secondary code of EDAAAEAL, Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs. Its NAICS code is 611420 and its SIC code is 7370.