CareerKit tackles youth unemployment with board game innovation

Youth unemployment remains one of SA’s most stubborn challenges.

Enter CareerKit, a Durban-based start-up that is using innovative tools and artificial intelligence to guide young people towards careers that match their skills and personalities.

Founded in 2022 by Isaac Mongali, CareerKit combines technology, psychology and creativity to bridge the gap between talent and opportunity.

“We use career guidance to help combat youth unemployment,” Mongali said.

“We have developed a range of tools for the youth. These include board games designed to help individuals with self-awareness and self-actualisation.”

One of the company’s standout innovations is a psychometric board game. Using principles of psychology, it identifies a player’s personality type and provides a list of in-demand career paths.

“Once you know which career you are supposed to be in, you then move on to the specialised career kit, which helps you identify and experience that particular career,” Mongali explained.

“We basically simulate the entire career, and as you play the game, it allows you to understand that career deeply.”

The tools are designed for accessibility and relevance across SA. “Whether you are in a private or public school, in a township, city or rural area, these tools will work for you,” he said. CareerKit has already had an effect on more than 15,000 learners nationwide, and the company is only just getting started.

The team consists of 10 staff members, and all manufacturing takes place in Durban. Mongali, who holds an electrical engineering degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the idea came from a simple but pressing observation.

“We are in a paradox — employers are looking for people but can’t find suitable candidates, and people are looking for jobs but can’t find them. We saw an opportunity and devised these solutions for the South African context.”

CareerKit has received funding and grants from the Technology Innovation Agency, the Industrial Development Corporation and the Small Enterprise Development and Finance Agency. Recently, the company was named EdTech Start-up of the Year at the Startup20 Awards.

Looking ahead, Mongali said CareerKit plans to expand its offerings. “We are adding more in-demand careers to offer a much wider range, and we are developing an online application to reach a global audience.”

CareerKit products are available on Takealot and the company’s online store, at www.careerkit.co.za, making its innovative approach to career guidance accessible to youth across SA. − GCIS’s Vuk’uzenzele