PwC’s R95m innovation centre to employ 1 000 SA youth

Advisory services firm PwC has invested $5 million (R95 million) in building its PwC South Africa Technology and Innovation Centre (SATIC), based at its Waterfall office in Midrand, Johannesburg.

According to a statement, the new centre is a joint venture between PwC South Africa and PwC United Kingdom, which collectively invested in developing the centre. It has deployed the latest digital innovations to help clients navigate their digital transformation roadmap, it adds.

The centre, which is now operational, will service clients in SA and the UK, in key areas such as SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Microsoft, cloud, data analytics, transformation enablement and managed services.

PwC says the new facility is part of efforts to expand its global delivery capacity and capabilities, to ensure sustained outcomes for clients, through innovation and technology.

As part of this strategy, it is looking to employ more than 1 000 individuals by 2027, through offering opportunities for learning and development to nurture local talent, with a focus on youth.

Dilan Radia, PwC SATIC CEO, notes: “Bringing together highly-skilled talent in SA, and PwC’s industry expertise, enables us to serve our clients’ ever-evolving needs in both the South African and UK markets.

“SATIC is not just a physical space where our employees collaborate, but an extension of our global PwC delivery model. We offer three main categories of services to clients: technology platforms, technology enablement services and managed services (financial crime, finance managed services, and tax and legal).”

PwC says in the coming months and years, the centre will run and support a number of programmes to help youth upskill in a number of areas, to enable them to gain relevant business knowledge and become future leaders.

SA’s youth unemployment rate currently sits at 70.1% for those aged 15-24, and 49.1% for those aged 25-34 years.

“Through the establishment of the SATIC, we plan to have a positive impact on youth unemployment in SA. Our recruitment drive has already begun, and with time, we will significantly ramp things up,” notes Radia.

PwC has a presence in 32 African countries, including over 60 office locations, with more than 400 partners and 10 000 professionals across Africa.

According to the company, the centre aligns with its vision to drive new ways of delivering digital transformation with the right skills and technologies.

“The SATIC supports our societal purpose strategy, which is aligned to seven of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, as it has a keen focus on three of these SDGs: quality education, decent work andeconomic growth, and to reduce inequalities,” comments Shirley Machaba, PwC South Africa CEO.

“This new centre demonstrates that while we are a business, we are committed to making a difference and helping our clients, government, communities and stakeholders to solve some of their most pressing problems.”