Empowering South African Learners with Coding and Robotics

Stellantis South Africa has entered into a new community-focused partnership with Social Coding South Africa, aimed at introducing coding, robotics and digital literacy to learners and educators in areas where access to technology remains limited.

The initiative falls under Stellantis Philanthropy, the automotive group’s global social investment programme, which supports education, youth development and efforts to broaden access to economic opportunities.

Sizwekazi Mdingi, head of communications and CSR for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa at Stellantis, said the company views skills development as a foundation for long-term social and economic mobility. “Through Stellantis Philanthropy, we back initiatives that help young people build their futures and strengthen the communities they come from. Our partnership with Social Coding South Africa reflects this by giving learners and teachers digital skills that can lead to real opportunities.”

At the core of the project is a mobile computer laboratory that travels directly to schools, delivering hands-on training in coding, robotics and emerging technologies.

The programme is structured to reach several groups:

- Grade 8 and 9 learners, who will receive practical exposure to digital literacy, coding, robotics, artificial intelligence and Fourth Industrial Revolution tools.
- Teachers, who will be trained to integrate digital tools into their classroom practice.
- Young facilitators, who will be certified in digital and facilitation skills, with a number of participants gaining paid work experience to help scale the initiative.

In addition, learners will have the chance to enter national and international robotics competitions. By training local facilitators and upskilling teachers, the model is designed to ensure that digital capabilities continue to grow within the community even after the mobile lab moves to its next location.

Thembiso Magajana, founder of Social Coding South Africa, said the partnership addresses a persistent gap between community talent and available opportunity. “With Stellantis’s support, our mobile lab can reach learners, teachers and young facilitators who are often excluded from the digital economy, and show them that coding, robotics and AI are accessible. And because we train facilitators and equip teachers, the skills remain in the community long after the lab leaves.”

Stellantis Philanthropy operates separately from the company’s commercial operations and focuses on initiatives that generate social value. Its priorities include education, youth empowerment and improving access to opportunity, with the aim of enabling individuals to create lasting change in their own environments.

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