At Ignition, we believe meaningful change starts with creating access to opportunity. Our Spark Mentorship Programme brings this belief to life by connecting young people from LIV Village with Ignitioners who are willing to share their time, knowledge and experience.
This October, we welcomed learners from LIV Village to our offices for a full day of mentorship. They explored a working environment, learnt about careers they may never have heard of, and connected with people from across the business, from AI engineers and call centre leaders to HR, IT, marketing and business specialists.
What is the Spark Mentorship Programme?
Spark is Ignition Group’s youth mentorship programme for high school learners. It gives young people first-hand exposure to the world of work and to the careers being created by the digital economy. Learners spend time with Ignitioners in different departments, ask questions, try practical activities and hear honest stories about how people built their careers.
South Africa’s youth are entering a job market that is being reshaped by technology, AI and new ways of working. Many of the roles they will one day fill do not appear in a careers guide. Spark is our way of helping learners see those possibilities early, and see themselves in them.
Building on our partnership with LIV Village
This is not our first Spark Mentorship Day. In 2024 we hosted our first Spark Mentorship Day with LIV Village learners, and our relationship with LIV Village has continued to grow, including the Senior Library we launched with The Learn Project. Each programme builds on the last, and this year, was our most hands-on yet.
What the learners explored
The day was built around short meaningful sessions, each led by Ignitioners who do the work every day.
AI and building a game. Learners were introduced to artificial intelligence and how it is changing the way we work. Then they put it to use, building their own game with AI. For many, it was the first time they had seen how quickly an idea can become something real with the right digital tools.
Careers in the call centre. A contact centre is far more than answering phones. Learners discovered the range of roles behind great customer experience, from agents and team leaders to quality assurance, workforce planning, training and operations management, and how each can be a starting point for a long career.
Your past doesn’t define your career. This theme ran through many of the day’s sessions. Mentors spoke openly about where they came from and the turns their careers took, including one who never expected to end up in HR. Their message was the same: where you start shapes you, but it doesn’t set a limit on where you can go.
Marketing and Employee Experience. Learners discovered that marketing is about much more than buying and selling. They got hands-on with design and saw how creativity, strategy and data come together to build a brand, both for customers and for the people who work here.
They also learnt that Employee Experience is a department of its own at Ignition, and that its purpose every day is to make sure our people are happy at work. Not every company has a team like this, but it matters a great deal to us.
IT and the power of determination. Our IT mentor shared a simple lesson. You don’t need to know everything to get started. Pure determination, and being willing to put up your hand to learn, can take you further than you imagine.
Business and entrepreneurship. Finally, learners explored how businesses are built, how ideas become products and services, and what it takes to think like an entrepreneur in the digital economy.
In their own words
At the end of the day, the learners stood up in front of their mentors and shared what they had taken away. Their reflections said more than any summary could.
“I thought marketing was all about buying and selling, but I actually learned that it’s also designing. So it’s more practical stuff too.”
On building a game with AI:
“I never actually knew that you could create a game with AI, so that was fun!
On resilience and the future:
“We should not let our past define who we are going to be and who we are, but let that be something that brings us back up again.”
“As was demonstrated today, we should be creative and not think that we can’t go forward. There is a way.”
These moments are at the heart of Spark. In a single day, learners went from seeing careers as distant ideas to seeing them as real paths, and seeing themselves on them.
“They wanted to come back to Ignition”
The impact didn’t end when the learners left our offices. The next morning, we received a message from our contact at LIV Village:
“They are absolutely thrilled and so appreciative of the opportunity. They were so excited that they were reluctant to go to school yesterday because they wanted to come back to Ignition! It was truly heartwarming to see how much the experience meant to them.”
“Experiences like these open their minds to new possibilities and give them something exciting to look forward to. We hope this is the beginning of many more opportunities to work together.”
That is exactly the kind of spark this programme sets out to create.
What our mentors took away
The experience was just as meaningful for our mentors, who were reminded of the value of sharing their journeys, offering guidance and learning from the curiosity and enthusiasm of the next generation.
“Meeting the students from LIV Village who were part of our Spark Mentorship Programme was a real privilege. Their youthful energy was infectious, and their insightful questions left me feeling hopeful that the future is in good hands. I was particularly inspired by the courage they showed in confidently sharing their individual perspectives with a senior audience. We are grateful that they chose Ignition as a place to explore their career aspirations, learn and grow. I have no doubt that this cohort has bright futures ahead of them.”
Nic Williamson, Group Chief of Staff
“Sharing the world of AI with the Spark students was a real privilege. They engaged with curiosity and confidence, and I left energised by how quickly they grasped the possibilities ahead of them.”
Kylan Pather, AI & Automation Engineer
Why mentorship matters in the digital economy
Mentorship isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about making time to listen, sharing what you’ve learnt, and helping someone recognise the possibilities ahead of them.
As the digital economy grows, the gap between young people who have been exposed to technology, AI and professional environments and those who haven’t can shape their futures. Programmes like Spark help close that gap. They give learners real conversations, practical skills and role models they can relate to, long before they choose a subject, a course or a first job.
Spark is one part of Ignition Group’s wider commitment to education and skills development, alongside our libraries and digital libraries for local schools and our work connecting youth to the digital economy.
What’s next for Spark
We believe every Ignitioner has something valuable to share. Through future mentorship and learnership initiatives, we hope to encourage more of our people to get involved, pass on their knowledge and help young people explore their potential. And with Grade 9 learners already asking for their turn, we’re looking forward to welcoming the next group.
Sometimes one conversation, one shared experience or one person willing to offer guidance is all it takes to help someone see their future differently.
Read more stories about our people, partnerships and community work in the Ignition Group Newsroom