Jessica Hawkey established redAcademy at a time when South Africa had more than 60% youth unemployment, while the ICT sector faced a critical skills shortage of more than 100 000 vacancies, including 44 000 roles suited to juniors.She saw an opportunity to address both problems by creating a new pathway for South African youth to enter highly skilled technology careers while helping businesses access role-ready talent.Born and raised in Cape Town's northern suburbs, Hawkey gained business experience locally and abroad before returning to South Africa, determined to contribute to change in the country. Throughout her career, she was often the youngest person around the table and the only woman.The experience exposed her to diverse perspectives and different ways of thinking, while helping her develop confidence in her views and a strong understanding of business needs. She spent her 20s absorbing knowledge and gaining exposure before moving into entrepreneurship in the following decade.Hawkey identified a way to support young South Africans into highly skilled technology careers while helping businesses address their talent shortages through Skills-Integration-as-a-Service.The model supports people with no background in technology through a customised one-year, office-based programme that provides real work experience in a client's working environment, overseen by redAcademy. To date, 95% of redAcademy graduates have entered employment in technology after graduating.As the founder of a rapidly scaling business, no two days are the same but each offers an opportunity to create an impact.Her work provides clients with a return on their skills investment while giving young people opportunities to change their futures.Her contribution was recognised when she was named Top Tech Innovator of the Year in the ITWeb Wired for Women awards in 2024.RedAcademy's committed clients in the retail and fintech sectors have also demonstrated the value of the model. Although entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey, Hawkey has found her passion and purpose in helping businesses fill talent gaps with people trained and experienced in their environments, while supporting talented youth into careers they might otherwise not have considered possible.