youthPROFILER

South Africa faces a deep and persistent foundational learning crisis, where many children are unable to read for meaning or perform basic numeracy by the time they reach Grade 4. Schools, ECD centres, and community programmes often lack the tools, capacity, and early diagnostic systems needed to identify learning gaps before they become entrenched. At the same time, high youth unemployment limits opportunities for young people to participate meaningfully in strengthening education systems.

We partnered with the developers of the Learner Profiler tool because it offers a reliable, technology-enabled way to assess literacy and numeracy in a fast, accessible, and context-appropriate format. However, what was missing was a practical, scalable implementation model that could bring this tool directly into the communities and schools that need it most.

We created the youthPROFILER model to bridge this gap. Our model trains young people as youthPROFILERS who use the Learner Profiler tool to deliver high-quality, mobile-based assessments in under-resourced environments. This approach ensures that foundational learning challenges are identified early, while simultaneously creating meaningful work opportunities for youth. By combining a proven assessment tool with a community-driven, youth-led delivery model, we aim to strengthen early learning systems, support teachers, engage parents, and build long-term educational resilience where it matters most.

In practice, youthPROFILERs operate as a mobile, youth-led assessment service embedded directly within ECD centres, primary schools, and community learning environments. Trained youthPROFILERS visit sites with mobile phones equipped with the Learner Profiler tool, which allows them to conduct standardised, context-appropriate literacy and numeracy assessments quickly and reliably. Each session involves screening individual learners, capturing their performance on key foundational skills, and instantly generating digital reports that highlight strengths, challenges, and recommended next steps.

Teachers receive class-level summaries that help them group learners, plan interventions, and track progress. Parents receive clear, accessible reports that increase visibility into their child’s learning needs. Schools and districts gain aggregated data that informs budgeting, curriculum support, and early intervention planning.

The process is simple, low-cost, and highly adaptable. youthPROFILERS can operate in schools with limited infrastructure, moving classroom to classroom or setting up temporary testing stations. Data is uploaded when connectivity allows, ensuring the model works even in low-resource environments. The innovation not only identifies learning gaps early and closes them but also creates structured work opportunities for youth, giving them skills, income, and a meaningful role in strengthening education systems.

youthPROFILER has grown steadily through strong demand from schools, ECD centres, NGOs, and district officials seeking reliable, accessible data on foundational learning. The innovation began as a small pilot but quickly expanded as partners recognised the value of having real-time insight into learners’ literacy and numeracy levels. Word of mouth among educators, combined with district-level referrals, has driven adoption in both township and rural contexts. As more schools experienced the benefits of clear reports and actionable data, repeat screening cycles became common, strengthening long-term relationships and embedding the model into annual planning.

Since 2023 we have supported over 20,000 learners in close to 100 ECD centres and over 30 primary schools. The service is mainly offered in Gauteng and was run in 2025 in partnership with Tshwane North and Ekhureleni East District. Thembisa and Diepsloot ECD Forums have been partners for three years and co-fund the initiative. They pay R50 and corporates pay the balance of R 80 to fund the service. For the DBE program funding was sought through youth@WORK to support 12,000 learners this year. The service is much needed and well received, the challenged to roll out further is funding. Other areas are Vrygrond Western Cape and Adams Mission KZN.

Since launching youthPROFILER, we have continuously strengthened the model to improve accuracy, scalability, and community relevance. While the Learner Profiler tool provides the core assessment engine, we adapted the implementation model to function effectively in under-resourced schools and ECD centres. This included simplifying assessment workflows, developing offline functionality for environments with limited connectivity, and creating clearer reporting formats for teachers and parents.

We introduced Mobile Testing Units to increase reach in rural and township areas and refined our youth training programme to ensure youthPROFILERS can screen large numbers of learners while maintaining quality and consistency. Partnerships with early learning organisations and district officials helped us add aggregated dashboards, follow-up cycles, and intervention recommendations that align with curriculum needs.

The reports are SIAS compliant but still need to be shared with the DBE to use this as such. Modifications have been to recruit trained unemployed teachers as youthPROFILERS and provide additional training such as trauma informed methodology to enhance the delivery and ultimately the outcomes. In some instances, learners are increasing their skills by 40% in one term intervention showing easy adoption with high outcomes. Improvements result in overall increase in marks something we have consistently seen but not tracked for all.

Organisations, schools, districts, or learning programmes that want to implement youthPROFILER can begin by contacting youth@WORK to discuss their context and screening needs. We work with each partner to determine the number of learners, the preferred timeline, and any specific focus areas such as Grade R readiness, early literacy, or numeracy support. Once the scope is agreed upon, we schedule a deployment of trained youthPROFILERS who will conduct the assessments on-site using the Learner Profiler tool.

We provide a simple onboarding process, which may include an introductory session for teachers or administrators, guidance on supporting the screening process, and clarity on how results will be shared. After assessments are completed, partners receive individual learner profiles, class summaries, and recommended next steps for support or intervention planning. For organisations or districts seeking longer-term implementation, we can set up multiple screening cycles throughout the year to track progress over time.

The model is highly adaptable and works in ECD centres, primary schools, community learning hubs, and NGOs. No specialised equipment is required from the partner, as our youthPROFILERS bring all necessary mobile tools. To get started, partners simply reach out, share their needs, and we guide them through a streamlined setup that brings early, actionable learning data directly into their environment. Check website and complete info box.