The British Council has opened applications for its Green and Digital Employability and Enterprise Programme (GDEEp), a pilot workforce development initiative offering a single £150,000 grant to one UK–South Africa consortium. The programme aims to prepare South African tertiary students for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities at the intersection of the green and digital economies.
Applications close on 17 November 2026 at 11:00 a.m. UK time. The 21-month project is scheduled to start in December 2026 and run until approximately September 2028.
What is GDEEp?
GDEEp is the British Council’s pilot programme designed to strengthen the workforce readiness of a minimum of 50 current students from a participating South African TVET college and higher education institution. It focuses on the convergence of green and digital skills rather than treating them as separate domains.
The initiative explores how digital tools and technology-enabled services can advance climate action, sustainability, resource efficiency, circular economy solutions, clean energy, green enterprise, and inclusive economic participation. It also seeks to build sustainable industry partnerships and strengthen institutional approaches to teaching, learning, and student support.
GDEEp operates through five interconnected areas of intervention:
- Skills development
- Entrepreneurship
- Work-integrated learning
- Industry–tertiary education partnerships
- Institutional embedding and sustainability
The selected consortium will design and deliver practical, student-facing, institutional, and industry-facing activities. The grant prioritises implementation over research, mapping, or scoping exercises. Existing evidence and market insights should inform the design, but the core focus must be hands-on delivery.
Grant Details and Scope
- Funding: One grant of £150,000
- Duration: 21 months, starting December 2026
- Target: Support at least 50 current South African TVET and university students
The consortium will be responsible for recruiting and supporting students, delivering applied green-digital skills activities (with some in-person delivery highly recommended), supporting enterprise development and innovation, providing meaningful work-integrated learning and industry exposure, strengthening formal partnerships between industry and tertiary institutions, and embedding sustainable approaches within the participating South African institutions.
The British Council is separately appointing a South Africa-based Programme Delivery Partner to handle validation, technical onboarding, programme management, quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and communications. The consortium remains responsible for the core student, institutional, and industry activities.
Who Can Apply?
This is an institutional consortium grant, not an individual scholarship or standalone entrepreneurship award. The required partners are:
- One UK higher education or TVET/further education institution as the UK Lead Partner (the only party that can start and submit the application)
- One South African TVET college and one South African university (one of which must serve as the South African Lead Partner)
- One or more relevant South African industry partners
Applications must come from a single integrated partnership with clear co-leadership arrangements between the UK and South African leads. Equitable collaboration, shared decision-making, and meaningful participation by all partners are expected.
Key Themes and Expected Activities
Proposals should demonstrate practical ways to combine green and digital skills. Relevant themes include digital tools for climate action and sustainability, clean energy technologies and services, circular economy models, green entrepreneurship, technology-enabled sustainable production, and industry-linked training aligned with emerging job opportunities.
Activities should directly benefit students while building stronger education–industry relationships and contributing to longer-term institutional change.
How to Apply
- Review the official GDEEp Call Guidance and Grant Agreement Template available on the British Council opportunities page.
- Form the required UK–South Africa education and industry consortium.
- Agree on activities, outcomes, timeline, and budget.
- Register on the Going Global Partnerships grant platform.
- Have the UK Lead Partner complete and submit the online application.
Application platform:
Interested Applicants can submit their applications using the Link provided 👉 Here
Official opportunity page:
Interested Applicants can also use the Link provided 👉 Here to gain access to the Official opportunity page
Contact for questions: pertunia.mothiba@britishcouncil.org
Why This Matters
South Africa faces the dual challenge of high youth unemployment and the need to transition toward a greener, more digital economy. Programmes that equip students with combined green-digital skills, real industry exposure, and entrepreneurial pathways can help bridge the gap between education and emerging labour market needs. By fostering UK–South Africa collaboration and embedding new approaches within institutions, GDEEp aims to create lasting impact beyond the pilot cohort of 50 students.
This opportunity forms part of the British Council’s broader Going Global Partnerships work, which supports stronger, more inclusive, and internationally connected higher education and TVET systems.
Interested UK higher education and TVET institutions should begin identifying South African university, TVET college, and industry partners promptly. With the deadline of 17 November 2026 approaching, early coordination will be essential for a competitive, high-quality proposal.
