Johannesburg – A selected group of 50 South African students is travelling to study e-commerce in China.
The graduates selected from 21 Technical, Vocational and Education Training (TVET) colleges will receive training in e-commerce and global exposure in international retail standards and trade trends.
The students will depart from OR Tambo International Airport on Monday, 12 January 2026, to participate in a one-year e-commerce programme fully funded by the Wholesale and Retail SETA (W&RSETA).
In a statement on Friday, 9 January 2026, W&RSETA Spokesperson Vukani Mnyandu explained that the programme was mainly aimed at equipping South African youth in digital commerce towards a drive to maximise a culture of entrepreneurship largely within the retail sector.
“This training is facilitated by the W&RSETA in partnership with the Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Centre (CCIEEC),” stated Mnyandu.
The programme started in 2023 with a batch of 82 graduates from TVET colleges who completed the programme and returned to South Africa in May 2025.
The e-commerce programme, in the rollout in partnership with the CCIEEC, forms part of the Wholesale and Retail SETA’s international programme.
W&RSETA identifies students annually and facilitates their training at foreign higher education institutions of learning and further ensures their exposure at global retail companies to sharpen their business management competitiveness.
