By Johannah Malogadihlare
A total of 362 learners recently graduated from the Telkom Foundation’s information and communications technology learnership programme, bringing the total number of certified learners to 1077 in Mpumalanga and the Free State.
The foundation has partnered with Afrika Kids Code to drive digital skills education among young people.
“We believe that technology is a great equaliser. This is all about giving every South African child a fighting chance to compete, create, and contribute to a better future,” said the head of the Telkom Foundation, Judy Vilakazi.
Learners from Qhubulwazi and Methula high schools in Mpumalanga, as well as Tiisetsang and Kgolathuto high schools in the Free State were equipped with a wide range of coding and robotics skills.
“It has been humbling to watch these students grow, not just academically but personally too. They enter the programme shy and uncertain, but they leave confident, curious and innovative,” said Afrika Kids Code founder Mangaliso Mokoape.
Mpho Majola from Tiisetsang High School said: “Technology skills will be the key to success in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. I now have a head start in life. The sky is the limit.”
The programme is certified by IBM and IC3. It offers certain areas of specialisation including technical support, systems development and business analysis.
Each participant completed four months training that was followed by work placement at host employers for experiential learning.
“What a touching experience this was watching learners being exposed to the world of technology; a world they otherwise would never have seen. The programme helped them improve academically as well,” Vilakazi said in a statement.
The programme also offered entrepreneurship development, financial literacy, design thinking, 4IR awareness, personal branding and work readiness.
The ICT learnership is an accredited programme by the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority.
INSIDE EDUCATION
