Empowering youth through ICT skills training

In a bid to help tackle skills development and job creation within the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, Vodacom has embarked on a drive to help empower unemployed youth with ICT skills training.

This week, Vodacom through its Mobile Education programme in partnership with Cisco and MICT-Seta wrapped up a youth development training project at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), Port Elizabeth. The programme aimed to train unemployed youth in ICT skills and to further develop them into ICT entrepreneurs.

Sales Executive Officer for Vodacom Eastern Cape Region, Travis Goate says: “This is Vodacom’s contribution towards the creation of skills development and job creation opportunities for unemployed youth. It is premised on the concept that the more skilled the youth are, the greater their opportunity for employment.

“We know that Cisco technical skills are some of the most sought after skills in the ICT industry.”

The skills training seeked to equip the youth with relevant ICT skills to assist with the installation of IT equipment as well as provide instruction in high-end computer skills. As part of the initiative the youth received skills training in A+, N+ and 3G connectivity, CCNA and IT security.

For the financial year ended 31 March 2017, a total of 367 youth across the country received much needed training and received work-experience in various government institutions. Importantly, 25% of the youth have since secured permanent employment.

Last November, 10 grads from the Vodacom Academy were selected and will now be supported by the Vodacom Innovator Trust to develop their business ideas, models and plans while also focusing on other business development areas.

Goate says that 10 grads will now move on to the Innovator Trust’s Enterprise Development Programme for Entrepreneurs, which has been hugely successful since inception in 2014.

To date, the Innovator Trust has successfully incubated over 50 SMMEs.

The Vodacom youth skills development project focuses in particular on helping nurture skills needed in the ICT industry, with the potential for beneficiaries to be offered practical experience that will include projects such as ICT installation in schools, providing connectivity in schools and rural areas. Trainees will also be used in the technical support for the schools that are part of the Vodacom Mobile Education programme.