The Google.Org sponsorship will upskill 500 disadvantaged youth with much needed IT skills
JA South Africa is delighted to receive sponsorship from Google.org to provide scholarships, instructional support, and wraparound support for young South Africans.
The grant, valued at R 1,5 million, will see 500 disadvantaged youth across Gauteng, Limpopo, Eastern Cape and Western Cape complete the Google IT Support programme. To date the programme has already kicked off in the Western Cape province.
Beneficiaries of the programme, will receive sponsorship that allows them to complete the certificate and prepares them for careers in the high-growth field of IT thus fast-tracking participants to market themselves in the competitive job market.
According to a collaborative research report by IBM and International Data Corporation the biggest skills gap in South Africa lies in security and data protection skills. The research further found that 49 % of companies lack cloud computing skills.
At the end of the programme, participants will gain knowledge in network protocols, cloud computing, Windows operating system, Linux command line, systems administration, encryption algorithms and techniques. The programme will churn out youth with the requisite skills for success and address the IT skills gap challenges faced in the country. Since the programme launched in 2018 , the programme has seen 82 % in positive career outcomes.
“The COVID pandemic has catapulted some industries and career choices to adapt to the times and the initiative by Googe.Org to upskill youth to the new normal in collaboration with JA South Africa will allow for the grant to reach disadvantaged youth to better their future prospects and in tandem address the I.T skills shortage we see in our country”, says Nelly Mofokeng, JA South Africa, Managing Director.
Sharing her experience, Prudence Fortuin, a beneficiary of the programme in Western Cape said, “My journey so far has been phenomenal. I’ve gained a lot of experiences and learning so much more. I initially struggled in the beginning with the binary coding, but once I understood how the binary coding worked it became easier for me. I’m looking forward to the last module which is IT Security Defence Against the Digital Dark Arts because I want to go into Cyber Security. I would like to thank you and all stakeholders for this opportunity which I truly appreciate.”
JA South Africa (formerly Junior Achievement South Africa) provides a platform of opportunity empowering the youth with practical Entrepreneurial skills, sound Financial literacy and Work readiness. Thanks to funding from Google.org, JA South Africa is addressing the much needed IT skills lacking in the local economy.
