The shortage of previously disadvantaged individuals to fulfil critical technical roles within the IT industry prompted ATIO Corporation to embark on discussions with the IT SETA in October 2004 to investigate initiating a viable learnership programme within the company.
ATIO Corporation`s Human Resources Director, Annetjie Moore, says ATIO Corporation`s ongoing aim is to source suitable BTech graduate candidates and offer an initial one-year contract with a view to possible permanent employment, enabling them to grow successfully into the organisation.
Says Moore: "We`ve developed a specific training programme for this initiative that focuses on enhancing the graduates` soft skills by developing areas such as communication, the ability to interface with customers and an innate understanding of ATIO Corporation`s culture and approach to dealing with business and people."
ATIO Corporation, recognising its responsibility toward fulfilling the ICT charter, is also trying to implement a holistic approach to this learnership initiative, focusing on more than just the graduates` technical skills. These soft skills are important to ATIO Corporation and vital in building a truly empowered company.
Moore says: "We`re currently in the process of recruiting in Johannesburg and Cape Town for both our IBS and Telecom Services divisions. We have already appointed three graduates in Johannesburg, and will be taking on one more in Cape Town."
As a dynamic organisation, ATIO Corporation acknowledges that it is creating a sustainable growth opportunity for itself as well as the ICT industry by identifying and building a resource base of highly-skilled individuals from which to draw. The company feels it is giving these graduates an opportunity to grow with the company into the future.
"We realised that this learnership programme would be a winning situation for all concerned. We would be creating career opportunities for the successful applicants, enabling them to enter the market, growing their skills and gaining experience, while adding value to our organisation`s skills base and those within the industry to the ultimate benefit of the country," concludes Moore.
Share
ATIO Corporation is a black empowered company specialising in ICT solutions and services. ATIO`s two business divisions target clearly defined niches within the market for business communications solutions.
The ATIO-Intelligent Business Solutions (IBS) division provides integrated multimedia communication channels to give managers a holistic, real-time view of all company business interactions, including:
* Contact centres
* Customer relationship management
* Mobile and unified communications
* Multimedia recording
* Telephony
ATIO is SA`s biggest privately owned provider of contact centre solutions and services, with nearly 20 years experience in this environment.
The ATIO-Telecom Services division provides end-to-end network performance and revenue assurance testing solutions and services to mobile and fixed operators. It is one of the global pioneers of network performance testing and its innovative solutions and services are widely used not only in SA and the rest of Africa, but also throughout the European Union (EU) and the UK.
Editorial contacts