Bytes People Solutions signs agreement with The Innovation Hub to develop scarce ICT skills

Mr. McLean Sibanda, CEO: The Innovation Hub and Dr. Madelise Grobler: Managing Director - Bytes People Solutions.

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Bytes People Solutions, a provider of internationally accredited education, training and skills development, has entered into a memorandum of agreement with The Innovation Hub, a subsidiary of the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency and part of the Gauteng Department of Economic Development.

In terms of the agreement, both parties will work together to develop scarce ICT skills. Because they have an in-depth understanding of what industry needs, the partnership will enable them to develop the skills to meet those requirements.

"Bytes People Solutions is a leader in the ICT education industry, and The Innovation Hub is driving technology growth and development in Gauteng, so there are major synergies between our two organisations as representatives of government, industry and education," says Dr Madelise Grobler, MD of Bytes People Solutions. "We are both driving training and skills development in ICT so that graduates who enter the world of work are better prepared to handle the demands of business."

While Bytes People Solutions offers several training programmes in software development and various vendor programming languages, The Innovation Hub focuses on graduates who can drive innovation in the workplace and enhance the competitiveness of the country's most economically active province.

"Named CoachLab, our nine-month programme was launched to fast-track the development of leaders and ICT resources for the local hi-tech sector by preparing participants who are mostly ICT post-graduates to enter the marketplace as active, industry-ready knowledge workers," says McLean Sibanda, CEO of The Innovation Hub. "The programme is run as a partnership between The Innovation Hub, industry, higher education institutions in Gauteng, and MICT SETA. Bytes People Solutions is an ideal partner in this initiative and we hope the company will become a CoachLab site in future."

Sibanda says feedback from the industry shows that most graduates are not ready for employment as they lack soft skills, leadership skills and a basic understanding of how to work in teams.

Grobler agrees. "Labour market analysts found that more than 600 000 graduates from all disciplines are unable to put into practice in the workplace what they have learnt at university. As much as the market is desperate for ICT skills, if young people are not ready for the world of work, the number of jobless youth will continue to grow. Our partnership with The Innovation Hub aims to address the need for practical technology experience and training."

She says the two organisations will work together on five joint interventions for the next year to address the scarcity of skills in the technology sector and to use their joint capabilities to equip graduates with the abilities that industry requires from them.