The Department of Communications (DOC) will unveil an ICT training centre in commemoration of World Telecommunications and Information Society Day.
The centre will be established in Impendle, KwaZulu-Natal, and will be opened by communications minister Roy Padayachie next week.
The department says the centre will boost the economy of the community. “The launch will bring about a renewed confidence in government and its mandate for service delivery and job creation.”
About 50 people from the community will be recruited for the centre. Recruits will be trained in ICT products and services. They will, in turn, train and serve the members of the community.
“The group to be recruited will comprise women and men with ages ranging from 18 to 35, including those with disabilities,” says the DOC.
The department will train the members for 12 months and then hand over the centre to the community.
The centre will generate cash for the community and encourage the usage and uptake of ICTs for socio and economic development, according to the DOC.
“The training centre will offer an Internet cafe, telephones, photocopying and binding services, faxing, videography and photography training and services.”
The launch will take place on Thursday, 12 May.
Rural ICT
Speaking at the annual Information Society and Development multi-stakeholder forum, at the end of March, Padayachie highlighted the department's focus on ICT's role in rural development.
He also presented the DOC's draft rural ICT development strategy. “The rural development strategy involves collaboration with many departments, including science and technology, rural development and land reform, and public enterprises, because of Sentech and Broadband Infraco.”
He added that the DOC is working with the Department of Science and Technology on the wireless mesh networking project that sees rural areas being connected to the Internet.
“We need to focus on building infrastructure, reducing costs for services, skills development and multiple avenues for access so that rural areas don't just have access to broadband, but have cyber centres and centres like the Thusong centres.”
Share
