Communications company Motorola has unveiled its Motorola Cellular Training Institute (MCTI), a facility designed to make a dent in an aspect of the skills shortage facing most technical industries worldwide.
The R10.5 million initiative focuses on GSM cellular engineering skills and has been in operation since June 2000.
The Midrand-based institute was officially opened by communications minister Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri at a function attended by high-level executives within the Motorola corporation and representatives of South African and American diplomatic offices.
Motorola says the MCTI, which can accommodate up to 60 students at a time, is the only training institute of its kind in Africa, and is one of only six in the world. The facility is equipped with a GSM laboratory comprising equipment worth R7 million, to simulate six cellular networks on which students hone their practical skills.
Speaking at the opening, the minister commented favourably on Motorola`s proactive approach: "Motorola has seen there are needs which will not always be met by government.
"We must fire the imaginations of our youth," she said, wishing Motorola well in its endeavours to attract young talent to its MCTI.
Merle Gilmore, president of Motorola Communications Enterprise, believes the future of telecommunications in this country is bright. "There are gigantic opportunities being driven by the powerful force of convergence between Internet, telecoms and communication industries," he said.
The MCTI will host courses covering GSM systems, GPRS, 3G migration, switching and transmission principles, RF and microwave planning, mobile intelligent networks, cellular radio concepts, networking systems and technologies, telecommunications principles, wireless local loop technology and more.
The training institute is aligned with the University of Pretoria, and will be open to technicians and engineers in the field of wireless telephony from January next year.
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