Nortel Networks, the global leader in telephony, data, wireless and wireline solutions for the internet, is committed to furthering education in South Africa through a new web-based education initiative as part of its well-established social responsibility programme.
"We have cultivated a relationship with the UWC that will see us invest R1.4-million in furthering education for students at the University through various initiatives. Nortel Network`s relationship with the university includes the funding of six bursaries for the Masters in Information Management programme, which have been awarded to underprivileged students," says Malcom Bayes, Country Manager of Nortel Networks SA and VP of the SSA region.
"The company is also currently looking at sponsoring a telecommunications chair in the Computer Science Department at the UWC, to ensure that students undergoing networking courses receive the best education possible."
However, the main thrust of Nortel Networks` education initiatives is the possible introduction of a pilot networking curriculum through the UWC, together with the support of the Canadian Education Centre Network, an arm of the Canadian government. Netknowledge, the proposed curriculum, has been developed by Nortel Networks and is in use by tertiary institutions in the US and Canada. The curriculum comprises of four courses that include Networking Fundementals, Routing, Network Management and Unified Networking.
"This specific curriculum, and other variations, have been developed to keep tertiary institutions up to speed with the latest developments in the market. Our industry is currently experiencing a skills shortage and this type of proactive education is one way private industry can help combat this problem," says Bayes.
Karolina O`Donaghue, Director of Teaching and Learning Technologies at the UWC, says: "We are very excited by the possibilities inherent in a partnership between UWC and Nortel. We`re making exciting investments in our infrastructure, and we know that these will be most effective if we make the most of partnerships with companies like Nortel. We`re currently looking at the Netknowledge curricula, and working with Nortel to see how best to adapt it to our students` learning needs."
Rodney Briggs, President of CECN, is also committed to working through this process with the UWC. "We are currently examining the potential of the South African market. We know that there is a huge need for an effective Internet-based education curriculum. Furthermore, we are committed, as is Nortel Networks, to finding a system or curriculum that fits the local market," says Briggs.
Nortel Networks currently has an active social responsibility programme that is looking to advance the capabilities of scholars, students, as well as the community in the IT and telecommunications fields.
Nortel Networks SA recently committed R1.5-million to SchoolNet SA through the Phumelela Networks project, an initiative that extends Internet access to communities throughout the country. The company has three SchoolNet sites at present, two of which are at schools in Thoyandou and Katlehong and the third in Qunu, the home region of former president Nelson Mandela.
In addition, Nortel Networks has invested in a 600 sq m training centre in Midrand where training is provided to former disadvantaged individuals. Training focuses on the skills involved in the installation of telecommunications equipment and the servicing of telecommunication products for South Africa and sub Saharan markets.
Illustrating Nortel Networks` commitment to building capacity elsewhere in Africa, Bayes says the company has partnered with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to fund educational initiatives in Telecommunications and IT Centres of Excellence in Kenya and Senegal. The Centres of Excellence in Nairobi and Dakar focus on human resource development in the telecommunications and information technology sectors and serve all countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
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