Oracle to partner with private institutions

In a bid to provide more flexible training facilities that would enable people to up-skill and re-skill to more current and market-relevant job skills, Oracle South Africa has launched its workforce development programme in SA.

Oracle`s Workforce Development Programme (WDP) is a global initiative designed to allow colleges and private training providers to offer adult learners low-cost access to Oracle certification and non-degree training in their local communities.

SA is one of the first countries in the Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa region to run WDP, which was launched globally about a month ago.

"There`s a growing population of IT professionals out there, whose legacy skills are no longer relevant and who need to make a rapid switch to newer technologies such as Java development and database administration," says Sonja Balt, Academy manager, Oracle SA.

"Similarly, career changers - forced or otherwise - currently within and outside IT, are seeking specialised IT training and certification in ever-increasing numbers to set themselves apart and advance their careers."

The colleges will be using the same courseware and software as Oracle uses in its own university, which is geared more to serve the training needs of customers and partners rather than the own-initiative learner that WDP is designed to address.

"We`re now actively looking for appropriate institutions with which to work. The courseware offering is a prerequisite, but will be heavily discounted as will our train-the-trainer programme we`ll be offering to ensure the WDP faculty can quickly ramp up the skills necessary to teach the Oracle certification curriculum," says Balt.

Besides formal classroom training, which could be night classes or intensive short-cycle courses, adult learners will also be able to use computer-based training and Oracle`s Internet-based training network and learning management system.

"With change happening so rapidly in the IT industry, initiatives such as WDP are going to key in ensuring skills levels are maintained. What`s new today is becoming legacy tomorrow and professionals cannot afford to be left behind. You have to continually upgrade and re-skill to stay ahead of what is happening in the market.

"WDP will give individual an opportunity to write exams to become certified and so increase their employment potential," adds Balt.