The ISETT SETA, together with Microsoft SA, has unveiled a R35 million skills programme to provide an estimated 2 000 internships in the ICT industry over the next three years.
The Student2Business programme, which has already funded 1 750 student internships in IT and related industries in SA since April 2007, is a partnership between ICT employers and training providers, ISETT SETA, and Microsoft's existing Student2Business programme.
The partnership will see Microsoft assist ISETT SETA in achieving the targets it set with the Department of Labour, by assisting unemployed graduates in getting training and a job.
The impact is far-reaching, says Mteto Nyati, MD of Microsoft SA. “The programme creates a multiplying effect; if we are able to employ just one person, then the four or five people linked to that person are also positively impacted,” he continues.
An extended academy caters for unemployed youth with only a matric certificate, but who qualify for the other specifications of the programme. “What makes this mentorship programme special is that it caters for both graduates and young people with only a matric who are interested in pursuing a career in ICT,” comments ISETT SETA CEO, Oupa Mapaki.
Nyati says the partnership will help build the local IT economy and assist students in getting their IT careers off the ground. “Through this initiative, the private sector is able to share the obligation of accelerated growth in the IT industry and broader economy,” he offers.
Thanking Microsoft for the opportunity to be part of the programme, intern Ntuthuko Dlame says he has been given a head start in his career.
Share
