The Neotel Telecoms Academy is preparing to train 26 students in its first official post-graduate course.
Speaking at the launch of the academy, National Electronic Media Institute of SA (Nemisa) CEO Peter de Klerk said the initiative had already undergone a one-year pilot programme.
"A while back, Neotel came to us to discuss a specialist telecoms training course. We embarked on an experimental programme with 10 students to formulate the curriculum and evaluate the proposed outcomes. Today, we graduate those 10 students and welcome the official launch of an initiative which is not just for Neotel but for the telecoms industry as a whole," he said.
This year will see two courses run by the education institution. The first intake of 26 students will be for the single-year post-graduate course, said de Klerk. In June, the initiative will launch a three-year advanced diploma course.
The cost for this first year will be in excess of R6 million, said de Klerk. Funding has been facilitated by Neotel.
No obligations
Neotel CEO Ajay Panday congratulated the graduates of the pilot programme and reiterated that the students should not feel obliged to apply to Neotel for employment.
"As I told you at the beginning of this course, it is not mandatory that you come and work at Neotel. However, if you would like to work for us, I would welcome each and every one of you," he said.
Panday went on to explain that the reason for the launch of the academy was his desire to be part of the solution to SA`s skills crisis.
"I still remember my flight to SA in December 2005. I spoke to several people on the plane and was told repeatedly about this skills crisis. But if we all do our bit, then we can deal with the shortage. I`m not saying we can eradicate the problem, but we can certainly be part of the solution," he urged.
De Klerk praised Panday for his "hands-on" involvement in the programme, noting he had placed the academy among his top priorities.
Related stories:
Plan to fund ever teacher with a laptop
WiMax on hold for MWeb
Telkom plummets on update
Neotel armed to jab at Telkom
Neotel faces Competition Tribunal
Cisco services on the way
Share