UCS Solutions reveals growing success with its internship and learnership programmes, specifically geared to provide formal employment to individuals who otherwise would not have this opportunity.
UCS Solutions is a leading systems and services company focussed on the retail value chain and is a member of Business Connexion group.
The internship programme is aimed at giving individuals who have IT qualifications a comprehensive 12 months of workplace experience. Interns may have a certificate, diploma or degree in IT, but have not yet gained formal work experience. This year there are nine interns and six learners. Each intern is paired with a mentor, and is given exposure to specific areas of the business in four-month blocks, with specific emphasis on the infrastructure and call centre divisions. Interns also attend internal training sessions where they learn more about UCS' business and the retail industry, as well as receiving external training in "soft" skills.
The learnership programme aims to give matriculates a basic ICT qualification at NQF Level 3 in end-user computing. Like the internship programme, it is funded by, and run in conjunction with, the ICT Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA). Learners undergo nine weeks of theoretical training on Microsoft Office, before coming to UCS for a twelve-month period of workplace experience.
Over the past two years, UCS Solutions has given nineteen interns vital workplace experience and was able to offer positions to eighteen people. Similarly, seven learners (including disabled individuals) were equipped with a basic ICT qualification, and five of them were offered permanent positions. All those offered permanent employment remain with the company to date.
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