Despite the many hardships that exist in Zimbabwe, several students from the i-Team training institution in Bulawayo have demonstrated that desire and perseverance can prevail in the quest for CompTIA certification.
It is an ideal subscribed by the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) Africa. Adrian Schofield, CompTIA`s regional director for Africa, recently attended a certification award ceremony to mark the achievement of 35 students who successfully passed their A+ and Network+ certification examinations.
Many speakers praised the initiative of Defeat Maphosa, a young man who grew up in Bulawayo and was inspired to return to his home after a period in SA and start training young people in computer technology.
With the support of a training institute from the same premises (specialising in cutting and design skills for clothing and in basic office skills), the i-Team established a training centre, become an Authorised Prometric Testing Centre and successfully trained these 35 young people to the international standards set by CompTIA.
The i-Team hope that local employers will respond to this initiative by offering job opportunities to the graduates, some of whom will follow Maphosa`s example and enter the training arena to pass on their skills. Another i-Team initiative is to equip a caravan (to be known as the Hut of Technology, as it is styled in the fashion of an African Hut) with a number of computers and to use it to take technology out into the rural areas of Zimbabwe and offer training.
Commenting on how pleased he was to take part in the ceremony, Schofield said it was especially encouraging to see how the value of CompTIA`s programmes was inspiring Africa to find solutions to the lack of resources available for technical training.
"It was an honour and a privilege to mark the achievement of these young people who have satisfied the requirements of the CompTIA A+ examinations. That they have done so is a tribute to their willingness to learn and ability to understand the complexities of computer technology and of the dedication of the i-Team to the teaching process. I congratulate them all," said Schofield.
He added: "CompTIA`s first certification program was A+, so well known around the world that it is accepted as THE standard for entry-level PC technicians, measuring their ability to install and maintain standalone PC systems after only a few months of experience in the job. Although A+ is our oldest program, it has been updated regularly, to keep pace with changing technology. Originally testing the technician`s knowledge of 8086 chip technology and the Disk Operating System, the exams have been upgraded to cover Pentium processors and Windows 2000 software - and you can expect the XP operating system to be included in due course."
Schofield reiterated the importance of certification and the difference this makes for both the employee and employer.
"There are clear benefits of adopting certification as the measure of employee success - both for the employers and for the employees. It has been proved through surveys that the employees of companies that adopt the principles of certification and training are up to 40% more productive than those who do not. Employers who adopt these principles can clearly demonstrate to their clients that they care about the quality of service rendered by their staff and equally demonstrate to their employees that they care about recognising achievement and building careers. The inevitable outcome? Loyal customers and loyal employees - a winning combination! Employees who use certification to measure their professional progress can take pride in their achievement, use their success to justify climbing the ladder of their career and demonstrate their commitment to quality of service though the display of their certificates.
"As we move into a world where we need to make those opportunities for ourselves, if we are to bridge the digital divide between the developed nations of the world and the developing nations in this region, we need to build on the success of Defeat and the i-Team. Once again, I applaud their achievements and wish them and their graduates every success in the future. CompTIA is proud to be a part of this occasion," concluded Schofield.
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