Alt X-listed 4Sight Holdings has launched an ambitious pilot programme to provide 50 young people with niche training in fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies, plus guaranteed employment for 12 months with the company.
Tracy Short, COO of 4Sight, estimates that the total cost for this pilot will be close to R10 million. It will be based in KwaZulu-Natal in order, she says, to tap into a new reservoir of talent outside of Gauteng. Sixty percent of the participants are to be female. She says if the pilot project is successful, 4Sight would likely triple the intake in 2023. 4Sight is being supported by several role players who are contributing specialised help to make the project a success.
“To make the 4IR a reality and realise its potential to take South African industry to the next level, we desperately need a good pipeline of people with the right skills. At present they are in short supply, which is why we are prepared to invest so heavily in this project,” she says. “As a proudly South African company, we are also eager to contribute to building up the country and helping to relieve the youth employment crisis.”
The programme has been designed to maximise chances of success and 4Sight has been fortunate to obtain the support of several partners. Microsoft is contributing laptops, headphones and bags to the participants, while Next Spaces is providing office space at one of its facilities in Mount Edgecombe at a reduced rate.
Africa Tikkun Services, a non-profit focused on youth employment, is providing a rigorous recruitment and screening process to ensure the most suitable candidates are selected. Given the significant investment, Short says, it’s vital that individuals with not only the right skills but also the right attitude are identified.
Mecer Inter-Ed will provide 12 weeks of technical training, with 4Sight providing six weeks of specialist training related to technologies relevant to the 4IR, as well as workplace readiness training. The training will be accredited by the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT SETA), which is also contributing funding.
“What’s so often missing from youth training initiatives is the all-important job at the end of it. We believe our guarantee of employment is really something out of the ordinary and is the reason we have been so fortunate as to get the participation of such excellent partners – we are so grateful for their support,” Short concludes. “We are delighted to be giving 50 young people this opportunity, but even better will be to see them really take advantage of it.”
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