Johannesburg, 01 Sep 2010
Two THINK iT Solutions staff members have been recruited to attend Cisco's Global Talent Acceleration Program (GTAP) at Cisco's facilities in Bryanston.
Duduzile Mhlanga and Kope Matsepe, who are currently employed at THINK iT as network administrators, will become part of Cisco's ongoing investment in the South African region, GTAP, which is aimed at developing local next-generation local network consulting engineers (NCEs) for the Cisco solution set.
“South Africa and Africa in general are experiencing ongoing growth in the Information Technology (IT) sector and Cisco believes that people are at the heart of this boom,” says THINK iT CEO, Dominic Oettl. “Finding people with the skill sets needed to support this growth are a challenge, and rather then headhunting or outsourcing much wanted positions, GTAP helps Cisco provide its customers, like THINK iT, with a long-term solution in the form of a highly skilled and well trained local workforce.
“On a larger scale, the skills that GTAP instils in its graduates will ultimately contribute to the local knowledge pool that is critical to the acceleration and sustainment of economic growth in South Africa.
Mhlanga and Matsepe will undergo a rigorous programme that combines theory, industry exposure and hands on experience that will be taught through a long term work experience initiative, ultimately qualifying them as Certified Cisco Voice Professionals (CCVP).
Louis Botha, Chief Technology Officer at THINK iT, says the GTAP initiative is a core part of Cisco's strategy to become a global company through the creation of new business models and the acceleration of local talent networks.
“This programme has a special relevance in emerging countries like Africa where the need to train and transition staff in services delivery is so very important,” he says.
“GTAP is a highly sustainable programme and has been designed to empower people similarly to the way BEE was designed to empower previously disadvantaged individuals, like Mhlanga and Matsepe. We, at THINK iT, eagerly anticipate their return and can't wait to be in a position to offer their new skills in direct support on the Cisco range to our local client base.”
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