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Absa seeks answers to Africa's education problems

Regina Pazvakavambwa
By Regina Pazvakavambwa, ITWeb portals journalist.
Johannesburg, 12 Apr 2018
Having the right people to work with technology is what will truly empower organisations, says Absa.
Having the right people to work with technology is what will truly empower organisations, says Absa.

Absa has unveiled an online platform named the Human Quantum Computer, as part of its Rising Eagles Graduate Programme 2019 campaign.

The Rising Eagles targets graduates across a multitude of disciplines, with a strong focus on technology, finance, maths, statistics, analytics, risk management, actuarial science and those with a customer-centric mindset.

Tech graduates can join the programme as developers or business analysts, working on everything from Absa's apps and infrastructure, to the bank's software and systems.

The online platform has collated real-world problems affecting the continent's education sector from African NGOs and posed them as challenges. Absa is inviting the smartest young minds from across Africa to solve some of these problems.

Graduates get to prove themselves and their out-the-box thinking - incentivised through prizes - while the Human Quantum Computer becomes a platform for turning ideas into reality, says the bank.

Users can work on challenges individually, or join up with their networks of friends and collectively work on solutions together, says Absa. They can also check the online database for solutions that have already been submitted, and look for ways to improve them, it adds.

Over and above solving real educational challenges, the campaign allows candidates to experience what it would be like to work for Absa, while simultaneously providing the bank with invaluable insight into the candidates themselves, says Vanessa Carstens, early careers lead for Barclays Africa Group Human Resources.

"On the flip side, it allows us to see which of our values resonates with them, how candidates think and what's important to them, while allowing us to gauge their ability. Through the HQC [Human Quantum Computer], we are able to attract the top minds on the continent to our organisation."

The top users demonstrating the right mix of cognitive ability and emotional understanding, and who are proactively involved in creating and submitting solutions, will be identified by Absa and invited for an interview to join the graduate programme, says Carstens.

While technology will play a critical role in the bank's future success, having the right people to work with this technology is what will truly empower the organisation, says Absa.

"Yes, technology is important, but the group mentality and using the human brain is more important. The hive mind and what it can offer on so many different levels, is more powerful than any computer," notes Carstens.

Candidates can apply to the Rising Eagles Graduate Programme immediately or try their hand at the challenge first.

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