Digital Talent Bursary worth $10k up for grabs

Paul Dunne, CEO of Digital Skills Academy and Ben Kelly, editor of Brainstorm

The prize is a place in one of the academy’s highly acclaimed International BSc Degree programmes in Digital Skills.

The Digital Skills Academy, which expanded into South Africa last year, is fast gaining acclaim as a provider of digital business and technology higher education in South Africa. The academy has successfully commenced three intakes of programmes in South Africa, and demand is picking up rapidly.

“As a leading provider of digital skills degrees for working professionals, we saw clear synergies with Brainstorm magazine, which is the publication of choice for CIOs and IT executives in South Africa,” says Paul Dunne, CEO and founder of the Digital Skills Academy. “This partnership will reward a high potential professional in South Africa with a valuable opportunity to enhance his or her skills, with long-term benefits for both the professional and the company they work for.”

He notes that the prize will be awarded on merit, with entrants required to have their application backed up by the person they report to. “We believe it is important to involve the company the applicant works for, since the company plays an important role in providing the enabling environment where the professional can develop their skills,” says Dunne.

“Now on our third intake in South Africa, Digital Skills Academy has had an excellent response so far. The participants and companies involved report that the programme helps develop a culture of innovation – it is helping them launch new innovative digital products and services and drive growth for their business.”

The 2016 Gartner CIO Agenda Survey found 66% of respondents believe the scarcity of IT talent – specifically around analytics, security and risk, and supporting business – is their top barrier to achieving their objectives. In the race to become a digital business, organisations have to move quickly to build a high level digital skills pool.

“We believe that ensuring that organisations have people in place who are able to drive both their organisations and the economy forward is critical at this point. It's not enough to get people into the industry, we have to make sure that the next generation of IT leaders are ready for the future that is rapidly approaching. This is why we’re pleased to partner with Digital Skills Academy, whose relevant, hands-on approach to advanced training for working IT professionals is designed to build capacity that immediately improves their companies' operations,” said Ben Kelly, editor of Brainstorm magazine.

Applications are now open at Digital Talent Bursary and the closing date for applications is midnight on Monday, 28 November 2016.