Microsoft to train 20,000 young South Africans in software development
The focus is on building digital skills capabilities in South Africa and improving the employability of the country’s youth in the ICT industry by providing the physical footprint and infrastructure young people need to access digital skills training.
This partnership between the public and private sectors will harness the individual and collective capabilities of each of the partners, to provide the support needed to access the training. Afrika Tikkun, for example, is hosting and facilitating access to the portal, where young people can register, undergo an assessment and start on their identified learning pathways.
PSETA will support unemployed learners to access this opportunity and promote the initiative through its networks to ensure that as many unemployed learners as possible have free access to the best resources, to improve knowledge and capabilities.
This includes leveraging partnerships with other public sector entities in opening up access to libraries, computer labs, community halls and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, as well as assisting with the connectivity needed to participate in, and complete the training and certifications that will help their employability by bringing them into the digital economy.
This latest partnership builds on the momentum of the Global Skilling Initiative, which has helped nearly 300,000 people in South Africa gain access to digital skills like software development, data analysis and customer service specialisation since last June.
It also builds on the success of strategic partnerships with non-profits like Afrika Tikkun as part of the initiative.
The partnership aims to pass on the most critical skills by providing the training, tools and platforms designed to connect job-seekers with employers. Backed up by resources from LinkedIn, GitHub, and Microsoft, the initiative will help young people access digital skills courses for the most in-demand jobs and low-cost certifications. As part of this, Microsoft will extend free LinkedIn Learning and Microsoft Learn courses and low-cost certifications that align to 10 of the most in-demand jobs through to December 31, 2021.
LinkedIn Skills Path
Also included in the initiative is the use of LinkedIn Skills Path to help companies better hire for skills; expanded access to LinkedIn’s Skills Graph to help create a common skills language for individuals, employers, educational institutions, and government agencies to help improve workforce planning, hiring and development programmes.
Career Coach, a Microsoft Teams app powered by LinkedIn, to provide personalised guidance for higher education students to navigate their career journey; and Microsoft’s Career Connector, which intends to place 50,000 job seekers who have built skills via Microsoft’s non-profit and learning partners in tech-enabled jobs over the next three years.
Young South Africans interested in accessing these critical digital skills can learn more on Microsoft's microsite. All of the resources for the Global Skills Initiative are also available here.
