5,000 African programmers to be trained between 2018-2022

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Software developers are in high demand in a range of industries, including computer systems design, electronic product manufacturing and finance. It is estimated that in the decade to 2026, 299,500 jobs will open up in the US.

South Africa's "rarest skills" were in the digital and technology sectors, with demands for web developers and coders far outstripping supply.*

According to The Future of Jobs, a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF), it’s expected that by 2020, more than a third of the desired core skill sets of most occupations will be comprised of skills that are not yet considered crucial to jobs today.

By partnering with certified African and global learning institutions, Sagarmatha Technologies intends to invest R100 million to help grow the programming skills base for Africa’s rapidly expanding digital economy. 5,000 young African computer programmers will be trained between 2018-2022.

“Silicon Africa is a virtual model of the renowned Silicon Valley in the US and seeks to develop a pan-African ecosystem inclusive of governments and decision makers, universities and technical colleges, venture capitalists, NGOs, incubators and accelerators, technology companies and most importantly, digital entrepreneurs,” said Paul Lamontagne, chairman of Sagarmatha Technologies.

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With the change in technology across all sectors, African countries urgently need young people with coding skills in order to thrive in this digital, knowledge-based global economy.

By leveraging technology, the approach favours programmes that provide flexibility to learners fortunate to be working but seeking new skills to accelerate or change their career path in software development, as well as the unemployed and those in the most remote areas of Africa.
“We believe this ground-breaking initiative will lead to 5,000 learners receiving short learning programme certificates in software development, such as Java, C++, and C# programming, as well as database and web design, so they are coder-ready,” said Lamontagne.

The seismic shift of the fourth industrial revolution is changing the way the world works as the steam engine, car and electricity did in previous centuries.

Applications for the first year will be limited to qualified South African learners-only, before rolling out the programme progressively into Africa.

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For learners wishing to be part of Sagarmatha’s digital upskilling programme, the minimum requirement for admission will be a matric, high school, or equivalent certificate from an accredited institution in an African country, which is acceptable to one of the partner institutions. It is also necessary to have a certain amount of familiarity with a personal computer.

Graduates of the programme will have the option of continuing for a second year of study in another area of software development or to benefit from a one-year membership in a collaborative workspace, incubator, accelerator, or another similar accredited partner venue that is established in their region at that time. This will include a mentorship programme for some learners showing entrepreneurial aptitude to successfully launch a new business venture by leveraging their acquired IT skills.

Sagarmatha’s Talent360 platform will be extended to facilitate access to higher paying, skilled jobs for graduates of the programme as developers, testers, analysts and others.

Said Samantha Naidu, executive at Talent360: “Research shows that by 2020 there will be nearly one and a half million open jobs in the tech sector. Tech skills are 20 of the top 25 most sought-after skills by employers on career portals and our platform will support and equip young Africans who will fulfil these industry requirements in the next decade,” she said.

“We believe African economies can be re-engineered by creating digital jobs”, said Lamontagne.

*Source: Fin24.com