Applications to train young people in data science and related skills are now open, says minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams.
This follows her announcement during last month’s women in STEM webinar hosted by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation and the African Union, where she revealed her department is looking to train 50 000 young people as part of the next cohort of its digital skills training programme.
The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) has set an ambitious target of training one million unemployed youth and empowering them to fill jobs created by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
In line with the first steps of the programme, the DCDT kicked-off training for the first cohort, consisting of 1 000 young people, on 1 June 2019. This September, a total of 135 received their certificates for completing the 12-month data science course.
Delivering the virtual message on Tuesday, she said the DCDT, together with partners the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) and online platform Coursera, is encouraging young South Africans to take the opportunity to register for the free online courses.
She emphasised the importance of young people acquiring digital skills, as they are imperative for achieving inclusion in the digital economy.
The minister indicated NEMISA, which is the DCDT’s digital skill training institute, will coordinate and facilitate the registration process for these courses.
“We are looking forward to brigades that will undertake the following courses: data science, coding, app development, digital marketing and artificial intelligence. We are doing this [training] to give you access and the key to your own future.
“We look forward to having a capable 4IR army of South Africa,” she stated.
According to the communications ministry, the duration of the courses range between four and eight weeks. Grade 12 is desirable but not an essential requirement and familiarity with the Internet and digital literacy are essential criteria.
To register, click here.
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