The minister of communications and digital technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams will, on 23 and 24 January 2020, conduct an oversight visit to various Gauteng facilities where over 500 students are being trained on the department’s fourth industrial revolution (4IR) skills programme.
In 2018, the minister announced a bold vision to train one million young people in data science and related skills by 2030.
In a statement, government says to kick start this initiative, the Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority.
The MOU led to the launch of a pilot project to train 1 000 young people on data science, cloud computing, digital content production, 3D printing, drone piloting, cybersecurity and software development.
The most critical component of the pilot project is to explore different forms of teaching and learning which will help in determining the most suitable and practical format for the rollout of the programme in its entirety.
The 4IR skills pilot programme commenced in June 2019 and is spread across Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape, KwaZulu Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
“Skills development is an important pillar of our 4IR response and Building a Capable 4IR Army. We are therefore proud of this inaugural class of 2019 for heeding the call to acquire skills that will enable them to thrive in the digital era and thereby contribute to the country’s economy,” says Ndabeni-Abrahams.
Oversight visits to facilities in other provinces will unfold in the proceeding weeks as part of the nationwide Back-to-School Programme
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