Johannesburg, 22 Aug 2024
The Applications Olympiad is part of the Computer Olympiads – an initiative of the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA), with sponsorship by Jane Street and SoftwareOne Experts SA.
The Applications Olympiad is a challenge for those who take CAT or the ICDL or are otherwise computer literate. Participants must solve a number of problems using an Office package and the data provided. They may use the application of their choice, such as the Word Processor, Spreadsheet, Database and Presentation Tool.
Ruan Schoeman, a grade 12 homeschool learner from Midrand, was awarded a gold medal as this year’s top performer – his second consecutive gold in the event. Schoeman has been a top Olympiad performer since 2020.
Silver medals were awarded to David Adekeye, a grade 12 learner from Bracken High School in Gauteng, and Anna Phillips, a grade 12 learner from Penryn College in Mpumalanga.
Taking home bronze medals were: André Breytenbach – a grade 12 from Hoërskool Waterkloof in Gauteng; Niel van der Merwe – a grade 12 from Langenhoven Gimnasium in the Western Cape; and Kiya Singh – a grade 11 from Star College Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.
Congratulating the winners, IITPSA President, Senele Goba, noted that closing the ICT skills gap – and the gender gap in ICT – were crucial. “While we realise that there is still a long way to go to make the Olympiads as diverse and inclusive as possible, we are particularly pleased to see two girls among the medal winners in this year’s Olympiad. The growing number of girls participating in these events and rising to the top is an encouraging sign that more girls are starting to see ICT as a career opportunity for them. We are also happy to see more provinces represented in these competitions. This is evidence of the growing reach by the IITPSA Computer Olympiads,” she said.
Marilyn Moodley, Country Leader South Africa and WECA at SoftwareOne, said the company is passionate about local ICT skills development, running its own bursary programme. “We are honoured to be able to support initiatives such as the Computer Olympiads, to give local learners an opportunity to expand their ICT skills,” she said.
South African schools interested in participating in the Talent Search, Programming Olympiad or Applications Olympiad can register at https://olympiad.org.za/. Online trials are also available on the site to help prepare learners.
For more information, visit www.iitpsa.org.za or contact Kelvin Nhlapo at kelvin@iitpsa.org.za
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