Training academy opens doors

By Vicky Burger, ITWeb portals content / relationship manager

Johannesburg, 16 Nov 2007

TCM, in conjunction with Cisco and the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), recently opened the TCM Training Academy.

The academy was launched as part of the companies` commitment to South African skills development, and the growth of South African youth, said the partners.

Nilesh Singh, executive director for ICT at Ekurhuleni, said the launch of the academy will address the search for effective and efficient IT service delivery. The academy aims to bridge the digital divide, not only through the training programme, but also by providing a broadband infrastructure, he added.

By doing this, said Singh, the academy aims to provide opportunities for the previously disadvantaged, grow the economy, increase employment and eradicate poverty.

TCM believes in investment in the youth and the development of their skills, said Andrea Cornelli, CEO of TCM. "The academy, the first project of its kind for TCM, gives TCM the gateway to implement its strategy of alleviating poverty and encouraging the enterprise development in SA."

Cornelli said the R5 million academy, based in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, is fully accredited by ISETT SETA and Cisco. "The training academy, which provides various skills training within the ICT arena, is set up to train 400 students a year, depending on the number of subjects taken by each individual."

Trainees who successfully complete the various training courses available at TCM Academy will be considered for employment at TCM, Cornelli added.

"We will be working in conjunction with the EMM Youth Commission, empowering students to obtain certifications on the Cisco range of products," said Jacqui Kunene, TCM Training Executive. "Our main course offerings will focus around technical support and systems development."

According to TCM, the academy will put trainees through a 12-month programme. Three months are made up of theoretical learning, and the remaining nine months includes practical learning and experience.

Steve Midgely, CEO of Cisco, quoted Nelson Mandela: "Education is the most powerful weapon, which you can use to change the world."

Cisco aims to build stronger and healthier global communities through strategic social investments, Midgely said. Cisco`s main focus is on education, economic development, basic human needs, and crisis relief efforts.

The TCM Training Academy is an ideal way to address the shortage of networking connectivity skills in the marketplace, and to then have these skills applied, Midgely added.

Jabu Sibeko, CEO of ISETT SETA, said: "It is partnerships like these that make the difference." An environment like the TCM academy lets learners leverage off of these companies, he stated, allowing them to develop and grow to be the best they can possibly be.