Telkom has partnered with the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies to hand over a community lab as well as a community-led coding programme to the Alice community in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
As part of the Digital Skills Development Programme, Telkom has identified 25 unemployed youth aged between 18-35 with IT background from the community to partake in a month-long coding programme. The youth will be provided with laptops and software.
The company has also donated a fully fitted computer lab and a comprehensive educational content platform to enhance digital skills and online learning at Healdtown High School in Fort Beaufort.
“The Telkom Foundation’s mission is rooted in meaningful and sustainable community upliftment and development,” says Sarah Mthintso, Head of Telkom Foundation.
“This is how we wanted to design our Train-the-Trainer coding programme. We didn’t want to just supply hardware, software and internet, and then walk away. It is going to be key to impart transferrable knowledge and skills as well post-training support in order to empower the youth identified in a meaningful way and in order for them to be able to train up others in their community.”
“To the end, we will be giving the candidates the opportunity to become teachers after their training and we will assist them accordingly. Ideally, they should be able to take the skills and knowledge forward and help others in their community.”
“Government and industry need to work together to bridge the digital gap. There can never be a meaningful fourth industrial revolution if our people are not connected and a capable 4IR army if there are no skills,” adds Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Service.
