Accenture partners with JCSE to offer skill training to youth in Johannesburg
In keeping with its growing profile across South Africa, global management consultancy Accenture has announced a joint partnership with the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct (TDIP) and the Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering (JCSE) to offer training and job opportunities for certain sections of the youth.
The beneficiaries of the partnership hail primarily from the vulnerable communities in South Africa, those in particular need of employment. South Africa currently suffers from an unemployment rate of nearly 30%, while the unemployment rate amongst the youth is as high as 36%.
The new initiative hopes to train the youth in order to make them more eligible for high skill jobs, while offering job opportunities where it is feasible. Accenture is well aware of the evolving nature of skills required in order to sustain one’s job in the age of automation, which indicates scope for success.
One of the key skills that the programme has focused on is coding skills, administered through fortnightly coding training sessions at Accenture offices as well as an hour-long coding workshop that was attended by as many as 65 young participants from Johannesburg.
An event held at the end of last year even felicitated those participants graduating from the coding sessions. In addition, the event was used as a platform to announce a continuation of the partnership between Accenture and JCSE into 2019 and the initiation of the Coder Dojo programme that will take place at the TDIP.
Commenting on the event, Head of Corporate Citizenship and Inclusion and Diversity Lead for Accenture in Africa Khetiwe Nkuna said, “Our focus is on both teaching ICT skills and proving work in the field – spanning training, placements and jobs for vulnerable youth.”
“When we compare ourselves to other Brics countries, we are punching below our weight when it comes to technology, mainly because of our education system. For example, in India, coding and technology education are entrenched and start early. Coding is one of the basic enablers allowing people to access opportunities within the digital economy. There’s definitely an opportunity in South Africa that needs to be accelerated. Last year, we trained 1700 young people and placed them in employment – the majority in programming. We continue to see the demand for those skills,” he added.
Professor Barry Dwolatzky at the JCSE added, “We’ve even seen a national proposal that coding become our 13th official language, sign language being the 12th. If South Africa and Africa more broadly are going to compete in the 4th Industrial Revolution, we need to have our people equipped to be able to play a role.”
