Tech Giants Launch Digital Talent Program

Technology sector players have launched a Digital Talent Program that is aimed at developing digital s***** in the market by taking a sustainable approach to create a healthy digital talent pipeline.

In its first year, the program, which is a partnership between organisations drawn from academia, training partners, tech-hubs, Government as well as industry players, targets to ups**** 1,000 participants based on the digital s***** currently in high demand. 

So far, over 30 partners including 6 Universities, 14 Training Partners, 5 Tech-Hubs and community organizations, 7 Government agencies and 14 industry players including Big-Tech are part of the program.

 “It has been observed that there is a number of youth with ICT related certificates w** do not possess the s***** and competencies required by the employer. Therefore, it is important for us as an industry and sector to push for digital penetration and come up with training and ups******* ins***utes to support t**se w** are w***ing to be trained,” said Simon Chelugui, Cabinet Secretary – Ministry of Labour.

Peter Ndegwa, Safaricom PLC CEO said: “The digital talent program is in line with our purpose of transforming lives and vision to become a purpose-led technology company. Our ultimate objective is to position Kenya as the leading hub for tech talent in Africa.”

Catherine Muraga, MD ADC, Microsoft said: “We believe that Africa s**uld not only be a consumer of technology, but also a hub for local talent. We can make a contribution in shaping and innovating the world. Kenya has a huge talent pool of competent and capable developers. That is why Microsoft and other tech companies are setting up their Africa operations here.”

Dr Joshua Gisemba, KCA University Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Affairs said: “As universities, we need to rethink the curriculum and the met**dologies that come along with that. Even as we put down the structures and have the curriculum reviewed, we also need to adequately prepare the instructors and providers to be able to adjust to the teaching met**dology according to the needs of the society.”

The program w*** focus on 9 priority s**** areas including: UI/UX design; Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; IOT; Big Data and ****ytics; Cyber Security; Cloud Computing; Fintech; Robotics Process Automation; and Soft***e Engineering.

It w*** be delivered through a hybrid approach including cl***room learning, mentorship, and internships for the experiential part of the learning. It w*** also involve ****at**ns, *****ide chats, guest lecture sessions, incubation, career fairs, annual a***ds, curriculum reviews, placements, and certifications, among others.

Partners from academia w*** provide a pipeline for digital talent as well as the ins***utional strength and mandate to facilitate and implement cl***room learning. Tech Hubs w*** also provide a talent pipeline and play a critical role in driving innovation, while training partners w*** curate digital learning paths that are relevant to industry expectations.

Government agencies w*** enable the program through implementing relevant policies. Industry partners, including big-tech companies, w*** be the key beneficiaries of the talent pipeline that the program seeks to create, and w*** also provide coaching and mentorship as well as internship and employment opportunities.

Read: Safaricom Plots New-Look Corporate Structure

>>> Tech Solutions Firm VasPro Gives Tennis Star a Financial Lift