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Absa and WeThinkCode_ are working to make technology education more relevant

The rate at which technology evolves means that one could have a very good grasp of something one day only for it to become irrelevant the next.

Of course we’re going to the extreme here but technology evolves so dramatically from one year to the next that education in this sector needs to keep up with that evolution.

Since 2016 Absa and WeThinkCode_ have been working together to skill up the youth who want to work in the digital space. Absa for its part sponsors students and WeThinkCode_ trains those students. Importantly, WeThinkCode_ also helps place students once they are qualified.

But what makes WeThinkCode_ special is that its syllabus is informed by sponsors such as Absa.

“What distinguishes Absa as a funding partner is their hands-on approach. They’re deeply involved in the design of WeThinkCode ‘s syllabus programme as well, ensuring that the skills being taught are relevant to the market. Plus, there’s an added awareness of the importance of mentoring and support, critical for some young students because of the gaps in their secondary education,” says WeThinkCode_ chief executive officer, Nyari Samushonga.

Now Absa wants to expand this partnership model with the aim of taking it into many different business sectors and involving input from them, to ensure that the training being funded is relevant to the needs of the market.

“We have a huge unemployment crisis and both the public and private sector institutions need to be able to scale education at pace. To this end, we want our model to influence the wider South African post school education and training policy, bringing about a shift in learning focus and channels. We feel the work we’ve been doing can influence our public institution policies to help them gear-up to what the market actually needs,” says head of education reform and employability at Absa, Makano Morojele.

This is an interesting approach to education and given the upsets caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, giving students a clearer idea of what skills are in demand is incredibly important.

Whether other industry players will join Absa and WeThinkCode_ in educating South Africa’s youth in this manner is another matter entirely.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]

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