This week South Africa recognises the anniversary of the Soweto Uprising on 16th June, Youth Day.

Sadly, while the day remembers the students who helped liberate South Africa from the clutches of Apartheid, there is no good story to tell for the youth of South Africa in 2022.

Unemployment is rife and the cost of living is only climbing higher. The pandemic was harsh to the economy and the youth are feeling the brunt.

In a bid to assist while also addressing the shortage of skills in South Africa, KnowBe4 has announced a new scholarship it has created with the Centre for Cyber Safety and Education.

The KnowBe4 Women of Colour in Cybersecurity (South Africa) Scholarship aims to assist in adding more diversity to the cybersecurity workforce.

“We have to give girls more opportunities, inspire them to get involved in technology and the cybersecurity field, and to remove the preconceived and socialised ideas that prevent women from pursuing careers in technology,” explains senior vice president of content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa, Anna Collard.

“The world is digitising rapidly and women are at risk of being left behind. We have to change the dialogue around technology and make it more inclusive for women and girls,” Collard adds.

There is only one scholarship available and it includes R110 000 for spending on tuition, fees, books and required electronics while R31 900 can be allocated for on-campus housing.

The following requirements must be met in order to be considered for this scholarship:

• Must identify as a woman of colour who resides in the country of South Africa.
• Must be attending a college or university in the country of South Africa.
• Must be a female pursuing, or plan to pursue, a degree with a focus on cybersecurity, information assurance or similar field.
• You must be a Matric or Grade 12 student, undergraduate student, or graduate student to be eligible. PhD students are not eligible.
• May be attending on campus or online.
• May be attending full time or part time.

Applications are currently open and close on 19th September at 17:00. The recipient of the bursary will be notified by 30th November 2022.

If this sounds of interest head to this link to submit your application.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]