Orient Hills Youth Receive Certificates after successfully completing ICT Skills Training

The Gauteng Department of e-Government presented certificates to 59 young people at Orient Hills in the West Rand, on 23 February 2022, after successfully participating in the department’s  ICT Skills Training Programme. This skills training program took place in October 2021.

 
Explaining the purpose of the training, Deputy Director General for ICT at the Department of e-Government Castro Mosina said, the ICT Skills Development Programme was implemented to serve as a direct response to the lack of ICT skills in the province.

“Our role as government is to equip our people with skills and information so that they are better prepared for the future world of work, which requires a certain set of skills. Through this initiative, we hope to address the Fourth Industrial Revolution challenges in terms of skills development in our province, particularly for our youth,” said Mosina.

The ICT Skills Development Programme is hosted as part of the Gauteng Centre of Excellence (GCOE), an ICT innovation centre that has been established by the Gauteng department of eGovernment  in partnership with Microsoft SA to contribute towards skills development in the Gauteng province.

The programme was first rolled out in September 2020 to equip mostly the youth, women and people with disabilities in the Gauteng region, to obtain necessary skills in in ICT.

The ICT training in Orient Hills also covered various skills such as project management, conflict management and effective communication skills. These skills will assist them to look for employment, while others will better manage their small businesses.

One of the beneficiaries, Thandi Hlatshwayo from Orient Hills said, she felt  privileged to be part of the training, as it gave her  hope for a brighter future.

“There aren’t many opportunities in the area that I am from, and a lot of my peers have lost hope. This for me was a reminder that there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel,” she said.

Gladys Gaongalelwe also from Orient hills said she was unaware of all the job and business opportunities that exists in the digital space. She stated that the training has made her realize the many opportunities in the field of ICT. 

With the certificates, the learners are encouraged to either further their education in other ICT related fields, apply for jobs that require at least a basic set of digital skills or improve on their existing or new business ventures.