CIO OPINION
That is why education and skills development are more than priorities , but the purpose we work to live up to by being an active force for good . To drive this change , we have forged meaningful partnerships along the way with leading specialists . Through these partnerships , we aim to equip the youth with the tools they need for employment by supporting their technical , vocational , social , and digital skills development in line with the requirements of Africa ’ s key growth sectors .
To this end , Absa has partnered with the Harambee Academy and UVU Africa , previously known as Cape Innovation Technology Initiative on various skills initiatives focused on scarce , critical , and future skills . The Harambee Academy initiative is currently underway and will run for a year . The junior software developers and data analysts are currently working at Absa to gain real industry experience through relevant projects .
Our partnership with UVU Africa comprises of two programmes . The first is aimed at closing the Salesforce skills gap and advancing candidates with fundamental theoretical and intermediate computer skills . Through this Skills Accelerator programme , candidates are equipped with a practical understanding of foundational cloud skills and Salesforce .
The second programme is the Job Funds initiative which is focused on in-demand professions such as Software Development and Software Testers . This programme that commenced in January 2023 includes six months of training and a further 12 months placement period at Younglings Academy and at Absa , for candidates to gain practical work experience . It will include new intakes every six months and upon completion , 200 young developers would have gained critical skills within a commercial environment .
The Absa Cybersecurity Academy , a partnership with The Maharishi Institute , is another programme that supports Africa ’ s youth employment with the sole
This highlights the significance of initiatives like these in fostering young people and providing them with the skills and work exposure to increase their employment .
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