At least another 204 cohort graduates were recently certified with ICT skills, thanks to the partnership between The Gauteng Department of e-Government and the University of Johannesburg (UJ). This was evident at a recent graduation ceremony held at the institution’s Sanlam Auditorium.
The high- spirited legion graduates freshly completed the Small Medium and Micro Enterprise(SMME) Development and ICT Skills Program.
The SMME Development and ICT Skills Program is a partnership between the department of e-Government and UJ where young people from across Gauteng are given an opportunity to be trained for free and honored with certificates as part of their academic achievements. Furthermore, this partnership aims to contribute towards the reduction of youth unemployment and lack of ICT skills in Gauteng.
Prof Victoria Graham, Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives & Administration at UJ stated that the program aims to incubate business start-ups by training and mentoring young entrepreneurs who own Small and Medium Enterprises with essential skills to manage businesses. On the other hand, it develops ICT skills for unemployed youth in Gauteng.
In 2023, 103 youth graduated from the same program and in 2024, 204 young people were enrolled and successfully completed the program. The 204 young people were handed certificates in Introduction to Technologies 4IR.
Head of department for e-Government Castro Mosina indicated the importance of government to partner with the academia in order to invest in the education of young people.
“It is our role as government to accelerate youth development by ensuring that our young people from all different walks of life have equal socio-economic and political opportunities as part of their growth. This initiative, the SMME Training and ICT Skills Developmentprogram aims to contribute towards youth development” said Mosina.
Prof Victoria Graham congratulated all the young people and said that the qualification is major stepping stone towards changing their lives especially in the era of digitization. The partnership between the university and e-Government is essential in ensuring that the youth in Gauteng is provided with the right skills for economic empowerment.
INFO SUPPLIED
