Free technopreneurship skills programme for SA youth

The Modern Community Foundation, a Johannesburg-based non-profit, has collaborated with the Cisco Networking Academy, a global IT and cyber

programme, to upskill youth in ICT.

Founded in 1997, the academy was established to provide IT courses, learning simulators and hands-on learning opportunities via an online learning platform, to support instructors and engage learners across190 countries.

According to a statement, over 17.5 million global learners have taken Cisco Networking Academy courses to gain digital skills.

The Modern Community Foundation says in commemoration of National Youth Month and International Pride Month, the foundation is introducing a month-long Technopreneurship Development Programme aimed at empowering the youth and the LGBTQIA community across SA.

This Cisco Networking Academy programme is designed to provide comprehensive training in various ICT fields, ranging from basic computer literacy, to data science and cyber security.

Through hands-on workshops, mentorship and career guidance, it equips participants with the skills they need to thrive in the digital world.

“The programme aims to empower, upskill and teach the underprivileged, marginalised and semi-professionals by offering free introductory courses in syllabus like cyber security, networking and coding (Python and JavaScript),” notes Masedi Ngwenya, project co-ordinator and facilitator of the Cisco Project at Modern Centric Academy, the educational arm of the Modern Community Foundation.

“This initiative will run annually for a four-week period. The academy aims to have a nationwide impact reach of over 2 000 youth members by the end of the South African academic year.”

Since the introduction of the Cisco Networking Academy in Sub-Saharan Africa, more than one million people have been trained and upskilled, says Cisco.

According to Ngwenya, participants will be able to apply for a range of entry-level roles in the ICT field, including networking, cyber security, data analytics and technical training.

“The programme takes a blended learning approach and Modern Community Foundation has a Cisco impact hub that allows participants to come in and do their coursework on specific days of the week.

“The academy does offer an online study option, as the courses are self-paced. The instructors are currently running online tutorials and virtual classrooms on Cisco WebEx.”

For information on the application process, visit the Cisco website.