PAICTA through its partnership with MICT SETA has now employed 45 interns, to pursue career in ICT, as part of its youth chapter (YIDE), which is about developing youth to evolve as future leaders of society in the digital era by equipping them with digital scarce skills, resources and networking opportunities for them to grow individually and collectively, in respect for the law, discipline, civic sense and building sustainable knowledge and support systems for the youth to reach their full potential.
With IT job vacancies continuing to climb as companies struggle to recruit and obtain critical skills in South Africa, there is an opportunity to upskill or reskill individuals to meet this demand.
The internship program offers employment opportunities to graduates who are in need of employment and prepares them for potential careers in the digital space, ensuring that they are industry ready. The internship programme hosts them for a period of a year, equipping them with various skills (i.e. soft skills, tech skills, entrepreneurial skills etc), the first cohort of 21 started on 1st May and just completed the 4th month and the second cohort of 25 interns started on the 1st September 2022.
The interns are being equipped with a handful of digital skills that will help them be employable or be in a position where they can be able to start their own businesses or do gig work.
Through this internship PAICTA provides digital upskilling and educating youth, emerging start-ups, in the Eastern Cape Province. The digital skills mainly on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) which include Programming, Networking, Cybersecurity, Web development, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data analytics and Entrepreneurship,
“One of the things that stood out for me is that, I got to learn new programming languages that I did not get exposure to in varsity, as I did not know how to use WordPress but through the program, I am now able to and I am still looking forward to learning new things in the ICT space” – Lisa Malgas, intern.
These programs are aimed at improving digital skills, promoting entrepreneurship and creating a platform where information and opportunities can be traded.
“One of my highlights was when I was part of a project that developed a digital portal, because it was the first time, I ever developed a portal and I am grateful for the opportunity” – Pretty Ntsontse intern.
