The collaboration between Samsung South Africa and the University of the Western Cape is helping youths in the Western Cape to receive web and mobile software development training at a new Future-Innovation Lab which focuses on building digital innovation skills for unemployed youth in South Africa.
The initiative, which will provide training to 40 students comes after Samsung South Africa unveiled its R280m ($17.4m) Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) in May 2019.
Samsung’s EEIP projects, many of which have a focus on education such as the Samsung Engineering Academy and Bursary programmes are focused on preparing youth to place their future in their own hands.
“We believe our EEIP strategy will help alleviate the many challenges faced by the country’s youth. This exciting stage of the rollout through the R&D Academy affirms our commitment to growing South Africa through education, and we have dedicated the necessary resources and time to create possibilities, which were once merely a dream,” said Hlubi Shivanda, director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.
The Future-Innovation Lab aims to provide an opportunity to deserving previously disadvantaged youth (between the ages of 18-35, to gain skills in software development and digital social innovation.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, said at the opening of the Future Innovation Lab that: “We need to support and create the digital literates to build the economy we all seek. This is something that cannot be delivered by Government alone. We create policy to make it happen but it’s by working together with the private sector that we can effect meaningful change. We embrace companies such as Samsung and Microsoft who partner with us on our journey to empower our youth to be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
In addition to the six-month development experience, Samsung and UWC partnered with the Microsoft AppFactory to deliver an advanced nine-month software development programme to address the gap of high-demand software skills. The target group for this programme is more experienced software developers who lack practical or work experience. The programme aims to facilitate hands-on, real-world experience through creativity and fun in a learning and working environment.
Professor Josè Frantz, deputy vice-chancellor, University of the Western Cape, Research and Innovation, said: “The University of the Western Cape, as an engaged university, aims to make research count for the communities it serves. We value the importance of this initiative which will empower and prepare students for the fourth industrial revolution.”
The collaboration between Samsung South Africa and the University of the Western Cape is helping youths in the Western Cape to receive web and mobile software development training at a new Future-Innovation Lab which focuses on building digital innovation skills for unemployed youth in South Africa.
The initiative, which will provide training to 40 students comes after Samsung South Africa unveiled its R280m ($17.4m) Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) in May 2019.
Samsung’s EEIP projects, many of which have a focus on education such as the Samsung Engineering Academy and Bursary programmes are focused on preparing youth to place their future in their own hands.
“We believe our EEIP strategy will help alleviate the many challenges faced by the country’s youth. This exciting stage of the rollout through the R&D Academy affirms our commitment to growing South Africa through education, and we have dedicated the necessary resources and time to create possibilities, which were once merely a dream,” said Hlubi Shivanda, director: Business Innovation Group and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa.
The Future-Innovation Lab aims to provide an opportunity to deserving previously disadvantaged youth (between the ages of 18-35, to gain skills in software development and digital social innovation.
Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, said at the opening of the Future Innovation Lab that: “We need to support and create the digital literates to build the economy we all seek. This is something that cannot be delivered by Government alone. We create policy to make it happen but it’s by working together with the private sector that we can effect meaningful change. We embrace companies such as Samsung and Microsoft who partner with us on our journey to empower our youth to be at the forefront of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
In addition to the six-month development experience, Samsung and UWC partnered with the Microsoft AppFactory to deliver an advanced nine-month software development programme to address the gap of high-demand software skills. The target group for this programme is more experienced software developers who lack practical or work experience. The programme aims to facilitate hands-on, real-world experience through creativity and fun in a learning and working environment.
Professor Josè Frantz, deputy vice-chancellor, University of the Western Cape, Research and Innovation, said: “The University of the Western Cape, as an engaged university, aims to make research count for the communities it serves. We value the importance of this initiative which will empower and prepare students for the fourth industrial revolution.”
