It’s not every day that one gets the opportunity to make a difference in someone else’s life.
It happened to Natascha Prussen, MD of LGIT Smart Solutions who helped two promising students, Prince Ramashaba and Margret Sootho which changed their lives forever, and proved that a little belief can go a long way.
LGIT Smart Solutions runs IT courses for corporates and a selection of the same courses are run in disadvantaged communities through the company’s Siyakhula Project.
“Our goal is to ensure that regardless of where our material is presented, learners experience the same quality of education. The only exception is that we adjust the pace of delivery within these communities where English is often a second – or even third – language,” explains Prussen.
It was through the Diepsloot programme that Prussen met Ramashaba and Sootho, who, prior to enrolling with Siyakhula Computer School, had no previous IT experience. By the end of their semester the pair had outperformed their fellow classmates, ranking top of their class of more than 200 graduates.
Prussen was impressed by the two talented individuals and made a call to Dimension Data to enquire if the company had an opportunity for placement.
Lindi Minett, Dimension Data’s national licensing manager for Microsoft Solutions says: “Dimension Data is well known for its commitment to youth in South Africa, and in particular to skills development.
“Although Prince and Margret were shy in the interviews, their passion and willingness to learn more was clearly evident, so we appointed them as Licensing Interns within the Microsoft Line of Business of Dimension Data South Africa. From day one, the value they’ve delivered has been amazing.”
Dimension Data swiftly enrolled the pair on the next Microsoft Licensing Internship at Microsoft South Africa, which commenced a few days after their initial interviews. And since neither had been Microsoft Certified – a long-standing prerequisite for the qualification – special dispensation for their inclusion was requested from Microsoft.
Adds Minett: “The intense course is attended by candidates from all over the Middle East and Africa. Ramashaba and Sootho handled the pace well, made the first cut, and completed the six-month Microsoft internship. With the full support of our team, they returned to our licensing helpdesk with mentors on hand to assist, and it was a matter of weeks in a working environment before they were confident to write the exams. Both passed with flying colours.”
Today, Ramashaba and Sootho are well entrenched in the Dimension Data Microsoft Solutions team and are continuing their internship with the Microsoft Licensing team. “Licensing is complex, with even more complex tools to manage.
The two have excelled in their roles with professionalism, and both our account managers and our clients are reaping the benefits,“ she says.
Patrick says he’s still thirsty to learn more, and add as much value as possible. “The programme has had an immense impact upon my life and my career path. What I enjoy most is being bombarded with valuable information and getting to learn new things.”
Sootho, who matriculated in 1999, always wanted to work in IT, but was held back by financial limitations. For her, this has been a dream come true. She attributes her success to the support she received from Minett, and her team’s belief and encouragement.
“It’s been a great pleasure and a huge life experience. I enjoy working with the team, and the environment is amazing. I’m learning new things every day and constantly improving my skills. I really loved the training, and I’m excited to learn more.”
All this eagerness for more knowledge is a good thing: in fact, Dimension Data has since enrolled Ramashaba and Sootho in Microsoft’s Student to Business Programme with the aim of further expanding their IT skills with the training that will be delivered by LGIT Smart Solutions.