Liquid Telecom South Africa, in partnership with the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, will be opening Innovation and Digital Skills Centres in East London and Mthatha during the first quarter of 2020.
Liquid Telecom is committed to fostering innovation and building digital skills amongst youth, even in the remotest parts of the country. This initiative will have a positive impact on the communities close to the centres by creating local learning and business opportunities that will also extend across the greater Eastern Cape Province.
According to Reshaad Sha, CEO of Liquid Telecom South Africa: “By supporting Eastern Cape communities with access to high-speed internet, training in technology skills and platforms we are helping them prepare for the jobs of the future. The launch of the Innovation and Digital Skills Centres is key to entrepreneur empowerment which is fully aligned to Liquid Telecom’s vision of Building Africa’s digital future.”
The Innovation and Digital Skills Centres will become technology and education hubs where learners will have the opportunity to equip themselves with the latest and most relevant digital skills.
The centres will be equipped with state-of-the-art classroom learning facilities with access to high speed connectivity services from Liquid Telecom including:
* Internet connectivity for students and learners from which the surrounding communities will benefit.
* Training and education on digitisation, computing including the development of hands-on technology skills.
* Exposure to emerging technologies and their application, such as gamification, AI, Blockchain and IoT.
* Access to the 21C Skills programme, Liquid Telecom’s pan-African digital skills development platform, which was specifically designed with African learners in mind. It aims to help students, developers and start-ups to gain the tech skills they will need for the 21st century.
* Access to cloud platforms for entrepreneurs to gain access to investors and accelerator programmes in order to scale their businesses and translate their ideas into functioning, commercially active businesses.
Oscar Mabuyane, premier of the Eastern Cape, says: “The Eastern Cape is encouraged by organisations such as Liquid Telecom’s commitment to providing innovative solutions to develop the Youth of our province, for 4IR readiness.
This is a crucial milestone for the Digital Inclusivity agenda of the Province.
“We recognise the Innovation and Digital Centres as an important lever for development and ICT transformation in giving our people access to hi-tech ICT skills, whether they are in the rural hinterland or in the ever-growing urban areas.
“We strongly believe that with true ICT skills and capacitation, new opportunities for economic participation will arise for our people.”
Liquid Telecom’s Innovation and Digital Skills Centres will aim to play an important role in developing Eastern Cape communities that previously had little access or opportunities for digital training.
Liquid Telecom South Africa has also implemented learnership programmes for 93 students in the Eastern Cape covering ICT. In addition, the company has awarded 20 bursaries to students through the Nelson Mandela and Walter Sisulu Universities for the 2020 Academic year.