The Vodacom Foundation has developed a new education ecosystem leveraging techno­logical innovations to develop the required technology skills for the future, from child­hood to adulthood.

Teaming up with the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Nelson Mandela Foundation and UN Women and Global Citizen, the foundation showcased the educational support ecosystem at the Divhani community crèche and Frank Ravele Secon­dary School, in the Vhembe district, Limpopo.

The ecosystem, which defines a “compre­hensive model of support and corporate social investment” in local communities, inten­sifies Vodacom’s support for its already estab­lished 12 schools of excellence, identified in partner­ship with the DBE, and the 15 early childhood development centres that Vodacom has committed to upgrading over a period of three years.

“Big corporates, such as Vodacom, exist as a part of society that is dogged by high levels of inequality and poverty. 

“Therefore, it is our obligation to partner with government and nongovernmental organisations to come up with solutions to deal with some of the socioeconomic problems plaguing our society today,” says Vodacom Group corporate affairs chief officer Takalani Netshitenzhe.

Vodacom is, thus, using information and com­munication technology (ICT) expertise to deliver modern solutions to assist govern­­ment in achieving its vision and key priori­ties, and equip poorly resourced edu­cational institutions and facilities with a lack of infra­structure in marginalised and rural communities.

The infrastructure of the Divhani com­munity crèche has been upgraded, with pit latrines replaced with appropriate sanitation facilities and a borehole, along with the instal­lation of a trolley solution with tablet devices as part of a mobile library.

At Divhani Primary School and Frank Ravele Secondary School, Vodacom has also eradicated the pit latrines and installed proper sanitation.

Vodacom has also installed a security system, replaced broken windows and doors and fixed collapsed ceilings at Frank Ravele Secondary School. The school was provided with 60 com­puters within a fully equipped, connected computer lab. 

Meanwhile, 367 unemployed youth nation­wide are set to graduate from the Vodacom Youth Academy during March and April, earning certified diplomas in information technology (IT) technical support.

This brings the number of graduates from the academy, which was founded by the Vodacom Foundation in 2012, to 1 333.

The academy aims to provide free training for unemployed youth in ICT skills, as well as further develop ICT entrepreneurs able to assist in the installation of IT equipment and provide instruction in high-end computer skills for visitors to Vodacom’s teacher training centres and connected schools.

“Equipping the youth with transferable digital skills has been proven to improve their employment opportunities [and] will also greatly increase the labour market as a whole, productivity and innovation, and stimulate eco­nomic growth,” says Netshitenzhe.

The learners undergo 24 demanding months of theory, practical and work-based placement training in A+ entry-level computer service professional certification, N+ midlevel certification for network technicians and third-generation connectivity.

“The graduates participated in the Youth Academy’s established programme under one of four categories, including end-user computing (National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Level 3), cellphone and device repair management (NQF Level 3), IT technical support (NQF Level 4) and networking support (NQF Level 5), where some of their duties comprised [giving] IT technical and data capturing support to schools and municipalities in their area.”

Further, the programme has graduated its first 32 IT entrepreneurs with certificates in business management and entrepreneurship, following their successful conclusion of the NQF level 4 and 5 courses in the ICT skills programme.

“Trainees in the programme, established in partnership with Cisco, CompTIA, Microsoft, the Media, the Information and Communication Technology Sector Education and Training Authority and the Independent Development Trust, receive accredited ICT training, with the potential for beneficiaries to be offered prac­tical experience in projects which can include IT technical support and the installation of hard­ware and software,” Netshitenzhe concludes.