The Thint’iMillion initiative has been launched by Microsoft South Africa and the country’s commercial hub in Gauteng. The system is designed to provide youths with a learning platform to develop their digital skills and improve on their employability stats.
The initiative is created as part of the Tshepo 1Million Digital exercise with its launch in southern Sebokeng to provide 1 million young jobseekers with skills to make them more employable. It is expected to train at least four hundred thousand youths between now and mid-2019.
Gauteng’s Provincial Government is working largely with a wide range of organizations and private companies like Microsoft to help bridge the digital divide in Africa by taking cutting edge workforce training straight to the large underdeveloped areas and rural vicinities as they require the attention more.
Member of the Executive Committee: Education in Gauteng, Panyaza Lesufi said “Through initiatives such as these, government wants to make this training available within walking distance of young people within townships and informal settlements across the province”.
He added that the skills deficiencies were largely the reasons for youth unemployment, making initiatives like this vitally important to provide effective labour market interventions that would help improve the employability of South African youth.
“A workforce that is diverse, boasting a youth culture that utilizes their digital skills to create a thriving city of entrepreneurs and highly skilled workers,” said Zoaib Hoosen, Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa.
Microsoft’s involvement will provide training in Word, Excel and PowerPoint skills as its online mass learning programs fits into the widely distributed blend of learning and video enabled learning platform.
