T-Systems ICT Academy achieves 100 percent pass rate for 2014
26 May 2015
T-Systems in South Africa has announced a 100 percent pass rate for the 2014 intake of students at its flagship ICT Academy. At a graduation ceremony held on 8 May 2015, a total of 121 students received their certifications, with 106 students completing the first year course and 25 finishing their second year of specialisation. In addition, T-Systems has offered employment to five of the graduates who completed their second year in 2014.
Recently re-launched at larger, more central premises near Gandhi Square in Johannesburg, the ICT Academy has been contributing toward the sustainable transformation of skills-specific education in South Africa. T-Systems has been a significant sponsor since the outset, and the ICT Academy now forms part of the T-Systems Foundation.
“The T-Systems ICT Academy focuses on addressing the skills shortage and gender inequality within the South African ICT industry. Currently, 48 percent of our intake is female, a significantly higher percentage than the national average for women in ICT. Our goal is to create a pool of employable graduates with relevant ICT skills and competencies, empowering the youth and enabling them to contribute positively toward sustainable economic transformation,” says Adre du Plessis, Vice President Strategy and Transformation at T-Systems in South Africa.
To this end, the Academy offers a variety of courses that provide students with employable skills. First year students completing the course obtain three international certifications: the International Computer Driver’s License (ICDL); CompTIA A+ which addresses technical understanding of ICT as well as communication skills and professionalism; and CompTIA N+, which specifically addresses networking skills. In second year, students choose a specialisation to complete, choosing a certification from one of the following: Cisco Certified Network Associate; Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer; or Microsoft Certified Solutions Associates.
In addition, students are also awarded with local accreditation from the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT Seta) for competency in the following national qualifications: technical support (NQF 4); systems support (NQF 5); systems development (NQF 4); and telecommunications (NQF 4).
Curriculum comprises 70 percent theoretical training and 30 percent practical workplace experience, undertaken in the form of learnerships where students are placed at ICT organisations to gain on the job experience. In order to ensure students are fully equipped with all of the skills they need to be highly employable, the ICT Academy also addresses certain softer skills such as communication and workplace conduct.
“The success of this model is evidenced not only by the pass rate of the Academy, but even more importantly, by its overall employment rate. Between 2003 and 2014, the ICT Academy produced a total of 1824 internationally certified graduates, at an average pass rate of 95 percent, and an overall employment rate of 85 percent for students who completed both years of the course. As an organisation, we are committed to do our part in providing youth from both rural and urban communities, with the opportunity to learn and develop themselves in this technology driven world, creating a platform for them to build their careers, and to build our nation,” du Plessis concludes.
T-Systems in South Africa:
Head of Marketing & Communications
Lebohang Thokoane
Lebohang.Thokoane@t-systems.co.za
+27(11)266-0266 (Phone),
+27(78)803-0634 (Mobile)
About Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies with around 151 million mobile customers, 30 million fixed-network lines and more than 17 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2014). The Group provides fixed network, mobile communications, Internet and IPTV products and services for consumers and ICT solutions for business customers and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in more than 50 countries and has approximately 228,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenues of EUR 62.7 billion in the 2014 financial year – more than 60 percent of it outside Germany.
About T-Systems
Deutsche Telekom considers the European business customer segment a strategic growth area. Deutsche Telekom offers small, medium-sized and multinational companies ICT solutions for an increasingly complex digital world. In addition to services from the cloud, the range of services is centred around M2M and security solutions, complementary mobile communications and fixed network products, and solutions for virtual collaboration and IT platforms, all of which forms the basis for our customers’ digital business models.
With approximately 47,800 employees worldwide, T-Systems generated revenue of around EUR 8,6 billion in the 2014 financial year.
Since the inception of T-Systems in South Africa in 1997, the company has cemented its position as one of the most successful T-Systems companies outside of Europe. A leading ICT outsourcing service provider locally, T-Systems offers end-to-end ICT solutions in both the ICT Operations and Systems Integration markets. Their extensive portfolio of services covers the vertical, horizontal, IT and TC space. T-Systems South Africa’s head office is located in Midrand with another major office in Cape Town, and 20 further representative offices in locations throughout southern Africa.
