The African Pathfinder Leaders Initiative will launch a tech programme to train early-career information technology (IT)-enthusiasts in fields relevant to a career in back-office automation.
The programme will be launched today, and applications are expected to start rolling out on Saturday 26 September 2020 in Windhoek. APLI is an organisation aimed at developing and mobilising change-makers, innovators and young leaders in diverse fields across the country. The initiative has established itself as one of the leading youth development organisations in Namibia, providing relevant, comprehensive and well-thought-out capacity development opportunities for the youth.
Founder and executive director of the initiative Sem Mandela Uutoni informed Youth Corner the programme will provide three streams of specialised training, which are: business analytics, Bot development, and solutions architecture.
“The pilot programme is free of charge and will run from October to December 2020. Candidates will be able to manage the workload in addition to their full-time employment or study and should consider this as an opportunity to expand their skill set, or pivot into a career in back-office automation,” encouraged Uutoni. He said while activities will be monitored online, the workload is flexible and candidates can work through the material at their own pace. “We expect a minimum time commitment of eight hours per week over three months,” he expressed.
Over the last two years of its inception, APLI has carried out impactful and far-reaching work in developing entrepreneurs, community developers and young leaders across the country.
Uutoni said : “Through Fellowship and Foundation programmes, we trained over 120 youth in 12 regions, capacitating them with the skills, networks and resources they need to contribute to socio-economic development in their communities.”
He also mentioned that to improve productivity, efficiency and the effectiveness of institutions, systems and processes, young Namibian professionals require the relevant skills to create and improve these systems.
“The role of APLI in this is to facilitate skills development opportunities for Namibian youth to prepare them for the future of work. Our aspiration is that candidates who benefit from this tech programme will go on to provide value for firms and companies they work for by streamlining their operations and improving efficiency to support their main functions,” stated Uutoni.
– psiririka@nepc.com.na