THE Telkom Foundation recently celebrated the successful completion by 115 Mpumalanga learners of its Coding & Robotics Programme at an event at the Ermelo Inn.
Introduced into two Mpumalanga schools in 2022, the three-year programme is part of the Telkom Foundation’s commitment to equip young people with digital literacy skills and the necessary tools to be economically active and to find employment in the new digital environment. It was fitting that the graduation event took place at the end of Youth Month, whose theme was ‘Skills for a changing world – Empowering youth for meaningful economic participation’.
Certified by IBM and IC3, the programme was rolled out during school holidays and included modules on technical, business and other soft skills.
“In order to be able to use technology in meaningful, creative, and practical ways, young people must be “digitally ready,” which includes having the technical know-how as well as critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills to go out and find or create opportunities for themselves,” said the Telkom Foundation’s executive for Corporate Social Responsibility, Judy Vilakazi.
Integrating coding and robotics into the school curriculum is critical in preparing future generations of young people for the rapidly changing world of technology and artificial intelligence (AI), and this programme demonstrates the Telkom Foundation’s commitment to bridging the digital divide and fostering inclusivity by ensuring that all students, regardless of socio-economic status, have access to quality education that is aligned with 21st century skills.
The Foundation will be upgrading the facilities at the two Mpumalanga schools to implement custom-built coding and robotics laboratories as well as upskilling teachers so that they can include the subjects in their everyday curriculum.
“The Telkom Foundation congratulates each of the learners on this great accomplishment and looks forward to seeing many more young people go through the programme,” said Vilakazi.
