REPORT 2019
AYO Academy
One of the most critical factors affecting the growth of the ICT sector in South Africa is the skills shortage. The current data suggests that there are more than 2 600 vacancies across ten occupations. AYO Academy aims to address this crisis by offering training programs and financing the development of such critical skills in previously disadvantaged individuals. The initiative provides participants with the right qualifications to pursue prestigious careers in the ICT fields of programming, coding, data science, artificial intelligence, network engineering, system analysis, project management and ERP implementation.
Courses
The Academy, although still in its infancy, aims to implement and develop courses that are aligned with changes in the sector’s requirements, the economic performance of the sector and the development agenda of South Africa. The Academy strives to bridge the gap between the demand and supply of scarce skills while simultaneously provide opportunities to high-potential learners.
Participants
All Group employees who meet the criteria will qualify for bursaries to further their education in the ICT field. Such bursaries cover specialist qualifications as well as professional and certification programs. Upon graduation, AYO Academy’s Graduate Programme provides an entry point to the corporate world. In 2019, 27 graduates joined the programme, 100% of which are black.
AYO Academy further offers learnerships and internships providing young people from disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities to work in the Group and learn about different aspects of the business.
Each learner is assigned a coach, mentor and line manager who provide ongoing support. The programmes last 12 – 24 months and, on completion, participants receive a nationally recognised qualification. Where possible these learners are then absorbed within the Group.
Looking ahead
AYO Academy will be developed further in 2020, as it represents a value-adding initiative for the
individual participants, the Group, the ICT sector, communities and South Africa as a whole. We aim to formally accredit AYO Academy with the MICT Seta and continue to benchmark the developed curriculums against the skills gaps in the industry. A roadshow with all subsidiary companies within the Group will identify potential further areas of integration for Academy graduates and innovative educational interventions.
An online platform for AYO Academy is also in development, which will facilitate registration, reporting, scheduling and project management and allow remote access to programs’ curriculum. Chatbots capability will also be integrated to assist learners.
In 2020 the number of internships and learnerships offered via AYO Academy will be increased to more than 100 across the spectrum of programs with positions in several companies within the Group:
The AYO Academy will also continue to assist the Group internally with Leadership Development Programmes and Management Development Programmes to enhance the “bench-strength” in terms of succession planning. Bursaries, funding learners with interests in ICT related fields across various disciplines, will again be provided to progress learners with a learnership within the Group once their studies are completed.
Business Model
