Companies urged to consider taking on CapaCiti interns for 2019

Employers in Cape Town and Johannesburg looking to grow their tech teams in 2019 could benefit from hiring CapaCiti graduates as apprentices.

At the end of 2018, over 300 previously unemployed or underemployed youth completed their technical training at CapaCiti’s Cape Town campus.

The CapaCiti programmes, which run for between six and nine months, teach a range of technical skills, in addition to providing coaching in essential soft skills like critical thinking, collaboration and presentation skills- equipping young people with a sound foundation to enter their first job.

Companies based in Cape Town and Johannesburg can help these young people launch their careers in the industry by taking them on as apprentices or interns. Companies will benefit from having extra hands on deck to assist with tasks ranging from data capture and database management, to help desk management and software testing and development.

In turn, the young people will gain hands on experience in the digital space, develop their skills and become more employable.

Minister of Economic Opportunities, Beverley Schäfer said: “Last year, my portfolio committed to enabling 250 000 new opportunities for young people in the Western Cape economy. Apprenticeships and internships are often the launching pad for many young people’s careers, helping them to gain valuable experience and confidence.”

“The future of the economy depends on us developing our digital and technical skills and CapaCiti does excellent work in training young people and equipping them to go out and take advantage of opportunities. I urge employers to consider taking on some of these young people, thereby contributing meaningfully to addressing the massive youth unemployment problem our country faces,” she said.

Head of Skills Development, CapaCiTi  Fiona Tabraham said: “This year, CapaCiTi is proud to have equipped several hundred SA youth with the relevant training and coaching they need to accelerate their careers into the tech sector. We’re calling on South African businesses to support our future talent on the next six months of their journey, helping them to apply and build their skills and confidence and contribute to the digital economy. They’re ambitious, tenacious, and will add huge value to your teams as you kick off 2019.”

Several large corporate clients have taken on CapaCiti interns in previous years and have reported positive experiences.

Absa bank has taken on 55 CapaCiti interns since 2016, with 16 of these going into full-time employment with the company.

“Their aptitude, attitude and aspiration has blown us away! They are hard-working, passionate about technology and creative, with the maturity to negotiate the trickiness of working in teams, as well as rise to the challenge when we put them in leadership positions,” said Alwyn van Wyk, Head of Absa’s Cape Town Dev Shop.

The interns available to start in January 2019 in Cape Town and Johannesburg have completed an intensive training programme in the following:

•          Software Engineering – Trained in Java, Python [CPT & JHB]
•          Full-Stack Development – Trained in Full Stack Mobile Dev, Net, JavaScript, PHP, Android [CPT]
•          Java Development – Trained in Java, JavaScript [CPT & JHB]
•          Software Development (postgrad) – Trained Post Graduates with Java, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, PHP and MY SQL Databases [CPT]
•          CISCO Security –Trained and certified as a Cisco Network Security Associate [JHB]
•          ICT Infrastructure – Trained in IT Essentials, Routing and Switching, Linux Fundamentals, CCNA [CPT]

Hosts are required to pay a stipend, to assist interns with transport and living expenses and to host trainees in their respective offices with access to a computer and involve them in work that allows them to grow their technical experience.  

The Western Cape Government’s apprenticeship game programme aims to develop skills and experience through hands on learning, in order to meet the growing need for skills, especially in the province’s priority areas of ICT, renewable energy and in the Project Khulisa sectors of oil and gas, tourism and agri-processing. So far, nearly 10 000 learners have been placed in workplace learning opportunities in these sectors.

Minister Schäfer said “In order to grow the Western Cape economy, we need to have the requisite skills set that will allow us to attract investors to our province. Apprenticeships are a win-win for everyone, giving young people essential, hands on experience, while companies benefit from having additional people in their workforce.”

To register your company’s interest in interviewing CapaCiTi interns or grads, please visit www.citi.org.za or email hire@capaciti.org.za and indicate whether you are in Johannesburg or Cape Town, and the focus of your business.

Or contact Ilze King for Cape Town interns or grads at ilze@capaciti.org.za or Estelle Langa for Johannesburg, PE or Durban interns or grads at mathapelo@capaciti.org.za.