Technology has proved to be a compelling force in a positive way in the changing world. However, those in the technology space need to start the vital responsible they got and appreciating it. They can pull people into the digital economy. However, this will happen if the availability of the right skills to enable the digital revolution future is in place.
Filling the Unemployment Gap in African’s Youth.
Africa and middle-east is the home of about a quarter of the total world’s population. As such, there is likely hood that it will be the global workforce supply for the next generation. A third of this population in this region is young people. Forty percent of the employers claim that lack of skills is the main challenge to the growth of their companies. Thirty-eight percent of the young professional believes that they are ready for work with their education. Thus, the need to close the skills gap of this region are urgently needed. Addressing the challenges are very imperative.
Thinking about how to fill the current gaps is not enough. It is also imperative to think more and rethink about jobs in the future that isn’t in existence today. To skill the future generations depends on how we professionals are created today in all areas. This will help in delivering future innovations as well as business drivers.More efforts should be in place across MEA on the young people population, which will ensure the technology benefits all youths into becoming leaders of tomorrow.
Efforts towards the digital revolution in Africa
Microsoft has, from 2017 being offering some digital skill programs. Up to 4.8 youths in Africa have already benefited from this program. Half a million of the youths have secured jobs. They are supporting the employment of over twenty-seven thousand youths directly. It has also provided two thousand and eighty internship opportunities. One thousand and five hundred aspiring entrepreneurs have been able to establish their businesses.
The Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative in Nigeria has been providing the digital skills training to over half a million youths via ‘train the trainer’ program. It has been able to reach over five thousand trainers from across ten states.
Another project called the Coding for employment that is partnering with The African Development Bank. The aim is to upskilling over fifty million youths in Africa. This will go a long way in creating over twenty-five million jobs in Information Communication and Technology, agriculture, as well as other critical sectors in Africa before 2025.
There is also a need to encourage young girls and women to take courses in STEM. From 2016, with the help of the Forum for African Women educationalists, twenty-five thousand young women and two hundred and fifty teachers have gotten the training on digital skills.
Conclusion
However, it’s worth noting that, regardless of which mode of delivery, Technology will never be able to replace the teachers we have in the classroom. Hence, as Technology come forth, care must be taken to ensure it only complements instead of replacing the teaching practices. This can only be achieved by empowering the teachers too digitally. They will then be able to change the classroom as they reimagine the learning for building the needed skills for the workforce in the future for Africa.
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