BY TANDZILE DLAMINI
MBABANE – Youth in Mbabane West were encouraged to take advantage of a free coding program that will help them gain digital skills and open opportunities for jobs. The event was held at Mbabane West Inkhundla and was led by Make Jane Foundation in partnership with the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP).
Speaking during the event, Thanduxolo Zwane from RSTP said the program is an important opportunity provided by the Ministry of ICT through a partnership between the Government of Eswatini and the Government of the United Arab Emirates. “Digital skills are a vital skill in any field, and each of us here can count on them. We can use digital skills to improve the quality of our lives,” he said.
The program is offered through Udacity and is designed to make digital skills accessible to all. It is self-paced, takes about seven weeks to complete, and can be done using either a mobile phone or computer. At the end, participants will receive a certificate of completion, which can help them pursue further training or employment.
Courses offered under the program include Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals, Data Science Fundamentals, Programming Fundamentals, and Android Developer Fundamentals. These cover areas such as understanding artificial intelligence, analyzing and interpreting data, learning coding basics, and building Android applications.
Zwane said the program will do more than just teach coding. “These programs will instill creativity, problem-solving, and resilience, which are the building blocks of innovation,” he explained.
Through these skills, emaSwati will be able to compete for remote jobs in the global digital marketplace, build websites and applications, start businesses, and create local solutions to challenges facing communities.
(Courtesy Pics)
