Dearth of skills in the medical sector, says Profmed.
German car maker BMW gears up to provide 2,000 jobs by 2023 in its IT Hub, while the healthcare sector is fast losing fundamental skills. Meanwhile, financial services provider Standard Bank launches free, virtual internships for students and the YES Hub in Alexandra, Johannesburg, adds a new wing to host additional training programmes.
Standard Bank launches virtual internships
Standard Bank is launching virtual internships, which are self-paced programmes offering video-guided training for skills in job searching, business communication and networking, personal branding, interview preparation, and more. Once they have completed the training successfully, students then receive certificates that they can add to their resumés.
From August, students will also be able to enrol in programmes covering retail and investment banking, software development, engineering, and data science.
There are no due dates to the programmes, registration is free for students, and they are open to all.
BMW seeks IT skills
BMW is on a hiring drive for skilled technical people to join its IT Hub, and aims to provide 2,000 jobs by 2023.
The German car manufacturer said it would host talent days on 27-28 August 2022 with a specific focus on full stack developers and DevOps specialists on Microsoft Azure and Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Specific technical skills that the group is looking for include backend development, frontend development, data streaming, and microservices.
Critical need for healthcare skills
The skills shown locally in the medical industry are being aggressively targeted by developed countries as Covid-19 places pressure on even the best-resourced territories, according to Craig Comrie, CEO of Profmed.
“Not only is there a major shortage of doctors, but there is a critical need for more nurses as well. This has a cascading effect on the rest of the healthcare sector right down the value chain through to the citizen’s pockets,” he said.
“We have seen quite a large exit over the last three to five years, leaving us with a dearth of fundamental skills,” he added.
YES hub in Alex expands
The YES Ulusha Hub in Alexandra, Johannesburg, has opened a new wing to host additional training programmes.
The Hub’s offerings already include textile and manufacturing facilities in the Textile Academy, Nyathi Arts Creation, which trains youth in the production of ceramics and pottery; a Drone Academy, an ICT and digital laboratory, a small business centre, and the official headquarters for the Youth Content Collective, a creative agency.
The Ulusha Hub is one of three YES Hubs around the country, with the other two in Saldanha and Tembisa. YES chief financial officer Vaunn Kelly said, “Our aim is to harness the enthusiasm and raw talent of our youth and support them through different programmes at our hubs to develop skills that the economy needs.”
