Marking the graduation of learners from 2004-2005 who completed the NQF level 4 diploma in programming, Dr Hasmukh Gajjar, executive director of Faritec, says for this reason, the company - in partnership with Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) - launched its Skills Development Programme in 2003, aiming to tackle the IT skills shortage, and the challenges it presents to IT organisations.
A core component of the programme is the Student Mentorship Programme, where the most promising IT graduates are sourced, trained over a 12-month period and then offered a permanent position at Faritec once the course is completed, says Dr Gajjar.
The objective of the Faritec programme is to further train graduates who have an IT degree or diploma, but who are finding difficulties in securing employment in their field of study due to lack of work experience. Learners can send through their CVs to Faritec via e-mail (), and if they meet the necessary requirements to join the programme, are invited for an interview. To date, 20 learners have graduated from the programme and were subsequently offered permanent positions at Faritec.
The first six months of the programme are dedicated to theoretical training onsite at an external service provider, where each learner is trained on the National certificate in IT: Systems Development NQF Level 5 SAQA ID 24294. SAQA is the South African Qualifications Authority through which all training programmes need to be registered, in order to be recognised in SA.
The next six months are spent training internally at Faritec on an internship basis. Here, the learners are exposed to a work environment where they are able to apply the knowledge they acquired during the first six months. The workplace environment presents a challenging opportunity for the learners to prove themselves, and it is here that the learners will experience the ins and outs of an operational IT business environment first-hand.
Faritec is also responsible for furnishing all financial support during the programme, which includes a basic monthly salary for each learner as stipulated by Seta, as well as all training costs incurred over the duration of the programme.
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