All that most of us want is to be given a chance – a chance to step up and show what we’re capable of, and a chance to give ourselves better options in life.

If you are one of these people, a golden opportunity awaits – you can learn in-demand digital skills at no cost, while at the same time gaining easier access to a variety of jobs and other income-earning opportunities in several fast-growing fields.

Nedbank has partnered with Microsoft and Afrika Tikkun Services to create the DigiSkills Programme, which offers free courses to help you build your skills in a variety of specialist, technical and entrepreneurial fields.

In the first 9 months after the programme was launched in mid-2021, more than 12,000 students registered for courses that can take a few days or weeks to complete. The most satisfying outcome is that at the 9-month mark, more than 400 students had obtained employment since completing a course.

Training in scarce skills is good news for the economy

South Africa’s unemployment problem is a double-edged sword – just as millions of people desperately need jobs or ways to make their own income, many of our businesses desperately need employees and consultants with specific skills.

It is estimated that work worth R8 billion is outsourced to other parts of the world every year because we don’t have the skills locally.

The DigiSkills Programme has identified scarce skills that South Africa’s economy needs urgently, such as software development, project management, data analysis, IT administration and customer service specialists. The first phase of DigiSkills has focused only on these opportunities, but more courses are planned for the near future – especially those in entrepreneurship and the gig economy.

Microsoft’s involvement is crucial to ensure that the technical qualifications students receive are properly accredited and recognised. The pathway into a job is much easier if you have qualifications from a credible institution like Microsoft.  

Making online courses accessible

ln addition, Microsoft has built a low-bandwidth e-learning platform as a technology solution to support the initiative. Our partnership with Afrika Tikkun Services allows us to offer courses in simple and easy-to-access online formats and they also offer work-readiness programmes, job-placement services and entrepreneurship training and support.

Future roll-outs of DigiSkills will include more course material, as well as making it easier for rural and distant communities to participate.

Nedbank has made office space and computers available to create a learning centre in Newtown, Johannesburg, so that more of Afrika Tikkun’s learners can have free access to e-learning. This centre can accommodate 25 learners a week.

How to enrol

To sign up for DigiSkills courses and classes, create a profile on the DigiSkills portal and access the courses for free. You don’t need any formal qualifications to take these courses; however, you will have to do a quick aptitude test online to confirm that your chosen course is suited to you.

You’ll also need an internet connection and a device on which to read and complete the course material, if you aren’t one of the 25 learners with a place at the Newtown learning centre. Once you have these in place, you can get access to qualifications that give you more life choices through DigiSkills.

You could go it alone as an entrepreneur running your own business, but you will also be a sought-after asset to companies in need of digital-savvy staff. Whether you decide to start your own business, devote your skills to one company in a full-time job, or freelance as a consultant to many businesses, you’ll also get entry-level assistance to start your career path.

Sign up for DigiSkills now.