DigitalSENSE
Business News - As part
of its 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft has launched a scholarship programme to
offer mentorship, training, university-level education and employment
opportunities to aspiring African youth.
Microsoft revealed
this Monday to DigitalSENSE
Business News as its package for the International Youth
Day, saying 4Afrika Initiative, would provide mentorship, leadership
and technical training, certification, university-level education, and
employment opportunities for promising African students.
Mentorship, according to Microsoft would be provided by its employees from
across the world, and employment opportunities will include internships and
both part-time and full-time jobs within Microsoft, as well as with the
company’s more than 10,000 partners Africa-wide.
Through the company’s 4Afrika Initiative and YouthSpark
programme, Microsoft says its committed to helping millions of Africans get
critical skills for entrepreneurship and employability.
The 4Afrika Scholarship programme, it further says, is one
way the company intends to meet that goal, by helping ensure that promising
youth have access to the education, resources and skills they need to succeed,
regardless of their financial situations. To help redress gender disparity in
higher education in Africa, the company is actively encouraging young women to
apply.
Also, Microsoft announced that in the coming year it will
provide 4Afrika Scholarships to 1,000 youth to pursue associate degrees in
computer science and business administration with the first participating
higher-education institution, University of the People. The institution is an
online university dedicated to the democratization of higher education, which
is affiliated with the United Nations, the Clinton Global Initiative, New York
University and the Yale Law School Information Society Project.
Director, Youth Enablement, Microsoft 4Afrika, Mr. Patrick
Onwumere, noted that together with participating education institutions,
Microsoft’s goal with the 4Afrika Scholarship programme is to level the playing
field for talented young African minds that might not otherwise have the
resources, enabling them to get the education and skills they need to thrive in
technology-related fields.
“The 4Afrika Initiative was designed to help ensure that
Africa can become globally competitive, and investing in our highly motivated
youth is a critical step toward making that a reality,” he said.
Students wanting to apply for these first 4Afrika
Scholarships to attend University of the People, Onwumere explained, must be at
least 18 years old, have a high school diploma and be proficient in English,
since all coursework is taught in English.
“They must also have access to the Internet to participate
in the online classes. To help address the connectivity issue, the company is
making working space available in its Microsoft Innovation Centers in Tunisia,
Tanzania, Uganda and Botswana for successful applicants near those locations.
In addition, Microsoft is working with various partner hubs across Africa to
make similar arrangements for students in other locations.
Shai Reshef, president, University of the People (UoP) said
that UoP works hard to ensure that university-level education is a possibility
for the masses, and through the 4Afrika Scholarship programme, Microsoft is
helping us extend that possibility even further in Africa.
“We are proud to be working with Microsoft to help create
amazing opportunities and open new doors for Africa’s youth,” Reshef pointed
out.
No comments:
Post a Comment