Closing the open source gap through graduate development

by Matthew Lee, SUSE South Africa

South Africa is a skills-hungry country. In fact, according to Adzuna, the rarest skills are in the digital and technology sectors, where demand is far outstripping supply – and according to SUSE – that is exactly what the industry is seeing when it comes to open source skills.

That’s why I am very happy that SUSE, Axiz and CTU Training Solutions have launched a joint graduate programme which is aimed at driving open source skills into the South African market.

There is a massive skills gap and demand for open source skills such as cloud, application development and DevOps locally – and especially as more businesses move towards digital transformation. In fact, accordingly to the Linux Jobs Report 2017, 89% of hiring managers say it is difficult to find open source talent. And, when Axiz initiated the graduate programme, we recognised the great platform such an initiative would give us to proactively contribute to mining and development much needed skills for the industry.

The graduate programme formed in partnership between SUSE, Axiz and CTU Training Solutions has opened its doors to graduates who seek a career in open source in the efforts to increase technical resources and skills in the market.

This programme goes beyond just providing the graduates with the necessary skills, but it also pairs companies with the right talent for their needs – be it cloud technologies, web technologies, Linux, networking technologies, security etc. – allowing graduates to be absorbed into SUSE and Axiz partner/client organisations.

“Internships play a crucial role in South Africa, as it creates the opportunity for IT graduates to equip themselves with the practical knowledge and ability, in order to add value and productivity to their potential company of employment.” says Colette Swanepoel, Business Development Manager at CTU Training Solutions.

Business Unit Manager at Axiz, Magda Hanekom, agrees and says that, “Because of this, we have seen a lot of interest from graduates across Gauteng. There were over 200 applicants, from which 20 candidates were selected to partake in the 2018 graduate programme – and each of these candidates is already showing great promise. This also gives us confidence that our efforts towards closing the skills gap will be beneficial to the market in the short and long-term. The programme will also be extended to other regions in 2019, affording the opportunity to graduates across the country.”

“This graduation programme has been excellent in terms of the exposure to and hands on learning to gain the skills that are fundamental in administering the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server operating system. I’m preparing to write the SCA examination in few weeks’ time, but I am confident that once I complete this course I will be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge that will make me a valuable asset to the industry.” Says Moosa Mkansi, one of the 20 graduates enrolled for the SUSE, Axiz and CTU Training Solutions launch joint graduate programme.

With digital transformation on the rise, it is clear that open source is the future. The graduate programme is not only focused on upskilling these graduates and making sure they are fully equipped for the challenges of the workplace, but we will also hopefully be increasing open sources’ footprint in the South African market.

For more information on the Graduate Programme – as a host or a graduate, please email magda.hanekom@axiz.com for more details.

Axiz: Axiz is South Africa’s leading IT infrastructure and software distributor with a number of offices across South Africa, as well as a presence in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Axiz has become a highly valued channel for its vendors and customers, showing the passion and commitment necessary to maintaining the highest levels of service and customer satisfaction. Axiz provides end-to-end innovative technology and professional solutions to its reseller base with a product portfolio consisting of over 50 of the world’s leading IT brands and a team geared to drive adoption of next generation technologies. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the listed IT group, Alviva Holdings.

Axiz is a subsidiary of the listed IT group, Alviva Holdings, and has been delivering solutions to its channel partners for over 25 years. Axiz is one of the largest IT Distributors in Africa.

 CTU Training Solutions: CTU Training Solutions (Pty) Ltd, represents the highest level of competence and expertise in delivering training and development solutions through multiple learning methodologies across South Africa and Africa.

We believe that companies should have a suitable skills development plan to optimise the technologies that are deployed, systematically developing employees to address the skills gap as a great way to achieve empowered human capital. The CTU Corporate division provides consultative training and development solutions to corporate organisations, government, SMME’s, technology partners and vendor partners. For more information, visit www.ctutraining.ac.za