Charis Chrisna
TechInAfrica – The idea of grasping the fourth Industrial Revolution has been around for a long time (and for a good measure). It has been one of the hottest topics regarding technology growth for the last three or four years, underlining not only the significance of technology in the industrial region, but also encompasses areas which are not normally classified as industry; such as smart cities and Internet of Things. In accordance to this, Accenture—a multinational professional services company that provides services in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations—initiates STEM Hackathon for 45 South African youths on July 20th, 2019.
This hackathon, which took place at Rosebank, Johannesburg prepares the youths of South Africa to adapt themselves with the forthcoming Industrial Revolution 4.0. Young enthusiasts from Alexandra, Diepsloot and Olievenhoutbosch had also participated in this event. The referred event also serves as a tribute and celebration to #MandelaDay2019.
Khethiwe Nkuna, Head of Corporate Citizenship and Inclusion and Diversity Lead for the African office of Accenture, claimed that the company aims to provide not only an enjoyable, fun-filled platform for learners, but also a program that can administer useful skills and other technical benefits. This, in return, would potentially grant a boost towards their own employability.
Nkuna also asserted that South African youths need to enhance their mathematical and scientific-related competence—one way to do it is to ‘foster greater interest in technical education among the youth’. In addition, Accenture hopes that this hackathon will be able to serve as an introductory gateway for youths to advance their computational skills, in order to be the leaders of tomorrow. Furthermore, Nkuna added that by instilling the desire to delve further into math and science, young learners can prepare themselves for an imminent digital future.
During the hackathon, the first three groups were tasked to build a telegraph out of everyday objects—which introduces them to the variety of electrical components and their implementation for communications. The remaining three were tasked in building robotic models out of cardboard and straws—also introducing them to the anatomical structure of the human hand—before conducting trials via Excel in order to spot flaws in their design. The winners and awards of the event were promptly announced at the end of the day.
Source: itnewsafrica.com
