Nabilah Safira
TechInAfrica – Econet Wireless has launched a digital learning academy, the Econet Group Innoversity, a platform designed to develop critical skills in the digital age.
As Mr. Douglas Mboweni, the Econet CEO said at the launching event on Harare, he is excited of the platform launching, which will be used to develop and deliver skills of the future that is aligned with the company’s business strategy.
Mr. Mboweni added, “This will be a vehicle for developing requisite mission-critical skills that are imperative for us to not only survive but thrive in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”
With the fast and instant changes in technology, new skills – which are currently not being taught locally – are urgently required to address the current skills gap in key talent segments and to set organizations competing for the future.
“For us, at Econet our people are the foundation of our success; they are our main source of competitive advantage and are the key drivers of innovation and business resilience. It is therefore critical, for our continued success, that we retrain them and equip them with Fourth Industrial Revolution skills through the world-class certification programs the Econet Innoversity will offer,” Mr. Mboweni said.
Skills deficits are apparent in some Zimbabwe key sectors and disciplines, the skills audit report published by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary education revealed, in which skills deficit accounted for 93,5% in engineering, 88% in agricultural skills, and 95% in the medical and health science fields.
Mr. Mboweni said the Econet group Innoversity would seek to bridge the skills gaps – both within its organization and outside, in the broader marketplace, playing a key role in accelerating skills development. The company’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Mr. Dennis Nyabadza, said during the launching event how Innoversity came at a time the nation was battling a skills deficit, and therefore would play an important skills-bridging role.
Econet Talent and Organizational Development Head Mr. Darlington Hukuimwe said the Innoversity will run certification programs in a variety of courses, as in offering online, face-to-face, and project-based certified courses in some brand new areas, including Big Data and Analytics, Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning, Robotics, Augmented Reality (AR), IoT (the Internet of Things), Block Chain, Cyber Security and Digital Customer Experience. Management development courses will be offered as well for beginner and senior level, with coaching and mentorship-based learning.
Econet has been exposing its middle, senior and executive management for a while to a wide range of effective management and leadership courses – including the globally acclaimed Success Motivation Institute (SMI) courses, in which it won the SMI World Client of The Year award in 2018.
On the first phase, Innoversity will be focusing on talent and skills development of the Econet group’s staffs. Phase 2, which will begin in less than 2 years, reach out their programs and courses to institutions and individuals that are not part of Econet group, Hukuimwe said.
Source: technomag.co.zw
