Tata Communications Transformation Services (TCTS), a global leader in transformative business operations and managed network services and a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Communications Limited, today announced the launch of its pioneering Skill Africa Program, in association with the Smart Africa Alliance. The revolutionary program will address the skills shortage in the technological industry and chart the way for the future of telecoms and IT infrastructure in Africa.
 
The intensive training program will cover a range of next-generation technologies and help future-proof the telecoms and IT infrastructure in Africa. The Skill Africa program will see approximately 150 engineers from across Africa being trained on a variety of next-generation technologies including Cyber-security, Internet of Things, Cloud, Big data, Robotics and Smart Cities.
 
“We are committed to accelerate Africa’s journey to the 4th Industrial Revolution through enabling ICT infrastructure across the continent,” said Madhusudhan Mysore, Executive Chairman and CEO, Tata Communications Transformation Services. “To ensure long term sustainability and growth in ICT services we need to address the skills gap. TCTS has launched this program to provide hands on experience in technology and operations of ICT networks.”
 
“In order for Africa to be ready for the jobs of the future, our engineers and professionals need to be equipped with the requisite skill sets. The Skill Africa Program is about more than just training 150 African people but also about starting a skills transfer chain where the initial 150 can exponentially impart these skills to thousands across Africa,” said Mr Lacina Koné, Director General of Smart Africa.
 
“We launched the initiative as a way to give back to the community,” said Harkirit Singh, Business Head – Africa, Tata Communications Transformation Services. “At TCTS we are committed to developing the skills crucial for the future of telecoms and IT industry, through our high-quality training programs. The Skill Africa Program will give the people of Africa an opportunity to develop the essential skills needed to help build Africa’s next-generation communications infrastructure.” 
 
Through this skills development program, each of the 25 Smart Africa Alliance member states will designate six engineering professionals to take part in the Skill Africa Program, therefore providing the opportunity to up to 150 African engineers to benefit from this program. Once selected, the engineers will attend the program at TCTS Renaissance Training Centre in India. Each 30-member cohort will be trained for an intensive one-week period with the first group expected to start in October 2019. Each training period will begin at the beginning of every month for a week-long training session, with the final group expected to complete the training before the Transform Africa Summit 2020.
 
Singh added: “TCTS is proud to partner with the Smart Africa Alliance on this exciting project. I am positive that our collective vision and training will transform Africa into the dynamic knowledge economy it is meant to be.”