High school pupils taught digital skills
Pupils at Lückhoff High School are being taught digital skills through a pilot project launched by a joint partnership.
Mindjoy, the edtech startup that’s for kids, is partnering with Entersekt, a global leader in device identity and customer authentication software, and digital literacy provider MiDO Foundation to teach 60 Lückhoff High School pupils digital skills.
The initiative forms part of a pilot project in which Mindjoy provides small-group project-based coding sessions, funded by Entersekt. The pupils started the coding sessions on Wednesday March 2 and will continue until December.
The MiDO Foundation, which manages the digital hub at Lückhoff High, will assist with coordinating the training venue and times with the school’s pupils.
The goal of the collaboration is to expose learners to the essential digital skills and basic programming skills (Python, Javascript, HTML, CSS) required to make them employable in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).
Pupils access the online sessions in the newly built MiDO Digital Hub in Ida’s Valley, assisted by Mindjoy coaches situated across South Africa.
“Entersekt, MiDO and Mindjoy all believe in helping students build their competencies as digital citizens to develop essential skills for the future of work, but also to support learners in having the necessary skills to access economic opportunities,” says Mindjoy founder and CEO Gabi Immelman.
Arno Kemp, vice president of transformation and growth at Entersekt, says, “This is an undisputed recipe for digital skills education and indeed digital skills supply in South Africa. Our labour market is under duress, with these skills being both scarce and in high demand; this is one of the vehicles of remedy we are proud to support and nurture, with invaluable partnerships and communities at its heart.”
Daniel Solomons, executive director at MiDO Foundation, explains, the idea behind the collaborative partnership. “Gone are the days of doing everything all by yourself - working together and achieving a common goal together has become the norm.
“Since its inception in 2018 the MiDO Foundation has believed in partnerships that are relational, meaning that good relationships form the basis of good collaboration and collective success.”
It is hoped that this pilot project will expand to other grades and schools in the coming years.
Situated in Ida’s Valley north of Stellenbosch, Lückhoff High School was established in 1935, and is focused on being a centre of excellence and boasts with an impressive list of alumni. Among its successful former students are Cape Town Spurs and Hellenic winger Reggie Jantjies and Proteas spinner Omar Henry.
