Check Point® Software Technologies, a provider specialising in cybersecurity worldwide, and the Learn Networking Academy, a South African-based non-governmental organisation specialising in e-learning and IT, are working together to better enable digital skills development across Africa.
“Digital skills are linked to the internet. Unfortunately, the cost of access and the equipment needed to train on are still prohibitively expensive for many learners in Africa. Given the high poverty rate in South Africa, most tertiary students are funded through the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
However, this government financial aid does not apply to training provided by academies such as ours, making it difficult to provide students with affordable courses to upskill themselves,” says Maxwell Kadio, General Manager of the Learn Networking Academy.
The cost of IT training can easily come to R50,000 without accounting for the cost of equipment and connectivity. One of the risks of this is that learners might look for the most affordable training options without considering the reputation of the service provider or the kind of qualification they will receive after the programme.
To help address this, Check Point is subsidising its courses available at the Learn Networking Academy. Furthermore, Check Point is giving these learners a significant reduction of the cost to write the international Check Point accreditation exam.
“This provides our learners with the peace of mind that they are getting access to world-class courses delivered by internationally certified Check Point trainers. They can also go for their accreditation and gain the skills needed to be employable in a critically important specialist field.
The cybersecurity skills gap is significant not only in South Africa, but the rest of the world. The Learn Networking Academy, with the assistance provided by Check Point, is looking to address this by giving students access to free courseware and study materials,” adds Kadio.
He believes the Learn Network Academy and others are providing governments in Africa with the perfect example of non-traditional training that can provide learners with the foundation to get relevant cybersecurity skills faster than being reliant on a three to four-year university degree.
“Universities are important, but IT training academies provide a great platform to deliver short certifications that help the youth be employable faster. The high cost of university education means a sizeable portion of matriculants are lost especially when it comes to cybersecurity training. This partnership with Check Point empowers us to make a meaningful change to help fill this skills gap,” Kadio concludes.