SA Government to train 50 000 Data Scientists
The South African government is looking to train 50 000 data scientist in the country, the country’s Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has said.
people’s needs” she. said. NDABENI-ABRAHAMS — speaking during a webinar “I think governments should come up with clear on Women in STEM in Africa and the COVID 19 strategies in terms of human capacity development Pandemic held on 29 September by the United and investing in stem,” added Ndabeni-Abrahams. Nations Office for South-South Cooperation In October the National Electronic Media — mentioned the country’s skills development Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) and the programme and explained the South African Department of Communications and Digital government had conducted a skills gap analysis Technologies opened applications for the on digital skills in the country, and subsequently programme. The department explained that the developed a national digital skills development strategy which she said was also based on the South Africa’s Minister initiative will mainly focus on young people who did not finish school, school learners who could not insights from the report by the Presidential of Communications enter tertiary education, TVETs, students who had Commission of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. and Digital failed to graduate , as well as graduates who could “That is why I’m proud to announce right now Technologies Stella not find employment. to you that as part of the partnerships that we Ndabeni-Abrahams The South African government in 2018 have built, we will be training about 50 0000 data embarked on a plan to equip up to one million scientists in South Africa. This is a partnership that young people with skills in data science by 2030. we have done with the Department of Higher Education and Business technology publication ITWeb reported in Coursera – the online platform. October that the Department of Communications and Digital “We then reached out to the industry to say can you provide Technologies, in partnership with the Media Information and the devices for them and then we are looking at connecting Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training those. This is what we are saying that when we work together Authority is working together with other stakeholders to train we are able to minimise the impact (sic) and also see the great young people in software development, cyber security, robotics, impact that we can have for for the effective execution because artificial intelligence and in drones. I get to benefit as government and at the same time the private In September, 135 participants of the government training sector gets to benefit because there will be more innovators that initiative graduated a 12-month data science course. ai will help the private sector be innovative and responsive to the
4TH QUARTER 2020
SA Quantum Computing Researcher awarded Google PhD Fellowship
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South African quantum computing researcher Amira Abbas was in October announced as one of 53 Google PhD Fellowship Programme
THE SOUTH African researcher was the only African recipient selected for this year’s fellowship. Google launched the PhD Fellowship Programme in 2009 to recognise and support outstanding graduate students who seek to influence the future of technology by pursuing exceptional research in computer science, and other related fields. The fellowship, which is now in its twelfth year, has helped support approximately 500 graduate students in North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, East Asia and India.
Abbas was formerly a consultant researcher with the the UKZN’s Quantum Research Group where she focused on the intersection of Machine Learning and Quantum Computing. Earlier this year she joined IBM in Switzerland as a Quantum Computing Research Intern. Abbas’ AI Expo Africa 2019 interview is the most popular on AI TV with over 3 100 views. In the interview, she discusses her journey from finance into the world of quantum computing. Check it out here ai
