INTEL TAPS NORTH WEST TVET COLLEGE TO SPARK AI APPETITE

North West technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institution Orbit TVET College is the first on African soil to roll out Intel’s artificial intelligence (AI) training programme.

Yesterday, the global chipmaker officially launched its AI for Future Workforce programme at Orbit TVET College, Brits

The launch event, which was a collaborative effort between Intel, Orbit and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), also saw the opening of a new AI laboratory at the institution.

Speaking at the launch event, Maurits Tichelman, Intel VP of sales and marketing and GM for EMEA territories, stated Intel is honoured to contribute to the development of AI skills at Orbit TVET College.

“The launch of this programme is the first one in South Africa, and also the first one on the continent, and we look forward to extending the AI for Future Workforce programme to all other colleges.

“Starting here [at Orbit] presents great potential to go to all colleges in South Africa and spread across the continent.”

The AI for Future Workforce initiative has already been rolled out in other parts of the world and forms part of the Intel Digital Readiness programmes.

Targeted at vocational college students, it aims to empower them with critically-needed job skills in the field of AI, with courses on data collection, computer vision, AI model training, coding, societal impacts, ethics of AI technology and more.

Students who successfully finish the courses will get a certificate of completion, according to Intel.

Tichelman said through the programme, South Africa can start training the next generation of future technologists and innovators, who will contribute to president Cyril Ramaphosa's fourth industrial revolution mandate.

“Technology has never been more important for humanity and is driving the need for more computing and uspkilling.”

Detailing the programme’s origins, Dr Nick Balkrishen, regional manager for TVET and CET colleges in North West and Mpumalanga, said he had two colleges in mind that would kickstart it, but it was Orbit TVET College that was eager to run with it.

“The Intel TVET AI programme has been rolled out across the entire globe – it is also in the US, the UK and India, but it is the first initiative in Africa, at a South African TVET college.

“Its state-of-the art AI training centre was also set up and this was completely funded by Intel.

“Already, Intel has trained 12 trainers (at an international standard), trained by Intel officials and facilitators from all over the world. From the 12, two have already been poached by industry.”

To date, more than 300 students – those in their final-year of their TVET programmes – have already been trained, Balkrishen revealed. “It’s an appetiser AI course, providing a broad overview of what artificial intelligence is. Obviously, there are various other steps of the training programme and we feel this will empower them [students] greatly. If they are interested in AI and have an eye for AI, then they will take all the other steps in the training programme that are being offered.

“As a region, we want to extend this programme to the six TVET colleges in the region. It’s starting out at Orbit, but we want to extend it to the other five – we want all of our colleges and all of our students to benefit.”

Tichelman added: “We want to make sure we equip the future workforce with the technical confidence to learn and apply these AI skills.

“Participants will gain practical skills – we are talking about programming and coding, algorithm and computational thinking, social skills, AI ethics, critical thinking, problemsolving, systems mapping and solution building.”

Higher education and training directorgeneral Dr Nkosinathi Sishi commented that 1.1 million students are in the country’s postschool sector.

However, the department is concerned that only 126 000 are registered in areas or courses that are of scarce skills, he stated.

“The rest of those students are registered in courses and programmes that – even after they graduate – they’re going to join the long queue of unemployment.

“It is therefore important to understand that our emphasis as a department is in the highpriority skills areas. Critical skills and skills in high-demand are important to us.”

From left: Higher education DG Dr Nkosinathi Sishi; Intel VP Maurits Tichelman; and Dika Mokoena, principal at Orbit. (Photo by Lesley Moyo)

The Intel AI laboratory opened at Orbit TVET College. (Photo by Lesley Moyo)

Dr Nkosinathi Sishi, higher education and training DG, and Maurits Tichelman, Intel VP sales and marketing and GM for EMEA territories. (Photo by Lesley Moyo)