It is indeed a great honour and a privilege to be here tonight in the presence of these young achievers in the information and communication technology (ICT) and engineering sector. I believe that you are all happy as this marks a very important milestone in your lives. A very special welcome to each and every one of you!

 

Programme director, I wish to recognise the efforts of The Innovation Hub, its contributions to the national skills development programme and of course, its work in improving ICT and engineering skills so that a greater number of South Africans become more active participants in the economic growth of our country. 

 

Today we celebrate the amazing class of 2013. Congratulations to each one of you! You represent the future of our province. Because of you development in ICT and engineering in Gauteng will make the province more competitive and a leading smart province. In the wise words of the late former president of South Africa, Utata Rolihlanhla Nelson Mandela, “Young people must take it upon themselves to ensure that they receive the highest education possible so that they can represent us well in future as future leaders.” His words serve as a beacon to guide us as we work towards moving our country forward”.

 

Programme director, during her 2013/14 State of the Province Address, our Premier Nomvula Mokonyane indicated that Youth unemployment remains one of our most critical and urgent challenges.  One of the ways in which we are addressing this is through effective skills development coupled with workplace experience, placement in sustainable jobs and the promotion of youth entrepreneurship. She announced that, the year ahead, working in collaboration with business and SETAs, we will ensure that a further 6,500 young people are placed in learnerships, internships and in the workplace to gain experiential learning. 

 

Through the Coachlab™ programme, we are able to create effective skills development that is coupled with workplace experience. Coachlab™ facilitates the placement of young people in sustainable jobs and promotes entrepreneurship amongst our youth. 

 

To date, the programme has supported a total of 258 postgraduate students, most of whom are now very successful in industry. The impact of this programme has been so evident in that when the graduates are employed in industry, they are well ahead of their peers in terms of industry knowledge; the ability to handle work pressure and in delivering quality work. 

 

Coachlab™ is funded by both private and public sector industry partners who use the programme as an opportunity to train graduates to employ in their core businesses. Students are exposed to innovation while they work on real industry projects. This gives them an edge as they transition from tertiary education into work. 

 

I am thrilled to be able to share with you two of our success stories this year. The students participated in the shared projects that are designed to contribute to the upliftment of communities whilst teaching them the principles and practices of project implementation and management. Some of the concepts that the students have participated in includes the Smart ID system for the Department of Home Affairs in 2008. The smart ID was eventually adopted by the Department of Home Affairs and is now being implemented.  Again in 2013/14, the CoachLab@HUB students developed a queue management system prototype for public hospitals and the CoachLab@JCSE students developed an automated system that will replace the current systems in use by the Gauteng Forensic Pathology Services. Their task was to provide the mortuary with the web based application that captures data about unnatural death incidents and body files including a post mortem and release of the body. The captured data is then stored in a database from which reports can be generated. 

 

I am also pleased to announce that the success of this (Coachlab™) programme has resulted in the launch of CoachLab™ programme in Vanderbijl-Park, at the North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus on 26 February 2014. Already, this third programme is having an intake of 10 postgraduate students with degrees in Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

 

We express our gratitude to MICT-SETA (Media, Information, Communication, Technologies – Sector Education & Training Auhority), the Jobs Fund who has been a valuable partner, as well as all of Coachlab’s industry partners. Without you, this programme would still be but a dream. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the Jobs Fund for funding the programme In 2013/14; this funding has enabled us to increase student participation from 31 to 70.

 

To our sponsors, I believe that your contribution and investment has been invaluable. The sons and daughters, whom you have helped produce here today, can hold their heads high as they proclaim, without fear and contradictions, that they came, they saw and conquered.

 

Programme director, this project is exciting for so many reasons. The successful collaboration between the private sector, academic institutions, MICT SETA and the Gauteng government is an illustration of what can be achieved when we set out to work together. When we launched Coachlab™ in 2001, it was in partnership with just one academic institution and one private sector partner. Today, we are proud of the calibre of the six institutions and 10 industry partners that are part of the Coachlab™ programme. 

 

It is through this partnership and a number of other initiatives of the Gauteng provincial government that we will be able to realize our ambition of halving unemployment and poverty so that we can substantially eradicate socio-economic inequalities. We look to you in a spirit of partnership, to work with us in order to achieve these goals and contribute to the betterment and upliftment of the South African citizens. 

 

The ICT companies which have partnered with us on the Coachlab™ programme have recognized the mutual benefits of their participation. I challenge other ICT companies in the province to join us and become active participants in achieving Gauteng’s knowledge economy.

 

To our graduates, who are about to receive their certificates, I trust that the skills you have acquired on this programme will assist you in building your careers and that you will assist us in building a strong economy in Gauteng. Whether you search for your job opportunities, or if you have decided to be an entrepreneur, remember that you are an important role player, that the field of ICT and Engineering are important and be proud of your achievements and the contribution of this programme in your career.

 

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, congratulations to all our graduates, I wish you well in your future endeavors. Coachlab™ programme has given you strong wings.  It is now up to you to fly high, go out there and make us proud!

 

I thank you