Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 27 | Page 9

NEWS Oracle prepares South African youth for Fourth Industrial Revolution be tied to the Fourth Industrial Revolution or we risk our country becoming uncompetitive and irrelevant both locally and globally. “By developing the hard and soft skills needed to succeed in the digital world, we are creating a future skills pipeline for Oracle and the wider ICT community.” The programme is spread over one year and offers a blended learning approach, combining classroom training with e-learning and structured on-the-job training. A total of 21 previously disadvantaged South African students have completed the Oracle Graduate Leadership Programme A total of 21 previously disadvantaged South African students have completed the Oracle Graduate Leadership Programme. Now in its fifth year, the programme focuses on equipping PDI students with specialised IT and leadership skills that prepare them for a career in the IT industry. “Every year our programme takes in previously disadvantaged graduates to address the critical skills shortage in our industry,” said Niral Patel, Managing Director and Technology Leader for Oracle South Africa. “Any drive towards closing the skills gap and addressing unemployment should “Before we start training these youngsters, we ask our partners and customers what they need and then build a programme that provides the right skills, relevant for the market,” added Patel. “This actively and strategically closes the skills gap all the while providing much needed employment.” ///////////////// Wyzetalk named Best Digital Company at Africa Tech Week Awards W yzetalk, an employee engagement company that has built its own patented mobile, USSD and app technology solution, enabling businesses to connect and communicate effectively and efficiently with their workforces including non-desk workers, has been named Best Digital Company at this year’s Africa Tech Week. The event, which took place in Cape Town, brought together business leaders who are influencing technological change in South Africa and disrupting the status quo across all industries. Wyzetalk was also nominated as a finalist in the Technology Company of the Year category. “We set out to create something purposeful and highly valued that delivers real results,” said Gys Kappers, CEO of Wyzetalk. www.intelligentcio.com Meanwhile, a South African based Artificial Intelligence software and solutions veteran and founder of Cortex Logic, also picked up a top accolade. Dr Jacques Ludik holds a PhD in Computer Science and has amassed 25 plus years’ experience in the study and exploitation of AI and Data Science in real world applications. Ludik was formally a founder of Bennit AI, Mosaic, SynerG and CSense Systems, the latter being Africa’s first AI company sold to General Electric in 2011. During his career, Ludik has published a wide range of papers on AI, Advanced Analytics, Machine Learning and Data Science and is a big supporter of AI for social good. He is currently Founder and CEO of Cortex Logic and Founder and President of the Machine Intelligence Institute of Africa (MIIA). Gys Kappers, CEO of Wyzetalk INTELLIGENTCIO 9