The City of Johannesburg’s Libraries and Information Services (LIS) in collaboration with Microsoft SA and Afrika Tikkun launched digital literacy courses aimed at providing the youth with foundational skills and relevant hard and soft skills needed for in demand tech enabled jobs on 25 October.
The digital skills courses offered are free of charge. After completing a course, the user will receive an industry-recognised certificate from Microsoft. Users can access the courses through the City Libraries website: www.cojelearning.org.za. The courses currently offered include systems administration and software development.
Afrika Tikkun has created a user-friendly learning management system called MzansiDigitalLearning, which hosts Microsoft courses.
“The MzansiDigitalLearning platform is unique because it is available in low resolution, which saves on data costs,” said Kirstern Payga, a representative from Afrika Tikkun.
The digital skills courses launch was attended by enthusiastic young people from Naturena, who took the opportunity to ask questions on how the courses work and how it would benefit them in their entrepreneurial path and careers.
The launch was also attended by Microsoft and Afrika Tikkun representatives who provided information on the courses available and how to navigate the ManziDigitalLearning website. The event was also attended by senior citizens who have started their digital skills journey by learning basic computer skills.
The digital skills launch coincided with global media and information library week, which emphasizes the importance of digital literacy.
“On this day, we encourage libraries and communities to promote and celebrate programmes, and projects, that are advocating for and creating awareness of the importance of digital literacy for lifelong learning, personal development, employability, and entrepreneurship,” said Nobuntu Mpendulo, the Director of the City’s Libraries and Information Services Directorate.
“The youth in the City of Joburg are urged to register and access the free self-paced online courses. Users can access the digital skills courses by using the library free Wi-Fi and computers and on their mobile devices,” Mpendulo added.
