Our shift from in-person learning to remote meant a lot of things to a lot of people. For the most part, it meant expanded access to upskilling opportunities for people all over Africa.
In 2020 things were looking shady for a lot of people - including us! There were moments in the peak of lockdown restrictions where we figured the safest decision for us and our community would be to close the Umuzi doors…
Following some (read: copious amounts of) work done by our incredible team, and with support from our network of superhero partners, Umuzi transitioned into a fully remote organization.
This came with some of the biggest wins we’ve seen in all our 12 years, and fundamental shifts in the way we do things.
One of the most important wins is the accessibility of our courses. Since going remote, we’ve been able to reach learners all over South Africa, and through the creation of the African Coding Network, we’re now partnering with a number of international organisations to offer upskilling opportunities for young people all over Africa.
We got to chatting with Umuzi learners about their experiences with remote work.
Originally from Limpopo, Ndzalama took a hold of his success in the remote landscape early by kickstarting his upskilling in JavaScript, and working hard towards his goal of becoming a full-stack JavaScript developer. Ndzalama is currently upskilling in Information Technology at Umuzi, but has also racked up the title of Junior Tech Lead, acting as a mentor to his peers - as he excelled through all aspects of the programme.
““The company I was working for shut down before the end of 2021, and being out of a job, I couldn’t have joined Umuzi at a better time. The only thing I could afford then was to pay my rent, so Umuzi’s support through a stipend, data reimbursement and not having to worry about having money to travel to their premises for upskilling was the best thing I could ever wish for given my situation at the time.””
Nkululeko is someone we would term an ‘interrupted learner’, as he was excluded from completing his university education for financial reasons. Last year, through a partnership with the very same university, the University of Cape Town, we were able to launch the UCT Digital Bootcamp, a fully remote programme with different upskilling opportunities - curated specifically for learners that were not able to complete their studies. A second chance for ‘drop outs’. A raging success. Nkululeko comes from the rural areas of KwaZulu Natal, who came across our programmes online.
““I almost gave up on education, and the saddest story is that I couldn’t find a job. Umuzi’s remote courses came at a time when the picture of the future I had in my mind wasn’t so vivid, but I knew I was hungry for education and employment. Thanks to Umuzi and their partnership with Meta & UCT, I did Marketing Analytics, Social Media Marketing, and Back-End Development, and completed all three courses in record time.””
Nkululeko proceeded to complete a 3 month internship with R-Labs following his upskilling at Umuzi.
Meet Nozuko, an Umuzi Alumnus that was not only able to upskill throughout the Covid Lockdown, but also landed a job as full-time copywriter for creative agency John Brown - while so many young people were stuck at home.
““It was remote but never lonely, and the support was incredible! Our facilitators were full hands on deck.” ”
Introducing Phiwokuhle Gumede, a learner from Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu Natal. During his time at Umuzi he completed Grow with Google Professional Certificates in IT Support & Automation with Python. While upskilling, Phiwokuhle worked as an online learning pathways Support, testing products with the skills he had acquired. On the job training has been at the forefront of all of our programmes.
Prior to joining Umuzi as a learner, Phiwokuhle worked as a customer service agent for Sassa, South Africa’s social security company responsible for distributing social grants. After upskilling in Information Technology and Web Development, Phiwokuhle now works for an American-based company, Quantanite, as a Technical Support Associate.
““Umuzi’s remote nature opened up my mind and helped me understand that there are more opportunities out there.” ”
As we grow as an organisation, we’re learning more and more about the power of storytelling to continue to transform us. Our community is who we are, and belief within it is the movement.
If you’d like to connect with us in anyway, we would love to hear from you.