Vodacom Lesotho, via its charity arm Vodacom Lesotho Foundation, has announced a partnership with digital talent transformation platform Udacity to provide 50 Nanodegree program licences, valued at M800 000.

In a statement the MNO said the program licenses will be issued to Basotho between 22 and 35 years of age, and will enable the successful applicants to access material for the most in-demand tech opportunities such as Programming for Data Science with Python and Business Analytics.

“The aim of this new scholarship opportunity, jointly funded by the Vodacom Lesotho Foundation and Udacity, is to bring job-ready educational opportunities to Basotho in the tech sector,” the companies added.

Vodacom Lesotho Foundation’s Board Chairman John Matlosa said, “The critical differentiating factor with Udacity’s Nanodegree programs is that it provides training, education, and experience using in-demand skills that Basotho can develop more quickly compared to education through traditional certification programs. Being part of a technology company, digital career transformation is at the top of our agenda. This collaboration offers an opportunity to help bridge the digital skills gap, offering Basotho youth access to developing much-needed digital skills and thereby increasing their employability and stimulating career growth. We envision that this collaboration will help develop a more representative workforce in Lesotho, particularly in today’s top tech jobs.”

The companies have added that the learning material developed for these courses is designed to incorporate real-world projects which must be completed.

“This gives the learner both theory and practical application of the subject, enabling them to be more ready to enter the workforce and be functionally capable to perform well,” they said.

The courses are aimed at students, regardless of their current role or educational status, who are looking to improve or change their career trajectory. The courses are available online and have flexible accessibility, with 24-hour support from mentors.

The 50 scholarships will cover subjects such as cloud computing, programming, artificial intelligence (AI), and data science and will run over a period of 8 months.

Applications opened on 9 March 2022, and will close on 20 April 2022.