As a Group committed to the empowerment of youths in Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Holdings, a member of Standard Bank Group, has kicked off the Digital Skills Empowerment Programme (DiSEP).
The initiative was introduced to bridge the huge tech gap in the ecosystem and avail participants with competitive advantage in the global workforce.
The programme kicked off via a virtual opening ceremony on 23 October 2021 with 221 young Nigerians in attendance.
DiSEP will run for a duration of three months, with the first tranche scheduled to run from October 2021to January 2022.A comprehensive induction session and five global in-depth courses have been included in the programmethat will lead to the following top professional certifications in emerging technology – MS Certified Azure Database Administrator, IBM Applied AI Professional Certificate, IBM Cybersecurity Analyst ProfessionalCertificate, Google Certified Associate Android Developer, and AWS Certified Associate Developer.
Funke Amobi, Country Head, People and Culture at Stanbic IBTC in her opening speech stated that “DiSEP is geared towards equipping the right candidates with the appropriate skills to excel in this digital era and ultimately prepare them for the future of work.”
Amobi also said, “With our rigorous selection process, we were able to come up with diverse pool of talents from all over Nigeria”. She further added, “these talents will go through a globally certified process, fully supported and guided by professionals who will transfer the required knowledge and prepare them for the certification exam which would be fully funded by Stanbic IBTC.
“DiSEP further iterates our commitment to youth empowerment in Nigeria, with a focus on closing the gaps in youth employability. Accordingly, we are committed to strategic innovative initiatives like this that will create the next level of tech experts who will change the technology narrative in Nigeria”, she added.
Dr Demola Sogunle, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, stated in his opening remark that the digital talent initiative formed part of the organisation’s commitment to drive rapid digital technology transformation in the workplace and Nigeria’s economic ecosystem. Heemphasisedthat the unique opportunity had been designed deliberately to allow young people to become equipped with the right skill set to compete globally, and to ensure sustainable economic growth in Nigeria.
“As a forward-thinking financial organisation driven by technological innovation, we are geared to contribute towards innovative skills acquisition that will disrupt the workplace and reposition the economy in the coming years. We have found it necessary to equip a pool of young talents with world-class tech skills to provide cutting-edge solutions that meet the needs created by emerging tech trends”, he said.
He added, “Stanbic IBTC is committed to strategic initiatives such as DISEP which will create the next tech experts to change the technology narrative in Nigeria. To this end, we have partnered with distinguished tech experts to take the candidates on intensive trainings to build their capabilities and broaden their knowledge in digital technology to make them fit-for-hire as future Stanbic IBTC digital talents.”
He further elaborated that the initiative was a testament to the organisation’s efforts and commitment to drive youth empowerment which would in the long run be of immense benefit the nation.
Adedoyin Odunfa, Managing Director, Digital Jewels, Stanbic IBTC’s technical partner for DiSEP expressed how delighted the Afro-centric IT consulting and capacity building firmwas to be a part of the transformational initiative by Stanbic IBTC. She urged the successful candidates to take advantage of the unique opportunity they have been granted.
Odunfa said, “The skills deficit in the country is a source of grave concern. Without any doubt, IT skills are fundamental to digital transformation which is increasingly a prerequisite to compete in the business world, nationally, regionally, and globally. This programme will positively impact the ecosystem and go a long way to counter the brain drain and facilitate our much-needed digital transformation”.
“We are glad that Stanbic IBTC has gallantly risen to the challenge with the Digital Skills Empowerment Programme (DiSEP) to train youths with employability skills, not just for itself but also for the market, and we are excited to have been selected as the execution partner responsible for the entire program alongside nurturing the talents to realize their full potential”, she added.
