Software development academy WeThinkCode has introduced two new electives – data engineering and cloud computing – to its 2024 curriculum, following a strategic partnership with the Jobs Fund.

According to the academy, in today’s competitive business landscape, finding tech talent with the right blend of expertise and practical experience is a persistent challenge for CTOs, CIOs and business leaders. It has now introduced the two electives to bridge this gap.

Launched this September and running until December, these electives are designed to equip the next generation of tech professionals with specialised skills that align with the specific needs of businesses across various sectors, says WeThinkCode.

The Jobs Fund supported the development of these new offerings, as well as enhancing the assessments within existing electives, ensuring students are rigorously evaluated on their ability to apply these skills in real-world scenarios, says the academy.

“Our new electives are designed with business needs in mind,” says Sethu Komani, chief commercial officer at WeThinkCode.

“The partnership with the Jobs Fund has been instrumental in bringing these programmes to life, allowing us to provide more comprehensive and industry-aligned training. By collaborating with industry leaders like Spatial Edge and AWS partner Koedr, we’re ensuring our graduates are not just technically proficient, but also industry-ready, with hands-on experience that goes beyond the theoretical.”

The academy points out that the difficulty in locally sourcing skilled talent capable of driving innovation and maintaining competitive advantage is well-known for business decision-makers.

WeThinkCode says it is tackling this issue head-on with the introduction of electives that target critical areas like data engineering and cloud computing.

It believes these skills are essential for businesses looking to leverage big data for strategic decision-making and implement scalable, cloud-based solutions.

WeThinkCode notes the data engineering elective, developed in partnership with Spatial Edge, is designed to equip students with the skills needed to build and manage advanced data architectures, enabling organisations to make data-driven decisions.

The cloud computing elective, designed in collaboration with Koedr, an Amazon Web Services partner, empowers students to design, implement and manage cutting-edge cloud solutions that support advanced computing strategies, it adds.

“As with the data engineering elective, the cloud computing elective culminates in a Capstone Project, where students demonstrate their ability to design and deploy robust cloud solutions tailored to business needs,” says Herman Lintvelt, chief 

“Our emphasis on continuous learning and specialisation ensures our graduates remain adaptable in a rapidly-changing tech landscape. We are empowering the next generation of South African tech professionals to drive success in your business. For CTOs and CIOs, this means gaining access to a talent pool that is not only equipped with the latest technical skills but also possesses the ability to stay ahead of industry trends.”

Source: IT Web