WeThinkCode_ is seeking small and medium company partners to join its SME Placement Programme, which places its students as interns in partner companies during their work placement period.
The Programme is aimed specifically at SMEs that need skilled junior software developers who can assist in house technical staff during two work placements. An added advantage is that partner companies have first option to hire graduates on completion of their studies.
Students enter the SME Placement Programme with their tuition fees, valued at R100 000 per learner, already sponsored. All the SME partner companies have to pay is the internship stipend.
The programme is a win-win for both the SME, which need additional resources for their digital projects and the students, who need vital on the job experience,” says Nyari Samushonga, CEO of WeThinkCode_.
Certain conditions apply: partners need to be registered companies with 250 or fewer employees and turnover of under R85-million a year. Partner companies must also have a senior technical resource to support the students. There are two internship periods during the course, namely three months from March to May of 2021 and four months from February to May, 2022. The stipulated internship stipend is R7 000 per month.
The skill sets that a WeThinkCode_ intern brings to the business will enable them to add value, for example, in the following areas:
• Working with the existing software development teams to enhance and extend existing custom software, particularly if you have Python or Java codebases;
• Extend or write tests for your codebase;
• Write documentation;
• Investigate and experiment with new tools and technologies that the existing team may not have the capacity to do.
The students should be matched with a senior tech person in the company. Continuous learning is encouraged, with the peer-to-peer, practical, pedagogy ensuring that students are primed to pick up new programming languages quickly.
Full time employment for the current group of students begins on 1 June, 2022 and hosting SME partners have first right to hire on a minimum one year commitment after the student’s graduation at the end of the programme.
Each year, WeThinkCode_ trains 300 talented young South Africans to become highly skilled software developers in a two-year programme and the internship phases are an essential part of the course.
“We are all about finding top talent, no matter where they are from or what they have done before. Our course is completely cost-free to students, no prior coding experience is required and a Matric is optional,” Samushonga says.
“We work closely with big players in the tech industry, many of whom are corporate sponsors and fund the programmes. In this way, WeThinkCode_ ensures that the training offered is up-to-the-minute by using cutting-edge technologies that solve today’s problems. The approach to facilitating the learning experience is dynamic and future-forward,” she adds.
WeThinkCode_ has an enviable record of success in training software programmers. “Our junior software developers have a 98% graduate employment rate, with our alumni working in more than 55 leading South African businesses at present.
This SME Placement Programme is a unique opportunity to bring highly skilled junior software developers into your business while at the same time providing an essential internship environment that will ensure their eventual success. This is a unique, dynamic synergy of learning, job creation and value-add now. It’s a win-win!” Samushonga concludes.
Applications for interns close on 30 November 2020 on a first-come-first-serve basis. The matching process will kick off in December 2020 with interviews held in January, 2021. The first round of work placement will be from 1 March, 2021 to 31 May, 2021, the second round from 1 February, 2022 to 31 May, 2022. Full-time employment begins on 1 June, 2022.
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