Applications open for digital and entrepreneurship skills training

Tech@Work, the joint IOE-Microsoft-Synapse programme to develop digital and entrepreneurship skills, has officially launched.

The Dakar-based Synapse Center, in partnership with Microsoft, the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the Senegalese employer organisation, is now accepting applications for a training programme entitled Tech@Work. The initiative aims to assist young Senegalese with acquiring in-demand skills in digital tools and entrepreneurial expertise, together with support for career development. Tech@Work is open to 5000 participants.

Applicants must be between 16 - 35 years, finished primary school, and have a strong desire to become an entrepreneur or intrapreneur. The duration of the training is nine days to take place in two sessions of 5 and 4 days each. Participants will learn the essentials of digital connectivity, together with introductory courses on widely used collaborative, presentation and data management software. The training will take place in-person at Synapse Center, located in the capital of Senegal.

Senegal is the first phase of the Tech@Work programme which will train 20,000 young people in four African countries – Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Senegal and Uganda.

The Tech@Work initiative is part of a broader effort to scale up programmes to assist people with gaining the skills necessary for today’s digital economy. Leading international organisations estimate that 230 million jobs in Africa will require some level of digital skills by 2030, and that investing in upskilling people now could increase the continent's GDP by $500 billion annually.  

Apply here to take part in Tech(at)Work.