Zoho, a global technology company, has announced new initiatives aimed at enhancing digital skills among South African youth. The announcements were made during Zoholics South Africa, Zoho’s annual user conference.
Zoho is collaborating with BabesGotBytes and CodeTelligence to provide comprehensive training programs for young people and women, preparing them for employment in the tech industry. This move is part of Zoho’s strategy to grow its presence in South Africa while contributing positively to the local community.
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Empowering women through BabesGotBytes
Zoho and BabesGotBytes are launching a one-year boot camp to train over 40 women and girls in digital skills. This program will cover digital literacy, website and mobile app development, UI/UX design, SQL, and more. Participants will work on hands-on projects, receive mentorship, and access various resources to help them become job-ready.
Phindiwe Nqanqaru, Co-founder and Director of Operations at BabesGotBytes, said, “Our partnership with Zoho is about more than just technical training. We aim to foster creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, addressing both the skills gap and gender gap in tech.”
Supporting youth with CodeTelligence
Zoho’s partnership with CodeTelligence focuses on training 36 young individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The six-month boot camp will cover end-user computing, UI/UX design, office administration, and data science. After the boot camp, students will receive an additional six months of coaching to help them enter the workforce.
Keoikantse Tsholo Botlholo, Founder and CEO of CodeTelligence, expressed excitement about the collaboration, highlighting the aim to equip students with essential skills for the digital age.
Earlier this year, Zoho also conducted “train the trainer” sessions for teachers at CodeTelligence to help them use Zoho Creator, a low-code app development platform. These teachers will now train their students to build applications that address real-life business problems.
Zoho’s Continued Growth in South Africa
Since starting operations in South Africa in 2019, Zoho has seen significant growth. The company’s local workforce expanded by 86% last year, and its partner network grew by 39% in 2023. Zoho attributes its success to the widespread use of its products like Zoho One, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Books, which help businesses streamline operations and enhance customer experiences.
Andrew Bourne, Regional Head of Zoho Africa, emphasized the importance of these initiatives in providing educational opportunities and driving equality through technology.
Zoho’s efforts in South Africa are part of broader upskilling initiatives across the African continent, including partnerships in Kenya and Nigeria aimed at promoting digital literacy and empowering women in tech.
