Absa Bank Uganda has partnered with the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology (UICT) to provide ICT skills training to youth in vocational institutions around the country.

The training is accredited by Amazon Web Services (AWS) following a partnership between AWS, a leading cloud services provider and Absa Group in 2021. Collectively, a total of 500 people will be funded to receive AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification.

“Education and skills development remains a key focus for the bank, with support for youth to access education through various programmes like the Absa Scholarship Programme where 69 students have been awarded scholarships and the ReadytoWork employability initiative where over 1,500 youth in institutions of higher learning have so far been trained for work readiness. As we work towards realising our ambition to be a digitally forward bank, we are passionate about providing youth with the skills they need to remain competitive in an increasingly digital world. Thus, through this partnership, we will enable and fully fund 9 trainers at the institute to provide ICT skills certified by Amazon Web Services to 491 students.” said Mumba Kalifungwa, Managing Director, Absa Bank Uganda.

Dr Fredrick Kitoogo, the Principle the Uganda Institute of Information and Communication Technology, appreciated Absa for the support, which will enhance the delivery of ICT training to students.

“This partnership will enable us to provide globally recognised training and certification to our students, improving their career prospects. The labour market has evolved and requires candidates with relevant digital capabilities, even more so with the government’s focus on vocational training as a solution to the unemployment gap.”

The initiative supplements the bank’s efforts, such as the Absa ReadytoWork Programme to empower young people with the training and tools they need for employment and entrepreneurship in the future workplace.

“It is essential to equip our youth with the full range of skills, knowledge and attitudes being sought after by employers and that they need to be employable. We do this with a demand-led approach, and our initiatives support the development of their technical, vocational, social, and digital skills in line with the requirements of the key growth sectors,” Mumba concluded.