By Anna Chinyoyo, Program Associate.
The University Outreach Program that launched on the 7th of August is kickstarting student registrations. In Partnership with the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF), Smart Lab aims to ensure university students are equipped with the necessary business skills to enter the career world.
We are delighted to announce that the University Outreach Program registrations open from the 7th to the 30th of September. It's an excellent opportunity for University students to take computer science, engineering, and those passionate about technology to grow in their careers and prepare for the job market.
Unemployment in Tanzania remains to be a challenge, especially during a pandemic crisis. The gaps are a job-skills mismatch, ineffective career guidance, lack of confidence, poor communication skills, and lack of awareness of leveraging technology to scale into successful companies. The University Outreach program focuses on bridging these gaps by developing a capacity building program that is not only going to make the graduates right enough employees but also creates innovative solutions that are going to transform our society.
In response to the graduate's unemployment challenge, the University Outreach Program will include various training sessions beginning with soft skills training. Most students learn all the technical skills they need but lack soft skills that are quite essential for the workplace; hence it becomes hard for them to bring their best. The training will create professional individuals who are self-aware and the skills to work in teams and deliver the best results effectively.
The program will also have project management training, which is among the essential skills for graduates when approaching the job market. The training will prepare University students to handle projects effectively in the workplace. Project management skills encompass a wide variety of management skills, including time management, scheduling, budgeting, and resource management. Employers look for these skills when recruiting; furthermore, students need to equip themselves with them before approaching the job market. It is also quite essential to have project management skills before starting a business. The Smart Lab's vision for this program is to create exceptional employees and innovators; this training will significantly benefit students.
The program will also include Human-Centered Design Thinking. When creating transformative ideas, one needs to have this knowledge. It gives them a mindset and approach to solving complex problems. The program aims to generate innovators that will develop solutions that suit the users and build-up our society. The human-centered design thinking will end with hackathons. Students will get to work on real-world corporate problems and come up with impactful solutions. It's an opportunity for the students to meet key corporate management and learn the gaps they have in their businesses to get the picture of what employers want in the candidates of their professions when it comes to execution of projects.
The program will end with a career fair that will bring corporates from diverse industries to recruit, inspire, and connect with graduates. Students will get highlights on what employers are looking for in future employees; they will go through mock interviews with actual employers to get the experience firsthand.
Smart Lab and HDIF hope to impact over 400 students with this program. This is an initiative to enhance students' skills and create great innovators that will transform the economy of Tanzania and solve the problems in our society with the use of technology.
If you want to know about the program or want to apply, click here.
Smart Lab is an innovation platform that links learning institutions with corporate partners to empower groundbreaking solutions that will impact communities.