Top ranked South African university launches new course offering: coding bootcamps

Southern Africa’s largest tech education provider is partnering with Stellenbosch University to future-proof careers

Globally, 44% of people working in non-tech occupations have pivoted into tech jobs¹. This figure is set to further increase as the career landscape evolves and automation makes some work redundant². “Locally, with vacancy volumes reflecting growing demand for tech professionals³, coupled with tech skills featuring prominently on the country’s critical skills list⁴, South African working professionals should consider making a change now to future-proof their careers,” says Riaz Moola, Founder and CEO of HyperionDev, southern Africa’s largest tech education provider.

To equip South Africans with the skills needed to make the career move to tech, HyperionDev has partnered with Stellenbosch University’s School for Data Science and Computational Thinking in providing bootcamps in Data Science, Web Development and Software Engineering.

The School’s Director, Prof Kanshukan Rajaratnam, explains that these bootcamps form part of the institution’s mandate to build capacity in data science and computational thinking through education and training. “Given the ubiquitous nature of data and technology, today’s learners need to position themselves to take advantage of opportunities that will present themselves in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is for this reason that we have partnered with HyperionDev to accelerate what learners and the School can achieve.”

He adds that by working together, Stellenbosch University and HyperionDev are able to teach students tech skills as they are being introduced in the industry and as a result, meet employer demand.

“Coding bootcamps are considered the quickest and most efficient way to adopt tech skills and speed up the time it takes to switch careers since qualifications are earned in between three to six months,” shares Moola. “Typically, those who participate in bootcamps are able to change jobs within three months and emerge with an average annual salary increase of R44,148.00.”

He also points out that, since obtaining a traditional university degree cannot be juggled with a full-time job, the partnership means that those who are already working now have an opportunity to gain these skills and alter their career path.

Starting in October 2022, each online bootcamp will equip students with the theoretical knowledge and practical experience required for 21^stcentury careers:

The Software Engineer Bootcamp is structured to include training in Python, Object-Oriented Programming, and Natural Language Processing (NLP). These skills enable graduates to work with software, hardware and other computer systems in a wide range of industries and jobs.

The Data Scientist Bootcamp teaches popular programming languages such as Python, scikit-learn, NumPhy, Matplotlib, and pandas, in addition to the fundamental concepts of machine learning and AI.

The Full Stack Web Developer Bootcamp offers coaching in both front- and back-end web development including HTML, CSS, React, JavaScript, and the MERN stack, amongst others. Competency in these areas can be used to launch a multi-role developer career, allowing graduates to work in a variety of jobs.

Moola notes that for many potential students, financing studies presents a huge challenge. “However, HyperionDev will offer access to study loans, a partial needs-based scholarship, payment plans, or discretionary discounts. After all, everyone should have access to quality education to increase their chances of employment both now and in the future.”

“There has never been a better time to gain these skills to participate in the future of technology!” concludes Prof Rajaratnam.

For more info on the partnership please see full video HERE.

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