Samsung and the Walter Sisulu University launch the Samsung Innovation Campus to contribute to SA’s Youth Employment and 4IR Agenda

Samsung and the Walter Sisulu University launch the Samsung Innovation Campus to contribute to SA’s Youth Employment and 4IR Agenda

Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and Samsung South Africa recently launched the WSU-Samsung Innovation Campus in a bid to boost youth employment in the technology sector. WSU and Samsung fostered this twinning agreement through the Centre for Entrepreneurship Rapid Incubator (CfERI) to coach the WSU student community on the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) skills. Since it is the WSU norm to form partnerships with various organisations, through the Directorate For Short learning programmes (DSLP) – WSU forged to embark on this strategic partnership with Samsung.

Dr Thobekani Lose at WSU says: “This partnership came as a result of various engagements, a sealed deal and a signed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between WSU and Samsung. This WSU-Samsung Innovation Campus is one of its kind in South Africa and is a flagship partnership with Samsung to contribute to the national imperative of creating work-ready employable students.”

An initial cohort of 21 students was inducted to kick-start the programme, whose main objective is to target the youth who are within the university and develop their 4IR skills and empower them as future technological entrepreneurs. The WSU-Samsung Innovation Campus will offer basic coding and programming education in the first year of this agreement.

Samsung believes that young people are the leaders of the future. And while the future might be full of challenges and uncertainties, education is what allows youth to realise their full potential and prepare themselves to keep moving forward with confidence. Well aware of the great importance of education, Samsung works to equip young people with the skills and knowledge they will need to build a better world. Through its global Samsung Innovation Campus initiative, Samsung is committed to empowering the leaders of tomorrow and equipping them with the tools they will need to realise meaningful change.

Hlubi Shivanda, Director: Business Operations and Innovation and Corporate Affairs at Samsung South Africa says: As Samsung, we are very firm in our belief that every young person deserves quality education regardless of their background, gender, ability, or personal circumstances. Over the years – through partnerships such as the WSU-Samsung Innovation Campus – we have empowered a countless number of young people to slowly but steadily contribute towards positive change in their societies and the country’s economy at large. This partnership with WSU is therefore no different – our commitment to empowering the youth and contribute to the country’s 4IR and employment goals remains.”