[Testimonials] Samsung EEIP Programme: Designed to Make A Positive Contribution to Socio-Economic Development in SA

In the last few years, Samsung’s R280-million worth Equity Equivalent Investment Programme (EEIP) has made a considerable difference to socio-economic development in South Africa. This EEIP Programme which includes the Future-Innovation Lab (FIL) in partnership with the University of the Western Cape (UWC) – provide more than just skills to the country’s youth; they are a catalyst for personal and professional transformation.

In 2019, Samsung in collaboration with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) launched this EEIP initiative which was formulated specifically to address some of government’s priorities as well as Information and Communication Technology (ICT) challenges faced by South African youth from underprivileged communities.

Through strategic public, private partnerships (PPPs) with various institutions of higher learning, government and the private sector; Samsung’s EEIP programme has over the years managed to make a tangible impact in the lives of the youth in the country. The FIL at UWC in particular, is now a driving force in South Africa’s digital transformation agenda. Established in 2019 through a multi-year partnership with Samsung, the FIL creates pathways for young people to thrive in the digital economy through cutting-edge training, applied research and inclusive innovation.

The FIL equips students not only with strong foundations in software development and digital social innovation, but also with the advanced skills needed for emerging careers in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data-driven software development. Through its work-integrated learning streams and close collaboration with industry, the FIL ensures graduates are job-ready for the rapidly evolving AI and technology landscape.

A large number of young individuals who were part of Samsung’s EEIP programme across the country have now been able to overcome challenges, secure meaningful employment and drive positive change within their communities. In an effort to show evidence of these tangible results from individuals who were impacted specifically by the FIL programme at UWC; Samsung is now bringing testimonial stories that are highlighting the journeys of the participants as well as their personal growth achieved through this programme:

Buhle Mcetywa, a 23-year old student from UWC says she found out about the EEIP software development (SWD) programme through the institution’s notice emails and applied. She had heard of it before through her professor while pursuing her degree in Chemical Sciences and decided to take part in this EEIP programme, namely the Multi-platform software development with an emphasis on C#, six (6) months after completing her degree. She went from not being able to write a line of code to being part of a team that built a gardening application incorporating an AI model for disease detection.

She added: “I gained a lot of experience from the programme and went from being a Chemist student to being able to read and write software in a space of 10 months. The regular presentations during the programme also helped me to become a better public speaker and communicator and now, this is a skill I’m actively working on developing further.”

Luke Padiachy, a 26 year-old who is originally from Eerste River in Cape Town said that his sister was part of the programme before him. Prior to enrolling, he didn’t have any tertiary education – he was just a general worker and about a year or two later, he met two colleagues who were part of the EEIP SWD programme.

He said: “At that time, I had gotten a promotion at work and was asked to train them on our new system. Getting to know them inspired me to apply for the programme as well. Honestly, I never thought I’d get in, but when that acceptance message came through, I was so surprised and excited. It really felt like someone was taking a chance on me and I’m so grateful they did.”

According to Luke, through the programme, he studied Multi-Platform Software Development and Digital Social Innovation for Impact and gained so much from being part of it. He believes that some of the programme’s benefits included access to tons of learning materials and he was introduced to a huge network of people in the tech world. They had guest lecturers like Scott Hanselman, VP Developer Community, Microsoft, and met so many tech influencers that they’d be able to look up when they needed help solving problems.

Luke explained: “The biggest benefit was that the programme helped me land my first tech job at Full Stack in Century City. We started as interns and then, got hired full-time. I learnt project management skills and the basics of coding which I use every day now as a Junior Developer. All of this experience now comes in real handy when I’m working with teams at my job. The programme has also taught us how to think through problems and solve them step by step, which made it so much easier to adapt to the real world of being a developer and, its been an amazing ride since then.”

Nicky Beukes, Samsung SA EEIP Project Manager concluded: “It’s quite satisfying to hear testimonies from the beneficiaries of the EEIP programme. To us, this says that together with our partners – we are achieving the objectives that we set for ourselves when we initially launched the EEIP programme. Together with UWC, this initiative reflects our strategic focus on graduate employability, socially responsive research and it’s strengthening the university’s role in South Africa’s innovation ecosystem. All of this is an affirmation of our commitment to empowering the country’s youth in in-demand skills needed by the local economy.”