South Africa seeks tech gurus for BRICS challenge

The SA BRICS Business Council has just announced its search for South Africa’s most talented emerging tech professionals to represent the country in the highly anticipated BRICS Future Skills Challenge.

This year’s future skills Olympics will focus on tackling energy, water, and health-related issues faced by the BRICS nations, including South Africa, Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

Scheduled to take place from 12 to 15 September 2023, the BRICS Future Skills Challenge will be hosted both in-person and virtually in Johannesburg, South Africa. With hundreds of participants expected, the council aims to select 120 individuals from South Africa, covering their travel expenses. The chosen participants will work alongside subject experts to solve real-world problems within their respective skill areas.

Eligible applicants include university and TVET college students, as well as professionals aged between 16 and 35. Participants will have the opportunity to compete against their counterparts from the other BRICS countries, either individually or as part of a team.

Joanne Brink, founder of TechWays and project lead at BRICS Future Skills, emphasised the extensive benefits of participating in the challenge. She highlighted that selected individuals would receive training, exposure to real-world case studies, and an international experience to enhance their CVs.

Furthermore, participants will be awarded certificates and have the chance to benchmark their skills globally. Outstanding performers will also have opportunities to connect with potential employers and gain recognition as top talents in South Africa.

Brink stated, “The competition will not only showcase the skills of our tech professionals but also help identify areas where there is a skills deficit. This knowledge will guide us in focusing our efforts to build a pipeline of future tech skills in South Africa.”

To prepare participants, training sessions will be conducted on Saturdays throughout August via webinar, led by industry experts. The competition will feature several skill categories, including aircraft maintenance, Agri IOT, building information modelling, cyber security, data science, digital twin, drones, internet marketing, manufacturing robotics, mobile app development, renewable energy, and robotic process automation.

Interested individuals can apply for the BRICS Future Skills Challenge at www.bricsfutureskills.co.za until 30 June 2023. Additional details about the competition can be found in the provided video.

READ NEXT: Sehr gut! AfricArena announces first Berlin summit