Addis Ababa, Ethiopia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 22, 2022) - Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV) has announced that the organization has received funding from Google as part of the tech giant's initiatives to support diverse African tech talent. A2SV upskills high-potential university students in Africa and connects students with software engineering opportunities at top companies. The program empowers students to work on real-world problems and make meaningful impacts in communities, thus also bridging the access gap between Africa and the tech world.
According to a Korn Ferry report, it is estimated that by 2030, there will be a global shortage of over 85 million tech workers. Another report from the IFC projects that 60% of the population in Africa will be under 24 by 2025 and Africa's internet economy has the potential to grow to $180 billion by 2025. Africa could play a key role in solving the global shortage of tech talent, provided tech students there get the right support, training and job opportunities.
A2SV has a rigorous training program that primes candidates for success in interviews with leading tech companies. This training covers different aspects like algorithms and data structures, soft skills, and experience with real life projects. A2SV partnered with Addis Ababa University to train the first 22-person cohort of students in 2020, and the second 33-person cohort in 2021. After two years, A2SV extended the partnership to Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. Currently, A2SV is training the third 109-person cohort in the two universities, within three groups.
The organization's model has proved to be rewarding. 70% of the students from the first two cohorts (31/44) passed Google internship or full time employment interviews as of October 2022, this is much higher than average. Approximately 89% of these students come from households earning less than $102 per month. They get a chance to earn $6000-9000 per month for three months through a Google internship. This can have a significant impact on their lives.
Google is known for partnering with industry, governments, universities, and employers to help address the shortage of tech talent while supporting underserved communities. In 2017, Google committed to train 10 million Africans in digital skills. So far, the tech giant has certified more than 80,000 developers from Africa and is planning to scale this up by partnering with organizations like A2SV.
Jeff Dean, Lead of Google AI, Google's AI division added, "A2SV's program works with students for a year and gives them additional depth and education in software engineering, algorithms, and working in software teams to build end-to-end products. The students I've met from A2SV are really great, and Google has hired quite a few graduates of the program."
Google's funding to A2SV will allow A2SV to establish a permanent office in Ethiopia and hire more heads of education and a product manager. The goal is to expand A2SV's presence to Ghana and upskill 330 more students in Ethiopia and Ghana over the next two years. The high success rate of A2SV candidates so far means that tech companies such as Google will spend less time and effort on recruitment and get access to a pool of highly trained, industry-ready candidates who have experience with real-life projects.
Commenting on the funding from Google, Emre Varol, Founder & Head of Execution, at A2SV said, "Aspiring software developers in Africa lack access to experienced mentors and job opportunities. Academic education fails to equip them with the skills they need in real-world contexts. We address this gap through our rigorous training program comprising daily classes, bootcamps, and real life projects. We have already received the first tranche of the funding. We will use this to expand our program, recruit more program heads, and provide equipment to our students. Tech companies such as Google get access to a pool of highly talented and skilled candidates, thus making this partnership a win-win situation for both A2SV and Google while supporting the development of the African economy."
About A2SV
A2SV, founded in Ethiopia in 2019, identifies and helps promising engineers to upskill and gain access to mentoring and job opportunities at leading global technological companies. The program is free for students, thus empowering youth who have talent but lack the means to use it.
Media contact:
Name: Emre Varol
Email address: emre@a2sv.org
To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/149013
