In the coming weeks, more than 200 students will graduate from the Samsung Engineering Academy in Kenya, a private learning institution that aims to train and develop engineers in Kenya, South Africa, and Nigeria.
The program began in 2011, and Samsung aims to successfully train 10,000 engineers on the African continent by 2015. The program provides hands-on, vocational training for students in grades ten through 12. Such a development program will aid many to obtain skilled, well-paying jobs. It should also have lasting impacts on the nation’s infrastructure and technological advancement.
The program lasts for a single intensive year, teaching basic to advanced engineering skills, usually designed to accord with future studies at a corresponding technical school. Some students obtain internships at Samsung or Samsung’s Channel partners. Individuals who are particularly talented are offered a year-long learnership opportunity at Samsung’s headquarters in S. Korea as part of the 100 African young leaders program.
Trainees are comprehensively prepared to repair and service a variety of digital consumer electronic appliances, such as LCD TVs, smartphones, refrigerators, air conditioners, and laptops.
Samsung Electronics East Africa Service Business Leader, Koki Muia, expressed the company’s interests, saying, ”Given our current growth rate in Kenya and across the region, Samsung is deliberately developing a pool of skilled technicians and exclusive service experts to handle growing demand… The development and training of qualified electronic technicians who can meet contemporary demands also helps to align Samsung Electronics East Africa corporate goals to the overall Vision 2030 National Economic targets.”
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