Google has partnered with Pluralsight, an online platform that offers tech-related courses, to sponsor 30,000 aspiring programmers from Africa. With the help of the Andela Learning Community, the lucky learners will receive training in mobile web development, Android development and Google Cloud.
The best part? You don’t necessarily have to have any coding experience, with the only requirements being that you’re from an African country (check) and are over 18 years of age (hopefully check). You’ll also need a decent internet connection, because the courses are all done on the web.
Upon completion of the courses, you’ll have the option to write the Google certification exams. The sponsorship does not, however, include the fees needed to complete these exams, but you’ll have the foundation to be able to complete them. This’ll allow you to take the Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE), Mobile Web Specialist (MWS), or Associate Android Developer (AAD) exams. Certified by the one and only Google.
Some students may qualify for grants to take those exams (which normally cost in the region of R2,000) for mahala. There is also the possibility of joining Andela as a software engineer if you wish. And they hire you, we guess.
Applications for the three courses are open now and will close on 15 May. You’ll need to do an assessment test via Google training partner Pluralsight, but apparently criteria for selection is based on ‘first come, first serve, most content viewed and highest Skill IQ’. The Skill IQ is generated when you take the assessment test, so bring your A-game. So make sure to click this link, quick.
