“Our intention as the government is to remove as many barriers as possible and enable young people to fulfil their dreams and career aspirations. We, therefore, encourage them to take up these opportunities,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said on Tuesday.

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The National Electronic Media Institute of SA (NEMISA), a digital skill training institute entity of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, will coordinate and facilitate the registration process for these courses.

“The collaboration is in line with the Minister’s commitment at her 2018 Budget Vote Speech, to train one million people in data science and related skills, to ensure that they take up opportunities presented by new digital technologies,” the Ministry said. The Minister emphasised the importance of young people acquiring digital skills as they are imperative for achieving inclusion in the digital economy.

The Ministry said this partnership has the prospects of equipping young people with the required skills in this digital era. The free courses include, among others, data science; coding; app development; digital marketing and artificial intelligence.

The duration of the courses range between four and eight weeks. Grade 12 is desirable but not an essential requirement.

Familiarity with the internet and digital literacy are essential criteria.

The details for registration can be found at www.nemisa.co.za/recruitment.