New Collar Skills Program:
We want to embark on a new collar skills program to equip all entrepreneurs with training that will help develop their companies. The first step of this program will be mandatory cloud certifications for all entrepreneurs. This is in line with our vision of creating world-class cloud-enabled companies. Every entrepreneur in the hub will be required to complete a cloud certification before the end of the year.
Skills Development - New Collar Skills
Following our successful establishment in 2014, the hub is well aware of the fundamental changes that are taking place in technology and we strive to ensure our organization is always at the frontier of innovation. Thus, we are taking a more cloud-oriented approach. Entrepreneurs of the Cortex Hub will now direct their focus on deploying and scaling cloud-based solutions. Worldwide public cloud spending by end-user businesses and organizations is expected to grow 18 per cent this year to $304.9 billion, up from $257.5 billion last year. This is a clear indication that companies in the future will be cloud-enabled. As an incubator/accelerator that places an emphasis on building and nurturing future proof companies, we need to spend a significant amount of time giving our entrepreneurs access to new collar skills.
How will we make this a reality?
To make this a reality, the Cortex Hub will begin by training and certifying all our entrepreneurs who take part in our incubation and acceleration program in cloud computing. All entrepreneurs will be required to undergo a cloud or machine learning certification in either Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Web Services or Microsoft Azure. By giving our entrepreneurs access to these certifications, they will be more knowledgeable about deploying their applications on the cloud. One benefit this has is the cost reduction, previously, entrepreneurs would have to spend thousands of dollars purchasing servers to host their applications. But in 2021, this is no longer the case. An entrepreneur can deploy an application to the cloud for less than $100. The biggest challenge entrepreneurs face in South Africa is the lack of skills to do this successfully. This is why we believe a cloud certification for all our entrepreneurs will yield successful results.
The average price for a cloud certification exam is $100 per person. If we are able to assist our entrepreneurs with paying for the exam we believe it can truly help them develop their companies further and open up new opportunities. As the Cortex Hub, we request that the foundation assist us in this regard.
What are the benefits?
Cloud certifications will allow entrepreneurs to deploy their Augmented and Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Cybersecurity, Fintech, Cleantech and Machine Learning solutions at a fraction of the cost. We believe this is one way we can set the Cortex Hub apart from other incubators across the country. In addition to this, AWS has made funding available to startups in South Africa that use their services and have the relevant certifications.
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