Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Jaltech backs solar firm Wetility in R500-million capital raise

      18 June 2025

      MTN CEO edges Vodacom rival in pay stakes – but just barely

      18 June 2025

      Stolen phone? Samsung now buys you an hour to lock it down

      18 June 2025

      New MD for Dell South Africa

      18 June 2025

      How a dowdy database maker became an investor darling

      18 June 2025
    • World

      Trump Mobile dials into politics, profit and patriarchy

      17 June 2025

      Samsung plots health data hub to link users and doctors in real time

      17 June 2025

      Beijing’s chip champions blacklisted by Taiwan

      16 June 2025

      China is behind in AI chips – but for how much longer?

      13 June 2025

      Yahoo tries to make its mail service relevant again

      13 June 2025
    • In-depth

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025

      Digital fortress: We go inside JB5, Teraco’s giant new AI-ready data centre

      30 May 2025

      Sam Altman and Jony Ive’s big bet to out-Apple Apple

      22 May 2025
    • TCS

      TCS+ | AfriGIS’s Helen Hulett on how tech can help resolve South Africa’s water crisis

      18 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E2: South Africa’s digital battlefield

      16 June 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E1: Starlink, BEE and a new leader at Vodacom

      8 June 2025

      TCS+ | The future of mobile money, with MTN’s Kagiso Mothibi

      6 June 2025

      TCS+ | AI is more than hype: Workday execs unpack real human impact

      4 June 2025
    • Opinion

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025

      Beyond the box: why IT distribution depends on real partnerships

      2 June 2025

      South Africa’s next crisis? Being offline in an AI-driven world

      2 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » News » Free internships for SA coders

    Free internships for SA coders

    By Agency Staff28 September 2015
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    code-640

    A Johannesburg academy is aiming to equip self-taught coders with free internships to prepare them for jobs in large corporations.

    “We take people who are self-taught in coding, have a limited working understanding of programming, or may have some tertiary education; and provide them with an opportunity,” said Gary Bannatyne, co-founder of the Digital Academy.

    “It’s possible for our employees to develop a variety of real digital solutions for reputable partners, such as Barclays Africa,” Bannatyne said.

    The organisation, which is based in the Johannesburg CBD, has its next intake on 1 November for a minimum three-month internship aimed at young developers from poor backgrounds.

    Interns will develop a portfolio of work that could see them build skills desired in South African corporations.

    “These young developers are part of the market that corporations and businesses are desperately trying to tap into. They have mass market insights that large corporates don’t necessarily have and an understanding of the digital environment like no one else,” said academy co-founder Brandon Muller.

    The Digital Academy’s initiative is not the first of its kind in South Africa.

    A non-profit project dubbed WeThinkCode is expected to launch in 2016 and put students through an intensive two-year coding course.

    Students of WeThinkCode are also set to be based in Braamfontein, Johannesburg and they will have their studies paid for by corporate sponsors.

    As consumers increasingly interact with smart mobile technologies, companies are racing to develop engagements that will win over users, and ultimately boost the bottom line.

    A number of tech incubators, funders and development competitions in SA have the goal of trying to find coders that have a vision for a winning application or service.

    “One of the biggest challenges we face is that we can’t find good developers to build stable and scalable products consistently, with the correct knowledge base. Within our business, we require complete digital products that we can present to market,” said Digital Academy director James Coetzee. Bannatyne said that the policy of the academy pushes interns to build application fast, alluding to Google’s “fail fast” methodology to ensure success.

    “We enable young developers to build rapid prototypes, through an incentive based model, that are ready for market on behalf of our corporate partners. This is indispensable to the present day business landscape, where big business is typically systems driven.”

    There is no cost for interns at the Digital Academy and they are paid a stipend for the duration of their time. The organisation believes that theoretical skills have to complement technical competence.

    “We have seen many students with degrees that lack the practical experience to build complete solutions. They have a good theoretical base, but don’t necessarily have the practical knowledge to apply what they’ve learnt to actual development. Young developers require a fundamental working knowledge in a variety of fields,” said Muller.  — Fin24

    • Subscribe to TechCentral’s free daily newsletter


    Digital Academy Gary Bannatyne WeThinkCode
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleBusting myths about the super moon eclipse
    Next Article Telkom in cautionary over ‘discussions’

    Related Posts

    WeThinkCode secures R35-million Google.org grant to nurture AI talent

    10 June 2025

    The programming skills South Africa needs right now

    21 February 2024

    WeThinkCode to open Durban campus this year

    3 March 2021
    Company News

    Disrupt first, ask questions later – the uncomfortable truth about incident response

    18 June 2025

    Sage brings together HR leaders to explore the future of payroll and people management

    18 June 2025

    Altron: a brand journey, a birthday celebration and a bet on Joburg’s future

    17 June 2025
    Opinion

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    AI and the future of ICT distribution

    16 June 2025

    Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

    13 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.