The Old Mutual Tech Hub is located across the road from Eduvos and aims to create a Silicon Valley-like innovation space in KwaZulu-Natal. The hub will allow tech talent in the province to be nurtured while also attracting talent from other parts of the country.
The partnership between Old Mutual and Eduvos came about as both companies believe that students need to be prepared for the changing world of work and have industry-relevant experience. Old Mutual's team of tech experts will lend their knowledge and insight to handpicked top performers from Eduvos Umhlanga’s IT faculty.
These students will receive mentoring in the hub and learn how to apply their studies to real-world problems. Old Mutual’s experts will guide them in how to solve these issues. The partnership with Old Mutual will also give Eduvos students access to vacation work opportunities.
The companies will host hackathons, Ted Talks and career fairs. Students will be introduced to the Old Mutual Team and have the opportunity to share their ideas and suggestions.
“The partnership between Eduvos Durban and Old Mutual is one of the highlights of our year. We are delighted that Old Mutual is investing in the youth and creating opportunities for them in our province. At Eduvos, we prepare our students for the working world, and this partnership will help our IT students in this regard even more,” says Arno Meyer, Eduvos Durban Umhlanga general manager.
This partnership is another way that Eduvos is promoting the employability of its students. The institution’s curricula is constantly updated to meet the demands of the changing working world. The lecturers are a combination of academics and industry professionals who know what it takes to succeed. The institution also has a dedicated Employability Centre that equips students with the skills needed in the job market and helps them find employment post-graduation.
This Tech Hub partnership links to Eduvos’s future-faced model. The institution is working to make Eduvos one of Africa’s leading meta-universities, with a focus on incorporating Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality technologies into its teaching. Eduvos also offers various tech-focused qualifications, including Cyber Security, Robotics and Machine Learning.
Eduvos is excited about this project, as the private higher education institution’s mission is to unlock potential – student by student – towards Africa’s prosperity. This new Tech Hub is invaluable to young Africans looking for a career in tech without having to leave South Africa.
