The Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, officially launched the LEARN Programme (Levier d'Apprentissage pour la Reconversion dans le Numérique, a learning lever for retraining in digital skills) on Tuesday 8 June 2021.
The Minister of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU, officially launched the LEARN Programme (Levier d'Apprentissage pour la Reconversion dans le Numérique, a learning lever for retraining in digital skills) on Tuesday 8 June 2021.
A Government initiative led by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation, the LEARN programme aims to offer young Beninese people, recruited from across the whole country, digital training scholarships every year. Each year it will welcome motivated young people aged 18 to 35 who are passionate about digital technology. Those selected at the end of the selection process will take part in six (06) months of intensive training, followed by an internship lasting from four (04) weeks to six (06) months, concluded by a report. Successful trainees will receive their certificates and will be supported in finding employment or retraining in the digital sector. All the jobs of the future in the digital sector are covered by the LEARN programme. However, each year the training will focus on one specific occupation, chosen from a list drawn up by the Ministry of Digital Affairs and Digitalisation and EPITECH, the partner in charge of the training.
The first cohort of the LEARN programme will start on 16 August 2021. Registration is therefore open on the website of the Digital Entrepreneurship Support Fund https://faen.gouv.bj from Tuesday 8 June 2021 and will close on 24 June 2021 at midnight. To apply, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- be aged 18 to 35;
- hold a baccalaureate-level qualification or have 5 years' professional experience after the BEPC, in any field;
- as most projects and tutorials are in English, a minimum level in that language is desirable;
- no prior coding knowledge is required, but candidates must be able to use a computer;
- have good logical thinking;
- be motivated;
- have a career plan or an idea for retraining in computing;
- be available for the entire duration of the training.
In her opening remarks, Ms Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU explained that the LEARN programme is also a response to a need expressed by the labour market. She recalled that during the process of awarding grants to startups through the OUMANDERA funding, it emerged that these startups, and more broadly Benin's large companies, often complained that they lacked immediately operational human resources when recruiting in the digital sector.
The Minister Aurelie ADAM SOULE ZOUMAROU also stressed the national character of the LEARN programme. “All young Beninese, wherever they live in the country, have the same chance of accessing the programme,” she insisted. Finally, she urged young people who meet the requirements to apply with great seriousness and care, as the selection process will be very rigorous.