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Angela Sibanda, Chronicle Reporter

THE Nedbank innovation hub in Emganwini suburb is transforming the lives of youths through Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills offered for free.

Established last year, the innovation hub is a shipping container turned into a state of the art, solar powered workspace at Zara centre in the suburb.

The hub was established by a non-governmental organisation Uncommon.org with the help from the Australian embassy in Zimbabwe and Nedbank.

A group of 11 young people drawn from different local suburbs were selected for the one-year programme through interviews.

The hub is the first and only one in Bulawayo after several hubs were set up in Harare, targeting young people from poor backgrounds.

A Chronicle news crew visited the site to have an appreciation of the activities being undertaken there.

In an interview, the institution’s Digital marketing director Ms Racheal Bulombe said the students are offered lessons on digital marketing, web designing and development.

 “The programme is a 12-month camp in which during the first month they are taught Scratch programming for designing games and after that they go into local schools and volunteer to teach pupils, especially in primary school because the new curriculum also offers some of the concepts of the programme at school level.

“After the first month, they then learn Web designing for a month and Web development the following month which normally takes up to three months. Digital marketing is the last one to be done under the course,” she said.

After the first six months, students choose an area of specialisation.

“They then move to specialisation where they get to choose their area of strength or interest depending on their performance during the first six months of the course. Specialisation takes another six months and after that they can graduate,” said Ms Bulombe.

The institution engages some of the students after graduation and helps others to get jobs at both local and international companies.

Since its establishment last year, the Emganwini innovation hub has had one group of students who are set to graduate this year.

“Our space is very small and we can only accommodate a maximum of 16 students. When this group started, there were 14 students but some dropped out along the way for different reasons. One of the students sold the laptop that we gave her and we could not continue with her as we feared she was going to do the same if given another one. Under normal circumstances, students are free to take with them the laptops that they would be using during the course,” she said.

One of the students at the innovation hub, Sharon Dlamini (23) from Emakhandeni suburb said the programme has helped her gain confidence and given direction to her life.

“When I finished high school, I really didn’t know what to do with my life, I was just taking each day as it came. But after joining the programme I now have a purpose, a reason to wake up and something that I look forward to,” she said.

Mr Leon Misichili (21), another student from Lobengula suburb said ICT skills he has acquired are helping him to promote his work as an upcoming fitness trainer.

“It has become easy to market my fitness work online and even designing my posts. I get to do it on my own in a way that satisfies me. I was referred to the place by a friend and so far, I have acquired skills that I am very positive will have a positive impact in everything that I am going to do,” he said.