Google Funds A2SV with Support for Diverse African Tech Talent

Addis Ababa Ethiopia (Newsfile Corp. – December 22, 2022). – Africa Silicon ValleyA2SV() announced that it has been granted funding by Google in support of diverse African tech talent. A2SV connects students to top-notch software engineering jobs at top companies and upskills African university students. This program enables students to solve real-world problems, and makes a positive impact in their communities. It also bridges the gap between Africa’s tech world and Africa.

According to a Korn Ferry Report, it is expected that this figure will rise to 30% by 2030. there will be a global shortage of over 85 million tech workers. Another report from IFC predicts that 60% of Africa’s population will not be older than 24 years by 2025. Africa’s internet economy is poised to grow. $180 billion by 2025. If tech students in Africa receive the right support and training, they could be a major contributor to the global shortage of talent.

A2SV offers a rigorous training program to prepare candidates for interviews with top tech companies. The training includes soft skills and algorithms, data structures, as well as experience with real-life projects. A2SV collaborated with Addis Ababa University for the training of the first 22-person cohort and the second 33 in 2021. A2SV expanded the partnership to Addis Ababa Science & Technology University after two years. A2SV currently trains the third cohort, consisting of 109 people, in the two universities. It is doing this within three groups.

It has proven to be a rewarding model. 70% of the 31/44 students passed the Google internship or full-time employment interview. This is much more than the average. Around 89% of these students hail from families earning less that $102 per month. Through a Google internship, they can earn $6000-9000 per monthly for three months. It can make a huge difference in their lives.

Google is known For partnering with industry, governments and universities to address the lack of tech talent and support underserved communities. Google pledged to train 10,000,000 Africans in digital skills in 2017. Google has already certified over 80,000 African developers and plans to increase this number by partnering with organizations such as A2SV.

Jeff Dean, Lead of Google AI, Google’s AI division added,  “A2SV’s program works with students for a year and gives them additional depth and education in software engineering, algorithms, and working in software teams to build end-to-end products. A2SV’s students are great and Google has hired many of them.

Google’s funding for A2SV will enable A2SV to open a permanent office and to hire more education heads and a product manager. A2SV plans to increase its presence in Ghana and to upskill 330 students in Ethiopia and Ghana over two years. A2SV candidates have had a high success rate, so tech companies such Google will be able to spend less time recruiting and access a pool of industry-ready candidates who are highly skilled and have real-life experience.

Commenting on the funding from Google, Emre Varol, Founder & Head of Execution, at A2SV said, “Aspiring software developers in Africa lack access to experienced mentors and job opportunities. Their academic education does not equip them with the necessary skills to work in real-world situations. Our rigorous training program consists of daily classes and bootcamps as well as real-life projects. We aim to address this gap. We have already received our first tranche. This will allow us to grow our program, recruit program heads and provide equipment to students. Google and A2SV have access to highly skilled and talented candidates. This partnership is a win-win for both companies and the African economy.

A2SV
A2SV, which was established in Ethiopia in 2019, helps promising engineers get mentorship and job opportunities at top-tier global tech companies. Students are eligible to apply for the program at no cost. This empowers youth with talent, but not the financial means to make it a reality.

Media contact:
Name: Emre Varol
Email address: [email protected]

You can view the source version by visiting https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/149013