by Hugh C.n. Miller | Jul 20, 2020 | Uncategorized
When Madiba was guest of honour at the 1996 graduation of ORT SA Technology students, he said,
“One tool that will enable people to rise above their circumstances is education, particularly education that leads to the acquisition of marketable tools.”
We continue this legacy during the ORT SA Mandela Week by extending the opportunity to you to join us for 3 amazing webinars that will lead you to acquire marketable tools.
Join us by clicking here for the 3 webinars:
Tuesday 21st July 3 pm -4:07 pm: How to be a Cyber Ninja
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpf-ivrTgiE9afCQXGsAyzXm-ldtK8BIQ4
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Jul 24, 2019 | Uncategorized
Welcome to ORT SA!
People who work for ORT SA share many things in common. They are passionate, innovative, professional…they hold onto ORT’s values but mostly are driven with ORT SA’s mission of making people employable and creating employment opportunities
We do that through our ORT SA STEM Academy: working with schools, through STEM education, IT, coding and leadership training, with the understanding that in order to equip the generation of today with the skills for tomorrow we need to start as early as possible.
We do so through our ORT SA Skills and Enterprise Development Academy with our post schooling programmes in IT, skills development and entrepreneurship with the understanding that to become employable one needs the skills, life skills but also work experience. This is why we partnered with the YES Campaign and also offer learnerships with different SETAs
Small businesses are a vital pillar which the country’s economy relies on, and ORT Jet ( a division of ORT SA) has assisted thousands of businesses with providing the tools and support to entrepreneurs and small business to become financially sustainable.
The ORT SA Eric and Sheila Samson IT Academy was established to bridge the digital divide of knowledge, skills and awareness towards IT career options. And becoming a Cisco Networking Academy has allowed ORT SA to offer hundreds of unemployed youth with IT tools and skills.
Our new Career Hub was created to expose people and youth to career options; to what the “jobs of the future” are all about, to let them explore their strengths, passion and future paths as well as providing experience and skills transfer to make sure they are ready and equipped for the workplace.
ORT SA prides itself with its affiliation to World ORT and its legacy of almost 140 years fulfilling its vision of ‘Educating for Life’ and impacting communities through education.
We help businesses with their BBBEE and fulfilling their CSI strategy or vision.
We help government with its efforts to improve education and skills development and we help businesses to improve their profitability and financial sustainability
Join ORT SA as a member, a Youth Club member, volunteer, donor, corporate partner or a beneficiary and be part of an organisation that uses the power of education to make a change in the world.
Ariellah Rosenberg
ORT SA CEO
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Feb 21, 2019 | Old News
Ariellah Rosenberg, CEO of ORT SA writes about how to prepare ourselves and the next generation for the unknown future workplace.
It seems that the more technologies bring relief and comfort to our life, the more we get confused about what the future holds for us.
I remember myself, as a child in the seventies, getting excited about TV broadcasting in colour, waiting anxiously for my favourite programme, which I could only watch on a specific day and time. Nowadays? The internet has brought about changes that impact on everything we do. Open Source Technology has enabled us to watch our favourite series anytime that suits us, anywhere, as long as we hold a device with connectivity.
Whether we are baby boomers or Generation X, we can witness the difference between us and Generation Y and Generation Z – those who were born into the mobility of technologies and their ubiquitous manner (presence everywhere or in many places simultaneously). Technologies have transformed how we trade, how we communicate, how we monitor our health and our finances. The list goes on and on. The internet changed the way we talk to each other (no need to talk, there is WhatsApp), the way we let everyone know about a special event (WhatsApp Groups) and even the ways in which we buy presents (online shopping).
What does this mean for the workforce of the future? The thing is, that we do not really know what the future will look like due to the continuous exponential growth of technologies and how they endlessly impact our lives in ways we never imagined.
The present schooling system was formed during the 1st Industrial Revolution to equip a specific kind of workforce. Moving from hand production to machines required workers that fit the manufacturing industry. This is different from what is expected to evolve through the 4th Industrial Revolution. But this same 250- year old set-up for education delivery is still used nowadays and everyone agrees that it is not relevant to the workforce of the future. How can we as educators, policy makers and parents adjust to those changes? I believe the answer lies in three fundamental factors:
Personal Development, Mental Development and Equipping young learners with the basic skills of coding and programming.
For details, see our following blog post.
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Dec 7, 2018 | Uncategorized
Abridged speech to teachers, pupils and guests by Ms Maureen Mthimunye, Director in the office of the DDG, Gauteng Dept of Education (GDE) at the ORT SA/Nedbank STEM function 28 November 2018
“ Making Things Happen for Future Generations”
“Who is the future Generation? Is it not the children and learners in our communities and schools? Then the future is here! We must create a new integrated, agile, sustainable and lifelong education system, that matches the needs of the future generation.
Studies are showing that millions of technology jobs will remain unfilled because of the lack of skilled workers, of course other jobs will be outsourced to automation.
Making things to happen can no longer be delayed or postponed. It is urgent for policy makers to look for an education system that will equip learners with the knowledge and the skills of the 21st Century, relevant to the transforming world.
Critical thinking, problem solving, working collaboratively and communication to name just a few are some of the skills required. Coding and Robotics can do that.
You have seen the work done by the learners [at the event] as you moved around their exhibitions. Our learners are smart. The projects are evidence of that. I constantly remind my teams that out learners are smart. All we need is to find the mechanisms that unlock that smartness. We need to find in the classroom, teaching and learning that provides opportunities for these learners to unleash what they are good and excelling on.
Gauteng is currently transforming the education space through innovative classrooms, technology devices for the learners and educators, Schools of Specialisation are the future this country needs.
We believe in teachers embracing skills such as Coding, we know this could have taken a lot of your time over and above your usual teaching and learning hours in your schools. You have in your efforts put aside the fears about working with Technology,
Your classroom will not be the same as yesterday, a total shift from book knowledge to high quality learning in the classroom, through Projects based learning, research, practical learning experiences of Mathematics, Science, Technology and Engineering subjects to mention a few.
Indeed you, [ORT SA] have created a new integrated, agile, sustainable and life long education practice competencies that matches the needs of the future generations.
As the GDE, we want to truly convey our gratitude to the ORT SA CEO, Ariellah Rosenburg, the whole team of management and facilitators. All the schools, the managers, educators and learners involved in Coding are a huge milestone achieved in our province.
Thank you.”
by Hugh C.n. Miller | Oct 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
One of the main ways to eradicate poverty, defeat crime and reduce unemployment is through education.
One of the many stories that tells of what , why and how we do it at ORT SA.
When Ziyanda was approached to come up with a problem in her community and provide a solution that incorporates technology, it didn’t take long for her group to come up with an idea they thought was great! Designing a digital timetable that alerts the teacher that it’s time for class! It seemed to be a bit cheeky but it was a real problem for these pupils. With the help of Amini, the ORT SA Coding Coordinator, the group designed a digital time table to alert teachers and the principal if the teacher was absent. This invention was presented at the ORT SA end of yer event and received a standing ovation. You see, the group of girls were from Ivory Park,a township community situated north of Johannesburg, and they were 13 years old at the time!
There are many challenges facing us in education in South Africa, but ORT SA’s proactive approach to challenges allows us to build capacity at schools in Math, Coding and Leadership.We are now running Coding Clubs in 20 schools / 60 teachers with more than 600 learners across schools in Gauteng.
BTW, Zeanda will be traveling to Argentina at the end of the month together with 12 other learners and three teachers to an educational programme organised by Pope Frances and World ORT.
By Ariellah Rosenberg, Chief Executive Officer, ORT SA
