The dictionary description of being literate as one who can read and write is no longer adequate. In the 21st century, the definition of literacy is increasingly measured by the ability to use technology and to apply it to work in your field.
At the core of the new literacy is information, including finding it, incorporating it into existing knowledge, and the ability to sift through the deluge of information created in the digital world.
The world marks Literacy Day on September 8, under the theme “Promoting literacy in the digital era.” It is central that literacy fosters critical thinking and the ability to navigate complex information environments.
Cliff Okiko, a Capability and Skills Specialist for Technology at Safaricom, explains that in this new age, the HR hiring checklist is increasingly focusing on technology and data skills.
“Digital skills are important. By digital skills, I mean the tech skills. Coding is going to be a no-brainer. Everybody needs to learn how to code. The person I’m hiring, I would like them to be clear on the data. They should know how to pull reports from my systems, get them together and make them short and clear for someone to understand,” Cliff said.
This has gained added importance with the emergence and prevalence of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data.
Kenya’s median age is estimated at 19 years, and about 80 per cent of Kenya’s population is below 35 years. Therefore, getting Kenyan youth digital ready is critical, and Safaricom is playing its part.
Among the programs is the Digital Skills Hub, where Safaricom partners with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to provide free digital skills training to 50,000 youth annually. All one is required to do is register on the Safaricom website.
To ensure that its 6,000 employees are future-ready, Safaricom is keen on literacy. The telco recently completed the 2+1 skills internal programme, which has now been expanded to Tech It To The Next Level.
“I’d like to encourage all our staff to take advantage of our learning platforms, Safaricom Grow and Harvard Manage Mentor, for our leaders to learn new skills, to learn different things. Every day, it’s an opportunity for you to learn,” says Joyce Pamba, HR Service Delivery Analyst at Safaricom
Safaricom hopes that the skills its employees are upgrading to will lead to better services for the 50 million subscribers. And that the learnings will fuel Safaricom’s drive to become Africa’s leading purpose-led technology company by 2030.
