Alcatel-Lucent is partnering with the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in South Africa to promote education and research in the field of telecommunication and signal processing. Under the agreement, the company will finance a Chair to the amount of €41,000 per year, who will supervise post-graduate students in telecommunication and signal processing, which is an area where skills are needed in the ICT sector.

The partnership is intended to increase the skills base in the telecommunication space in South Africa. This skills development program comes at a time of skills shortages in the ICT industry, and this program is intended to help eliminate this situation. The project is expected to run for two years, with annual reviews on its progress. The university will bring to the collaboration, experience and infrastructure, will provide tertiary training and will conduct research.

This joint project is not only intended at broadening the skills base in telecommunications but also to serve as a research lab that will ensure that students of this discipline are equipped with the relevant and practical study information that will, in effect, have a positive and significant input towards developing the quality of skilled professionals in the ICT industry.

“The Alcatel-Lucent and TUT partnership is one of our efforts to help improve the quality of telecommunication studies, and to augment the skills base in the industry,” said Mervin Kamoetie, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent’s activities in South Africa. He also added that the initiative would not only have a positive impact on skills development in the country, but also have a significant contribution toward elevating the country’s economy in the long term.