![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/men-in-class.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDeveloping Skills and Changing Lives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Computer networking skills are in high demand worldwide, and cultivating them opens doors to employment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most participants find employment within six months of completing our course. When we provided learners in Kenya with internships and worked with local partners to find opportunities, the employment rate among trainees grew to 80 percent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To scale up impact, meet the soaring demand for this course, and empower even more people to change their lives for the better, we decided to train additional trainers to deliver the course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After finishing his networking course, Sibanda also opted to complete the trainer program and soon realized that networks are valuable tools for developing communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy own rural hometown doesn\u2019t have a good network, especially when it comes to security,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to empower others in my community so they could not only get online but also be safe online.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After successfully becoming a trainer, Sibanda had an opportunity to make a difference at a local primary school on the Solusi University campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With a group of trainees composed of university students and community members, Sibanda helped install a point-to-point network\u00a0connecting the primary school and the university,\u00a0allowing students and teachers to access educational resources online.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeeing how engaged the trainees were made me so proud,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were almost supervising themselves! And everything came out so perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only did the team help the school by installing the equipment needed to support a stable Internet connection, but it was also a valuable learning experience for all those involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our training-the-trainers model has paved the way for exponential growth in impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Zimbabwe alone, 78 trainees have gone on to become networking course trainers. In 2022 and 2023, they trained 1,035 and 1,375 participants, respectively, empowering them with the skills to find employment opportunities and make a difference in their communities. In 2024, we aim to train an additional 2,000 participants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This model doesn\u2019t just generate numbers\u2014it also fosters confidence, responsibility, and pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sibanda recalled a moment a few weeks ago when Tariro, a former trainee, messaged him to say she\u2019d been hired as an assistant network administrator for a Namibian company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe was so happy and confident, knowing that she had the skills\u2014thanks to our course\u2014to do an excellent job,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n As our training expands, more students worldwide are eager to participate. In Nepal, after assisting the community in building the highest community network in the world, we returned to train a group of locals<\/a> to manage technical support and essential troubleshooting functions, ensuring sustainable growth and self-reliance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, five educational institutions in Zimbabwe have committed to delivering our computer networking training, a development that promises even greater reach over time. We will soon launch trainings for more trainers in\u00a0Columbia, India, Mali, and Cabo Verde.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So many others around the globe are waiting to learn networking skills that promote employment, bring connectivity to communities, and make the Internet safer for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our computer networking course teaches learners around the world skills that promote employment, bring connectivity to communities, and make the Internet safer for everyone. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":213428,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[32,5693,5673],"tags":[5821,5666],"region_news_regions":[5931],"content_category":[6085],"ppma_author":[4374],"class_list":["post-213421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-internet-access","category-community","category-shaping-future-of-the-internet","tag-alumni","tag-learning","region_news_regions-global","content_category-blog-type"],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",1440,500,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-450x156.jpg",450,156,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-768x267.jpg",768,267,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-1024x356.jpg",1024,356,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",1440,500,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",1440,500,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-250x87.jpg",250,87,true],"square":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class-600x500.jpg",600,500,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",300,104,false],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",400,139,false],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-in-class.jpg",600,208,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Internet 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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPutting Knowledge to Action<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/group-with-computers.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLooking to the Future<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.internetsociety.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/women-and-computers.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWith your support, we can continue important projects like this one, helping to connect more schools around the world, reach more eager learners like Sibanda, and empower more people to access the opportunities the Internet brings. Give today.<\/a><\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"