Over the years, Educo Solutions has been up-skilling unemployed South Africans by providing free, accredited education to individuals who are between the ages of 18 and 28. The organization offers a 3-month Digital Business Skills Program which covers a wide variety of skills including Microsoft office and business communication.
After the completion of the program, students receive a certificate as well as earning Unit Standard credits towards a 12 Month National Certificate should they wish to continue their studies. The solutions company recently introduced the Educo Academy; an online learning portal was established to help students to study remotely during the national lockdown.
The online portal is easy to use and will enable all Educo students to conduct their courses remotely and for free during the national lockdown. In addition to the Q&A function on Educo Academy, each student is assigned to a facilitator who offers support on WhatsApp, either to their group or on a one-on-one basis.
We spoke to Andrew Flinders, CEO of Educo Solutions and Simon Turck, Commercial Director of Educo Solutions who told us more about the newest addition to the family.
Question 1: What challenges has Educo encountered during the COVID-19 Lockdown.
With our physical learning centres being closed, this has been the biggest frustration. We recently fast-tracked our digital services, launching Educo Academy in an attempt to counter the negative impact Covid-19 is having on the educational environment.
Educo Academy won’t replace the existing learning centres situated in Alex Mall, Protea Glen Shopping Mall, Diepkloof Library and the Libridge Building, all situated in Gauteng. It is, instead, an easy-to-access tool for students to keep learning whilst locked down, one that they will continue to use at their respective centres when they return to class.”
Question 2: Why was the online platform established?
Educo Academy was launched in an attempt to counter the negative impact Covid-19 is having on the educational environment. Our students were desperate to continue learning and complete their courses, and that is when Educo Solutions fast-tracked is digital services, launching Educo Academy.
The online learning portal allows all Educo Solutions students to conduct their courses remotely and for free, helping them to continue progressing during the lockdown. It is easy to use, all students need is a cellphone and as mentioned before the data is zero-rated with Educo Solutions picking up all the data costs involved.
Question 3: What is the importance of an organization like Educo Solutions?
As we all know SA has a large youth unemployment challenge. Whilst there are many exciting initiatives for young people there is still an inherent skills gap. You can’t give someone a job that requires a certain skill if the person hasn’t been trained properly and similarly someone won’t last in a work experience program if they don’t have the basic skills required. Our programs upskill the youth and give them a real chance at long term jobs and potential for growth.
Question 4: Have you received feedback from students who are using the online platform?
Young people in South Africa are savvy and eager to learn. Educo students are utilizing the platform with enthusiasm and are working through the content very efficiently. It’s still very new for students but on the whole, we have had excellent take-up and positive feedback in general. Since we announced Educo Academy last week on social media, we have had dozens of registration requests from potential students all over the country. We had to increase our resources including facilitators to support the new student influx.
Question 5: Where would you like to see Educo Solutions in the next five years?
In 5 years, we will have physical learning centres and online learning platforms in all the major cities, serving thousands of South Africans.
Interested individuals can register by visiting this link: https://bit.ly/EducoDigital
Or email: Hello@educosolutions.co.za
