Dimension Data: Transforming underserved communities through education

Dimension Data, leading IT services company in the Middle and East and Africa, runs a Saturday School programme that invests in learners from underserved communities through quality education, leading to excellent matric results and improved future career prospects, said Werner Kapp, CEO at Dimension Data, Middle East and Africa.

The Saturday School programme — which is the company’s flagship initiative — prepares learners for the corporate world and career success through mentorship and job shadowing opportunities. 

The programme lasers in on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects, and coding and robotics were introduced in 2018, giving disadvantaged learners access to a future career path and driving transformation.

“Through our Saturday School, we empower the Creators of Tomorrow because we believe that education is transformative. For us sustainable transformation is about making a positive long-term impact on our key stakeholders — our employees, clients, shareholders, partners, the government and the communities in which we operate. Because technology offers a better future we have incorporated coding and robotics as part of our Saturday School programme,” said Kapp.

He added that the impact of the Saturday School ultimately has a positive ripple effect on communities. “At Dimension Data enabling our country to realise its full potential is key to delivering tangible change. As we make changes with one person at a time, we are aware that the knock-on effects of the individual changes have a far-reaching impact as they reach entire communities.” 

The Saturday School programme was started 26 years ago in Gauteng and in March 2020, the Eastern Cape chapter was launched in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth). Dimension Data is committed to investing in the future of youth through the programme, which helps 140 learners in Gauteng and Eastern Cape each year. The fully-funded programme provides learners access to facilities such as computers to help improve their academic performance in addition to providing them transport to attend classes. 

The Saturday School has made a significant impact in the lives of over 2 000 learners — most of whom have gone on to become doctors, microbiologists, engineers, chartered accountants, entrepreneurs and ICT professionals. Some have joined Dimension Data and grown within the business through the company’s Graduate & Technical Accelerate Programmes (GAP & TAP).

The Saturday School has produced top-performing high school graduates in the country, with many of the learners achieving multiple distinctions in matric. It also makes STEM subjects friendlier to learners, boosting results in those subjects and improving the learners’ prospects in tech careers.

While the Saturday School programme faced the challenges of national lockdowns due to the pandemic in the 2020 academic year, Dimension Data was able to swiftly respond, ensuring continued progression through the syllabus despite social distancing.

“We faced the same challenges people across the country faced. Our learners missed out on a lot of critical work during the 2020 academic year when their class-based approach was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Being a tech company, we were really able to help the learners stay engaged and connected. Our commitment has been to use technology and help the learners stay connected and engaged throughout the year, as well as provide the necessary tools for tutors to teach virtually, to share content and to answer questions,” said Kapp.

He said although onsite lessons commenced in March this year, 2021 will mostly be a “catch-up” year; at the same time they need to continue with their 2021 curriculum, with a hybrid system of alternating between onsite and offsite learning.

Given the immense success in Gauteng and the growing challenges experienced across the South African public-school system, part of Dimension Data’s long-term strategy in benefitting the communities is to roll out the programme to more provinces across South Africa as well as the communities in which the company operates across the Middle East and Africa.

Creating sustainable impact through education and technology

For us, sustainable transformation is about making a positive long-term impact on our key stakeholders — our employees, clients, shareholders, partners, the government and the communities in which we operate. 

Our purpose is to give people the power to do more and, given that intention, we have made a commitment to our communities to support what we call the Creators of Tomorrow in building their aspirations to become more. At Dimension Data, enabling our country to realise its full potential is key to delivering tangible change. As we make changes with one person at a time, we are aware that the knock-on effects of the individual changes have a widespread impact as they reach entire communities. 

A key pillar in contributing to social progress is the investment in education at every stage of the learner’s journey. For the past 26 years and into the future we’re committed to invest in the future of our youth through our Saturday School, which aims to improve the quality of life of previously disadvantaged youth in South Africa by helping them to achieve excellent results in matric, prepare them for the corporate world and position them for success. Because technology offers a better future we’ve incorporated coding and robotics as part of our Saturday School Programme. 

The Saturday School programme is the company’s flagship initiative and supports over 140 grade 11 and 12 high school learners in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape each year through quality supplemental education to help improve their academic performance. The programme has benefited over 2 000 young people since its inception in 1995 and is recognised by the Gauteng Department of Basic Education as one of the top three initiatives that add true value to the education system.

At the Dimension Data Saturday School, we offer learners a safe, distraction-free environment where they show up and focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, starting with the foundations and building iteratively from there. The success of the Saturday School has resulted in the programme becoming a feeder for young talent to some of our youth development programmes — the Graduate Accelerate Programme (GAP) and Technical Accelerate Programme, which afford young leaders the opportunity to build their future, working with the latest technology to help them become the Creators of Tomorrow. 

Our education initiatives have given young learners exposure to world-class technology and an opportunity to learn, grow and flourish within the company and industry. By doing so we are enriching our country with highly sought-after skilled professionals for local and international co-creations that drive digital transformation.

This month, we celebrated the success of our Saturday School graduating class of 2020 despite the hardships of Covid-19 and lockdown and their negative impact on schooling and education. Our learners continued to rise to the challenge and demonstrated sheer determination, which was key in helping them realise their maximum potential despite all odds. 

Our Saturday School Class of 2020 achieved a 98% pass rate, 88% university entrance, 10% national diploma and 87 distinctions in total. 

Due to the challenges of the pandemic and the national lockdowns, Dimension Data ensured consistent access to stable connectivity for each of the 140 learners and tutors in Gauteng and Port Elizabeth, enabling continuous learning and ensuring continued progression through the syllabus, despite social distancing. The Saturday School learners quickly embraced and adopted these new ways of learning, and the investment into empowering the students paid off as evidenced by the 2020 results.

“As a company, we believe strongly that education is the only route to economic growth and to break the cycle of poverty in South Africa. The Saturday School is our humble contribution to the future prosperity of this country and its people,” said Werner Kapp, CEO of Dimension Data, Middle East and Africa.

Excellence the norm for Saturday School participants – alumnus

Excellence is the norm for Dimension Data Saturday School participants, as one alumnus from Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) testified. The tech company hosted a prize-giving ceremony in the city following the success of the Saturday School programme’s maiden year in the city. 

The Saturday School programme is Dimension Data’s flagship initiative, which has been running for 26 years in Gauteng, where its matric class of 2020 achieved a 98% university entrance with a total of 87 distinctions, said Andy Dikobo, the company’s Public Sector Executive.

Saturday School alumnus Thabiso Motha, who matriculated in 2013, said the support and resources provided by Dimension Data allowed him to achieve matric excellence despite coming from an underserved school.

Motha encouraged matric learners in the programme to join the “Wall of Fame”, which currently features about 60 Saturday School programme alumni who got at least five matric distinctions, starting from 2007 to date. 

Motha got seven distinctions in matric, but he said that this feat is not unique in the Saturday School programme. 

“It’s a norm for Saturday School participants to become some of the top performers. Dimension Data provides all the support and facilities to make achieving multiple distinctions within reach for anyone in the programme.” 

After matric Motha went on to study a BSc in Mining Engineering at Wits University. He now works at Dimension Data as a Senior Associate Automation Engineer. 

Gqeberha’s first intake comprised learners who are in matric this year. Teneal Bowers, Sivenathi Hobana and Asive Diamane took the first, second and third prize respectively. Diamane also bagged the first prize for physics, while Hobana and Yamkela Ngcangca were tied for the first prize for maths; Bowers received the top honours for accounting. 

To stay abreast of career trends as the technology space expands, in 2018 the Dimension Data Saturday School programme introduced robotics and coding in the Python language. 

Dimension Data’s Eastern Cape Solutions Head Quintus Moolman said the technology sector’s growth will present future career opportunities. “When I started at Dimension Data about 20 years ago I was employee number 52; now we have over 400 employees in the Eastern Cape. There are careers in tech that have not been defined yet, and that will be an opportunity for people with tech skills.” 

Top achievers practise success habits daily 

Dimension Data Saturday School alumni in Gauteng were honoured for achieving excellent results in the matric year of 2020, despite the challenges of national lockdowns.

Dimension Data Managing Director for Southern Africa, Nompumelelo Mokou, said the Saturday School programme fosters the strong work ethic necessary for success beyond matric. 

Mokou congratulated and encouraged grade 11 prize recipients at the event to maintain the momentum through their matric year and make sacrifices to achieve success.

“Unlike our parents and grandparents, we have a lot more opportunities and it’s up to each of us to work hard when we get those opportunities. It is also important to look at where career trends are going, so that you can make career choices that will be relevant in the future. You have to practise success, starting with small things like finishing what you started, putting effort into everything you do, being on time and treating people well. The last point is important to me because I do believe at Dimension Data we care about our people,” said Mokou. 

Dimension Data has a top legacy of Saturday School alumni who are top performers in matric. One such alumnus is Ziphezihle Langa who is currently studying towards Actuarial Sciences at Wits University, who achieved six distinctions in matric. He also got a perfect score of 100% for maths and 98% for physics. 

Other top performing alumni of the Saturday School programme include Thato Tsatsi who got six distinctions, scoring 93% in both maths and physics. Rethabile Thinane got seven distinctions, with 82% in maths and 77% in physics. Both she and Tsatsi are studying mechanical engineering at the University of Pretoria. 

Lapane Maela got five distinctions with 95% and 93% in maths and physics respectively and is studying mathematical sciences at the University of Pretoria. Tre Chetty got 77% for maths and 81% for physics and is now an accounting sciences student at Wits, while Moleboheng Koza is a mechanical engineering student at the University of Pretoria, having scored 78% in maths and 77% in physics. Chetty and Koza each got four distinctions. 

The top performers from the class of 2020 all received scholarships from our external partner to further their studies.

Overall top three performers