Samsung has decided to launch an Electronics Engineering Academy in Kenya to equip young people with latest global technological skills and bridge the gap that is occasioned by lack of resources.
This is in response to the increase in millions of handsets in the market shipping in, attributed to an increase in internet and mobile connectivity which have created a favorable competitive landscape, bringing in the market more brands and cheaper devices, and with little or no attention paid to the quality of thousands of phone repair shops that have sprung up across the country to attend to the faulty handsets. As a result many consumers are left exposed to phone repairs who do not possess any certified training..
According to Patricia Kingori, the regional head of marketing Samsung East Africa, the Academy is part of the company’s broader goal to develop skilled electronics engineers across the country through bridging the skills gap that has resulted from lack of resources.
“Most Kenyan students cannot afford to travel abroad to gain these skills, as a result the idea of Samsung Engineering Academy was mooted to bring these skills that meet industry standards closer home”, she explained.
She said the selection process to join the Academy is very competitive and recruitment is done from the leading technical institutions across the country.
“The selected students should be in their final year of study at their respective university. Our focus is on those pursing Electrical and Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Scientific Computing and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering who undergo technical skills training for a period of one year”, she added.
“We offer a chance to top performers to become interns or service technicians with Samsung retail channels in the region”, she added.
