Chess in Slums Africa founder, Tunde Onakoya, has teamed up with Jobs59 founder, Sam Otigba, and AltSchool founder, HackSultan, to launch a scholarship fund of about a quarter of a billion naira to help corps members and recent graduates gain in-demand technology skills.
The scheme will offer scholarships worth 160,000 naira to successful applicants to study any diploma programme at AltSchool Africa, along with career support, internships and, for selected beneficiaries, free laptops.
Announcing the initiative on X on Thursday, Otigba wrote, “We’re solving the Olodo uprising pandemic, one NYSC at a time. That’s our contribution to society. That’s why Tunde Onakoya, HackSultan and I are launching a scholarship fund to help recent graduates gain real, in-demand tech skills that lead to jobs.”
Each successful applicant receives 10,000 naira towards the application fee and 150,000 naira towards tuition, bringing the total value to 160,000 naira. The scholarship is open to current NYSC corps members, prospective corps members and recent NYSC alumni.
To apply, candidates should visit the NYSC to Tech Job scholarship portal on the AltSchool Africa website, complete the application form with their NYSC details, select a preferred AltSchool Africa diploma programme, and submit for eligibility review. Applicants without a laptop can also apply for a Laptop Scholarship Add-on through an additional process.
Beneficiaries may enrol in AI-Powered Fullstack Engineering, Cybersecurity, Cloud Engineering, Data Analysis, Technical Product Management, or Digital Marketing Automation and Sales. The programmes run for nine to 12 months, with learners beginning internship applications from the sixth month.
Recipients will also get internship opportunities, job placement support through Jobs59, career mentorship and portfolio development guidance. “Beyond technical training, participants will also receive career support and internship/job opportunities through Jobs59. We also know that learning without a laptop is a major barrier, so we’ll be providing laptops to a select number of scholarship recipients through an additional application process,” Otigba said.
Onakoya, who is backing the programme as a youth development partner, said the initiative would help young Nigerians build discipline, resilience and practical career skills while preparing them for opportunities after their service year.
Source: Punch.
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