QUARPHIX GRADUATE PROGRAMME: Lorraine Ngobeni

00Briefly tell us about your current job

I currently work as a salesforce support engineer assisting users with day to day system operations, configurations and maintenance by resolving incidents regarding issues that they come across as they operate on the system.

01Which year time period did you do the Graduate Programme and what proud moments did you have with Quarphix?

I started the Programme in October 2019 until March 2020 My proud moments were when I obtained my first and second Salesforce certificates on first attempts.

02How did you find the Quarphix Graduate Programme opportunity and how has it helped in developing your career path?

Someone I know sent me the post to apply and luckily it was a success. As this was the first opportunity I got after several trials in the IT sector, it has helped in giving the first step into building my career and supported with helping me acquire two certificates (Salesforce Administrator and Salesforce Developer) so I can be certified to do my current job which resulted in me landing a permanent post.

03What advice would you give to young aspiring technology enthusiasts with dreams to get an IT job yet they are limited in attaining higher qualifications due to financial constraints?

I’d advise them to apply for bursaries, student loans or learnerships that could assist them to get a certificate or any other qualification that will help them get an IT job.

04What is your opinion regarding the lack of enough inclusion of young black women in the IT sector and what do you think can be done to encourage the industry to adopt more women?

I think most companies are getting somewhere with the progress in having more women, I probably think so because there are more women than men at my workplace especially in my team. I think a rule can be placed that for every man they employ, a woman must be employed too as the industry is not gender based and therefore, they should be educated about gender equality.

05Do you think there are opportunities for the youth in the South African IT sector?

Yes, plenty actually. Most companies are moving from operating manually to technology. In as much as this may cut off jobs for those who were the ones doing the job manually, there will be jobs for the IT sector as they are now the ones having to do the job of creating and maintaining the systems that are taking over.

06What kind of South Africa do you want to see at large?

A South Africa where people are well educated about the use of technology and its advantages, a South Africa where there is gender equality and people are not treated differently based on their race and a South Africa with more opportunities for the youth.