JHB Future of work: A discussion on inclusion in the SA tech industry
Thu May 9, 18:00 - Thu May 9, 21:00
Johannesburg Make Space
ABOUT
Johannesburg event:
OfferZen has recently established OfferZen Foundation, where our mission is to help people from underserved communities in South Africa thrive in their tech careers. To launch, OfferZen Foundation released a report on Tech Inclusion in SA, which you can read here. With this report, we aimed to spark a conversation within the community about how we can all work to make our industry more inclusive.
To start this conversation, we are hosting an event on the topic of “A Discussion on Inclusion in the SA Tech Industry” in Johannesburg.
The conversation will be led by our panel of experts, and will be followed by a Q&A with the audience - where you will get to ask the panel any burning questions that you may have! Your contributions on the evening will really help us get a better understanding of the challenges that we face as an industry, and how we can work together to solve it.
There’ll be snacks and drinks on hand to fuel all your questions, answers, ideas and opinions. So, come ready to share!
RSVP to book your spot! Speakers will be announced soon.
AGENDA
SPEAKERS
Professor Barry Dwolatzky
On top of completing his PhD in Electrical Engineering at Wits University, Professor Barry Dwolatzky has spent more than 28 years focusing on the growth, development and diversity challenges in the South African IT industry. This pursuit has taken him to exciting heights such as Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits University, and Chief Visionary Officer (CVO) of the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein. In his current role as Director of the JCSE, he is particularly passionate about helping underserved South Africans develop their tech talents to help cement South Africa's presence on the international IT stage. As recognition of his contributions, to name but only two, Barry was named the 'South African IT Personality of the Year' in 2013 by the IITPSA and presented with the 'Vice Chancellor's Award for Academic Citizenship' by Wits University in 2016.
Aslam Khan
With a background in Electronic Engineering, and over two decades of experience in software design and architecture up his sleeve, it's no surprise that Aslam is a regular speaker at local and international conferences on software development and agile methodologies. As the author of Grokking Functional Programming, it's clear that his passion lies in simplifying the complex or abstract, and connecting with others to learn together and share these insights. For Aslam, part of this mission includes recognising that inclusion and diversity in tech is a complex challenge, and that much still needs to be done to address these challenges, particularly with regards to the perception of skills training programmes. These days, you can find Aslam tying code to strategy with the shortest of strings, or sharing his thoughts on Twitter, @aslamkhn, and his blog, f3yourmind.