Stellenbosch University LaunchLab’s newly-established SU Techpreneurship Centre (SU TPC) will be hosting its second Data Science, Machine Learning and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in July this year after the first cohort successfully completed the programme in March 2021.
The SU TPC is a new data science and entrepreneurial development upskilling initiative developed by the SU LaunchLab, the University’s technology and entrepreneurship incubator, in collaboration with the SU School for Data Science and Computational Thinking. The Centre offers courses that bridge the gap between technology and entrepreneurship by providing candidates with both in-depth programming skills in data science and machine learning and how to use these skills in the industry.
SU LaunchLab CEO Joshua Romisher says they are excited to launch the next programme after successfully ensuring that 90% of the first cohort’s participants have landed interviews with partner companies after taking the first course in February.
The second programme will consist of a 4-week, full-time immersive Bootcamp during the July-August winter holiday. Experts from the SU LaunchLab and SU School for Data Science and Computational Thinking will cover a range of topics such as machine learning techniques, algorithms and models, data exploration and analysis in Python, and soft skills such as SCRUM, Agile and Kanban.
SU TPC Coordinator Daniel Maloba says the programme, which will run during the winter break (13 July to 6 August 2021), is open to anyone from all academic levels and backgrounds to apply, and that multidisciplinary applicants and backgrounds are very much encouraged. “The course is coding-intensive; therefore, we recommend that candidates understand programming principles, but it does not matter if you have no specific programming experience.”
One of the participants of the first programme, Tanya Meyer, says the SU TPC was instrumental in fast-tracking progress for her MEng research project in Machine Learning and Data Science. “It skyrocketed my Python programming skillset whilst developing my previously non-existent, soft tech skills with lots of guest speaker talks, entrepreneurship sessions and colleague collaboration.”
Maloba said participants seeking internships should look no further than enrolling for the programme. “We have great industry partners who are always looking for new talent,” said Maloba.
Applications opened on 3 May 2021 and closed on 18 June 2021.
For more information, click on this link. Anyone wishing to learn more about the initiative - applicants, partners looking for young talent, or just in general - can contact Daniel Maloba at daniel@launchlab.co.za .
