Nigerian startup TalentQL has announced the launch of AltSchool Africa, a programme where individuals, starting from secondary school graduates, looking to build a career in tech can earn a top-rated diploma in software engineering within a year.
Founded late last year by Adewale Yusuf, Opeyemi Awoyemi and Akintunde Sultan, TalentQL hires, develops and manages remote talent for global companies.
The startup is building a pipeline of quality talent for African companies as well as source and manage top local talent for leading international firms. Its model includes building talent campuses in less-crowded African cities with proximity to top tertiary institutions. It currently has 3,000 vetted individuals in this talent network.
TalentQL raised a US$300,000 funding round in November, and recently added US$120,000 to that after being selected to take part in Techstars Toronto. It has now launched AltSchool Africa, which is structured around a comprehensive curriculum designed to impart the knowledge required to gain employment as a qualified software engineer without the rigours of a traditional four-year undergraduate degree programme.
Students can take advantage of a flexible study schedule to complete all the modules while attending to their existing professional and personal commitments. Designed to be beginner-friendly for students, the programme is open to candidates with no prior knowledge or experience in software engineering.
AltSchool Africa is also a platform without borders, as it does not charge tuition upfront. This means that students will only pay after the completion of their diploma programme and upon securing a job. The one-year programme also comes with a three-month internship that would provide students with ample opportunity to perfect their newly acquired software engineering skills in a professional setting.
“We are very excited to be introducing AltSchool Africa to the continent. Our mission at TalentQL has always been to decentralise and democratise opportunities for African Talents, and this is just another way we are fulfilling that mission. We are empowering individuals interested in a career in tech with a solid foundation that will enable them to gain access to a truly global spectrum of tech jobs thereby and competitive salaries,” said Yusuf.
