Youtech Centex launch ushers a bold step into the future
FERNDALE – The Youtech Centex launch attended by various stakeholders, distinguished guests and government officials at Atrium Terrace in Ferndale outlined the project's aims.
The You and Technology Centre of Excellence or Youtech Centex was recently unveiled with the support of the Randburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Chief executive officer of Youtech Richard Ntjana delved into the aims of the centre in his speech while he welcomed guests at an event at Atrium Terrace in Ferndale.
The YouTech Centex is a hub for upskilling with regards to technology in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, inspired by a business trip Ntjana took to Taiwan last year.
“The programme is set to focus on locally manufactured smartphones, tablets, notebooks and laptops and we are set to launch our devices in the second quarter of 2021,” said Ntjana.
“We have a mix of below the line and above the line and in the mix are school leavers, graduates, corporate and government employees, entrepreneurs and small business owners.
“On the other side, the world is moving ahead towards robotics, Artificial Intelligence, coding, and mobile applications, so we need to redress and still think ahead to move forward. And our new centre is a response to that.”
Ntjana made reference to Nokia’s loss of revenue and their market share due to a failure to invest more in their research and development when they went up against another fallen giant BlackBerry.
“In our country, we have excellent research and development capabilities in our various universities including at the government CSIR but we have a problem on how we package and commercialise, and I am glad to say we have started a conversation with some leading universities in the country and the CSIR under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
“The first priority we have is to partner with anyone locally so we together embrace locally produced smart devices.”
