Recruits going from good to great

CTU Recruits are extremely proud to announce that we have, between December 2011 and January 2012, placed eighteen CTU Graduates into new career opportunities.  Some of these are with leading and well established organisations, which have appointed qualified individuals with a vision of further career development and are investing in the further education of the successful incumbents!  The momentum of our Division is increasing and the volume of business we are currently building has been tremendous. 

We are currently working on a repeat business opportunity with a top calibre organisation that is looking to appoint twenty MCITP / MCPD Graduates into a development programme.  Having placed seven candidates in this organisation already (at an entry level salary of R 10 000 per month) our Graduates are happy and well remunerated.

Further to this, we have placed an additional five MCITP / MCPD Candidates into a mentorship programme, which will not only see them earning R 7 500 per month and gaining workplace experience; the client will also be paying for further up-skilling of these youngsters through CTU Training Solutions in the latter part of the year.

We are also really excited about working on a learnership for 10 previously disadvantaged matriculants who unfortunately are unable to fund tertiary education.  They are in process of being interviewed by a well-known organisation with a view of the selected learners starting with them mid-February!

We are in continuous contact with clients regarding our HRD Solutions, offering a superior selection process through recruitment, internships and learnerships.  Clients are impressed with our service delivery and are really seeing the benefit of working with CTU as a service provider, as well as the excellent levels of qualifications offered through our 13 Career Campuses!

Watch this space!  We are going from Good to Great!

BCX Graduation 2011

In March 2011, Business Connexion interns arrived at various CTU campuses nationwide to embark on a 7 month journey of further education. It is an opportunity of a lifetime that will assist to develop their future careers in the ICT sector.

The training included courses such as Business Skills, Networking, Programming and other IT certifications.

After the completion of theoretical, practical and workplace experience, the interns were honoured with a graduation held at Business Connexion on the 27^th of October 2011, to celebrate their success which will stand them in good stead in their IT career path.

We would like to congratulate all the interns and wish them all the best for their future!

 

CTU as Microsoft Finalist

CTU was honoured again to be nominated as a finalist for the Microsoft Partner of the year – Learning. The event was held in Durban at the end of 2011, in conjunction with Microsoft Tech-Ed and Microsoft Partner summit. CTU had the honours to host instructor-led and self-paced labs at Tech-Ed and further hosted a Prometric testing centre at the Microsoft Partner Summit.

It was an honour to be deemed as such a valuable Microsoft Partner to have been nominated as a finalist, as CTU is currently partnering with Microsoft in the Marketing Makeover Campaign, MVA campaign and various training partnerships. These partnerships are important, as CTU believes that following the Microsoft Optomization Model is central to our clients success.

CTU Bloemfontein Graduation 2011

On the 26th of November 2011, CTU Training Solutions Bloemfontein held their annual Graduation Ceremony at the Doxa Deo Auditorium in Bloemfontein.

It was a day filled with excitement. The Bloemfontein team pulled together and arranged a flawless event!

The flowers were done on campus and moved to the venue whilst the sun came up and the students started to arrive at around 9am.

We started our ceremony at exactly 11am. Ronald (CTU’s CEO) gave an empowering speech and the smiles on the student’s and parent’s faces cannot be put into words.

You could feel how proud the parents were. A year of hard work has paid off.

After the ceremony, CTU Bloemfontein’s staff held a small get-together and we celebrated our successes of 2011.

Our attitude determines our altitude - 2012…HERE WE COME!

CTU Stellenbosch Campus - Where students flourish

At CTU Stellenbosch we do not only work hard - we play hard too!

Every year the students take part in the “JOOL” (RAG) as part of VESTA (males) & VENUSTIA (females) & 2011 was no different. We also have regular social “braai’s”, LAN’s and wine tours in and around the campus.

Our students believe in giving back to the community and every year we get involved in a community project as part of our social responsibility campaign.

We also help through assisting rural areas with various social services as well as products.

     

   

     

2013 Programmes

So you would like to study IT and Design in 2012?

ICT (Information and Communication Technology) is our speciality. We focus on specialised IT programmes but also love the design programmes that form part of how we communicate today.

Graphic designers plan, analyse and create visual solutions for various media types. Students of 2013 can look forward to a new Graphic I and Graphic II programme. Graphic I will take you up to an Adobe Associate level with new modules in Photography and E-marketing, but we recommend that you consider enrolling for Graphic design II that improves your skills even more with an Adobe Expert certification.

Computer Aided Draughting is not a new programme to CTU, but this programme is ideal for an individual who enjoys transforming a given sketch into a computer aided drawing (cad), from two dimensional through to a three-dimensional model. Visit any campus to see a demonstration of this fantastic programme by AUTODESK.

Look out for our new Web Development I and Web Development II - perfect for the individual that is not just “into” pretty pictures, but prefer to develop a website that functions well but also looks good.  Web development is not a single function but a series of functions that includes designing, producing branding, building and supporting websites.  You will achieve a CIW certification, which is the world’s fastest growing vendor-neutral Internet certification.

New to our programme offering is a fantastic career booster, the Project Management programme. The focus of this programme is to provide learners with a foundation of basic project management knowledge and skills which can be used to build further project management related competencies.

Our IT System Support: MCITP programmes now include more exams which can only increase your certifications, and in turn increase your employment opportunities. The IT industry is always looking for great programmers, so if programming is your thing and you do have mathematics, why not look into our IT Systems Developer: MCPD (upgraded from 6 exams to 9). This is 9 more opportunities to show of your programming talents. This programme introduces the learner to software development processes, computer software, different languages, techniques and technologies.

We have so much more to tell you, so please contact the call centre on 0861 100 395 and schedule your consultation with a career consultant at your nearest campus.

PE Part Time & Evening Courses 2012

Letter to CTU Recruits

Near the end of November 2011 I received a call from Claire at CTU Recruits, informing me that they have organized an interview for an IT job at a Pretoria based company. From then on I have only had good experiences with CTU Recruits.

Claire accompanied us to the first group interview and gave us advice on how to dress, and how to conduct ourselves during the interview. This was an immense help and the friendly advice and interest in how we did was amazing.

From then on Claire stayed in touch and eventually informed me that I have been called back for a second interview, and I eventually got the job.

The level of professionalism and personal interest was unbelievable. They went a long way to provide me with everything needed, and also to place me in a job that would suit my personality and help to improve my career further.

So all that is left to say is a big thank you to Claire and everyone at CTU Recruits for their amazing service and friendly and helpful personnel.

Regards

Francois du Toit.

From our JP Morgan Interns

So after just less than three months, I've got just over a week left at JPM. I really hope my contract gets extended; I've had an incredible time in the corporate world and have really learnt so much. It’s never easy losing a family you learn to love :)

It’s so nice to walk through the offices, people greeting you by name and even making jokes too. I’ve built great relationships with a number of the employees in JPM.

Nomi and I have even been informed of a skill we should acquire… Things that take half an hour should be completed over a period of two days. We are yet to show the guys we can do it, we are just too quick for them.

Once, for lunch, our team went tobogganing. For those who don't know. . . It's like sitting on a speeding skateboard down a winding hill. Not only did I have a great time, but what made my day; was seeing my colleagues have such fun too.

That brings me to the saying "boys will be boys". I've had previous experience working with guys. But it's quite a jump when I go from four male colleagues to about ten! The jokes, the pranks, the conversations, you have got to love being one of two girls in the tech department. Lol. You learn to start playing along, why not have a little fun while doing work?

Computers and technology have really changed our lives. We all sit relatively close to one another, but instead of verbally communicating, we will send an email, or even use instant messaging to ask a simple question. Even to our colleague in the desk right next to us!

Access/security cards are a necessity; you need them on you at all times. If you don’t, they will be taken and stuck on the white board in front of the office with the words "Have you seen this person?” next to it. Yes, that happened to me. And it was only day 3.

It's awesome to be able to independently go to employees and assist with technical problems they are experiencing. I have learnt so many new tricks, and I would like to thank my superiors in helping me get started.

We have learnt a lot working at JPM, yet there is still so much to learn in this forever-growing technological world. I can’t wait to find new tasks to tackle.

I want to thank those involved in giving me this opportunity, not only have I had a great first-time experience in the corporate world so far, but I have also made some great friends.

- Lauren Cloete

On the first day it was nerve wrecking. Come on! Like I have never worked a day in my life, but the people were so nice and very accommodating. They showed us around, told a few jokes and from there onwards it became easy to be around them. Actually, it became really fun to be around them.

The best part is the team outings we had the other day. We went to the cool running’s grounds just opposite work. We had crazy fun and we didn't feel like new starters - not once.

Every day I learn something new about myself and a lot about the work we are training for. I love the office environment a lot. I wouldn't even trade it for chocolate (jokes). I am really enjoying everything that’s going on.

So all in all I love my job.

- Nombulelo Mbazima

2011 Gauteng Graduation

On 10 December 2011, CTU Training Solutions held its annual graduation ceremony at the Mosaic auditorium in Fairland, Johannesburg.

Students from our Pretoria, Nelspruit, Polokwane, Boksburg, Vereeniging, Auckland Park, Potchefstroom and Roodepoort Career Campuses all arrived excitedly to receive their hard earned certification and qualifications on this opportune occasion, the academic graduation ceremony.

The venue was abuzz with proud parents and students registering and posing for family photos. Amidst the threatening thunder and lightning outside, the students made an impressive entrance, elegantly dressed in their academic attire.

What makes CTU’s graduation so unique is the individual slide which is shown on a big screen in the auditorium, summarizing each student’s certification and qualification as they walk across the stage to receive their certificates. The audience was also enthralled by a slide show displaying the many social activities, community projects and fun days which forms part of student life at each of our 13 career campuses.

The graduation was officially opened by CTU’s CEO, Ronald Meeske, who had the parents mesmerized with his interesting welcoming speech. The guest of honour was once again Sharon Oosterberg, our Partner Account Manager from Microsoft Learning, South Africa. She too, conveyed an inspiring message for all the young adults to take with them on the verge of embarking on their exciting career paths ahead.

 

 

The following Merit Awards were given:

• Chantelle Bothma (Pretoria) - Business Administration Professional
• Melissa Walker (Roodepoort) - Multimedia & Web Development: Advanced
• Dewan Michiel Stadler (Roodepoort) - Computer Aided Draughting & Design
• Lusani Ndwambi (Auckland Park) - IT Technical Support: Professional
• Quintin Johannes Petrus Viljoen (Roodepoort) - IT System Support: Engineer
• Marco Alexandre Luizinho (Boksburg) - IT Systems Developer
• Jason Peifer (Boksburg) - Microsoft Professional Enterprise Application Developer: Specialisation

After the merit awards were presented to the various “top students of the year” recipients, the ceremony was concluded on a high.

All the hard work put in by the students, facilitators, managers and Head Office staff alike, was all worth it when one looks at those proud faces on the campus photos which stand testimony of the great achievements reflected in the happy and proud faces belonging to the graduates of 2011!

IT careers and how CTU Training Solutions contributes

Even though the financial crisis hangs like sword over the world, do not underestimate the role of IT to enable businesses to optimize their performance even under difficult economic circumstances.

Here аrе thе top 9 skills thаt thе IT executives ѕау thеу wіƖƖ bе hiring fοr according to Computerworld’s annual Forecast survey (jobscollector.com):

Programming аnԁ Attention Development – Thіѕ covers frοm website development tο upgrading internal systems аnԁ meeting thе needs οf mobile users.

Project Management –Thеу’re nοt vacant tο јυѕt bе looking fοr people whο саn oversee аnԁ watch projects. Thеу аƖѕο want people whο саn identify users’ needs аnԁ translate thеm fοr thе IT staffers (thе increasingly well Ɩονеԁ business analysts).

HеƖр Desk/Technical Support – Mobile operating systems hаνе added a nеw dimension tο hеƖр desk аnԁ tech support.

Networking - Thіѕ demand іѕ being fueled partially bу visualization аnԁ cloud computing projects.

Business Intelligence – Computerworld interprets thіѕ uptick tο a focus shift іn many companies, frοm cost savings tο investing іn technology.  

Data Center – Visualization аnԁ thе Cloud сουƖԁ аƖѕο bе behind thе increased need fοr IT professionals wіth backgrounds іn data centre operations аnԁ systems integration.

Web 2.0 – Tech skills centered around social media wіƖƖ bе іn demand wіth .Net, AJAX аnԁ PHP аѕ key back-еnԁ skills, wіth HTML, XML, CSS, Sparkle аnԁ Javascript, аmοnɡ others, οn thе front еnԁ.

Security – Although down frοm 32 percent іn thе 2010 survey, security stays a top concern οf IT executives.

Telecommunications – Thе survey indicates a demand fοr people wіth IP telephony skills, аnԁ fοr those familiar wіth Cisco IPCC call center systems.

The top ten scarce skills in SA as quoted by the MICT SETA include the following features:

·         Developer Programmers;

·         ICT project Managers;

·         Computer Network and system engineers;

·         Multimedia & Web.

CTU offers the following full time programmes that incorporate these skills (www.ctucareer.co.za):

·         Network Professional: CISCO

·         IT Technical Support

·         IT System Support: MCITP

·         IT System Support: Specialisation

·         IT Systems Developer: MCPD

·         IT Systems Developer: Specialisation

·         Graphic Design I

·         Graphic Design II

·         Web Development I

·         Web Development II

·         Computer Aided Draughting and Design CAD

·         Office Administration Executive

·         Project Management

For a list of our Corporate and Part Time programmes, visit: www.ctucorp.co.za.

We are grateful that this paints a positive picture. There is however one catch - the study refers to ICT Professionals and this means at a high level of skill. If any student today thinks he can stop studying ICT in any form or state, we have bad news for you - this is only the beginning!

Another very encouraging fact is that there is an increased demand for Graphic and web ICTers. With the event of the Social Media Explosion, jobs that do not exist currently are developing rapidly. Electronic devices like cell phones, tablets and laptops are changing communication in the world forever. The Internet, Skype, Facebook, BBM, Twitter, SMS and Blogs have transformed the world forever.

CTU has a Workplace Experience Program to breach the gap between study and the workplace and have succeeded to send 60% of our students to prospective employers. However this is not always possible in all regions.

If you are not ready for the job market and you can afford it, keep on studying in your field of interest. CTU offers 2^nd year studies and at campuses with sufficient numbers it is an amazing opportunity.

2011 CTU Graduations

CTU is proud to announce the achievements of our 2011 students.

The students achieved:

·         1400 Qualifications

·         7000 International Certifications of which 4500 are Microsoft

CTU as a training institute has the most:

·         CIW certifications in SA – 225

·         Adobe ACE Certifications – 1000

·         AutoCAD Qualifications and Associate Certifications – 500

Students experienced that the quality of the international exams increased significantly in 2011. Unfortunately this resulted in a higher number of rewrites.  It reiterates the professional standards of the international certification.

The combination of a qualification and a professional certification is unique to CTU and is the most powerful model in creating IT Professionals.

CTU Highlights:

• Finalist - Microsoft Learning Partner of the year;
• Largest Microsoft Learning Partner in SA;
• CTU has had over 200% growth in 2^nd year students;
• We have registered 2 NQF level 6 Qualifications with MICT SETA;
• CTU has launched its first international Academic ICT tour and we managed to bring back all students alive! The CTU tour leaders aged 5 years in two weeks!  It was however a great tour and will definitely be a part of the 2012 Calendar (see video);
• Two off our senior managers attended the Microsoft World Partner Summit in LA which was attended by 15000 delegates and CTU was mentioned in 3 presentations;
• Our CEO was appointed to the Microsoft Advisory Council for the next 3 years in Redmond at Microsoft Headquarters;
• CTU was a sponsor at the Microsoft Partner Conference in Durban and our facilitators ran the Hot Labs and International Testing Centre at the conference.

CTU has started CTU Recruits to assist placing students in the industry. The division is proactively marketing the Recruits solution to leading organisations, and through understanding their needs, we will be putting forward suitable candidates for their vacancies. Our focus is currently on placing 2^nd year students.  For more info, visit http://www.cturecruits.co.za/.

Through our CTU Alumni we want to maintain contact and see all the students in the future in our career division as second or third years, or otherwise in our corporate division for lifelong learning.