ATG’s successful collaboration with Java Training leader – VZAP – by Keenan Naidoo, Argility Divisional System Manager.

The battle for tech talent has intensified in today’s competitive digitally transformed landscape, with Java skills emerging as a crucial differentiator. These skills remain scarce in the country, posing major challenges for organisations who need to stay ahead of the curve in the digital era. We firmly believe that by bolstering our technological prowess, we can contribute not only to the growth of our business but of the industry as a whole by equipping our local workforce with the tools they need to thrive.

These initiatives take various forms, including comprehensive technology training, workshops, and seminars led by industry experts. By providing opportunities to enhance skills and upgrade general capabilities, we ensure staff are positioned to tackle the challenges of today’s fast-paced digital business environment.

We recognise the importance of a supportive and collaborative work culture in nurturing talent. Our employees are our most valuable asset, and their development is pivotal to our overall success. By investing in that, ATG is not only empowering our people with the skills they need to excel but also fostering a culture of innovation and continuous learning. Ryan Hanson, Best Buy, once said – “I believe that the talent that we need for tomorrow exists within our organisation today,” which sums up our approach at ATG. We work hard to provide an inclusive environment where our people have access to online and face-to-face learning programmes, cross-functional collaborations, and knowledge-sharing platforms. Through these initiatives the group encourages the exchange of ideas, expertise, and collective growth.

We have tailored a specialised programme that directly caters to our group’s unique requirements. Unlike generic training programs, our focused initiative is designed to enhance our current capabilities, aligning closely with our solutions and software. By investing in this approach, we make sure our people acquire the exact skills needed to excel in their roles, thus creating a pool of talent primed to tackle the challenges of today and tomorrow.

The reskilling of our highly trained technical staff in Java has proved to an immensely successful collaboration with VZAP – renowned in IT for the quality of its Java training courses. These are geared for both first-time programmers as well as experienced developers looking to up-skill or cross-skill to Java.

Our people possess incomparable domain knowledge, technical skills and experience with our iRIS platform team alone boasting more than 340 years combined retail experience – a record, not many companies can boast. The business took a strategic decision to dip into this phenomenal tech reservoir and reskill in areas specific to our wider tech stack requirements and with rewarding outcomes for both our people and our company.

VZAP was only too happy to cater to ATG’s bright bunch of candidates and provided specialised short training courses in an atmosphere of collaboration with input from the Argility team to create individualised content. We knew what we needed, and our VZAP lecturers displayed great enjoyment in delivering it. They embraced the challenge of tailoring the curriculum to meet the needs of our teams with vigour and enthusiasm.

Gregory Guy, VZAP Senior Lecturer noted: “As we navigate this educational journey together, I find myself savouring every minute of it. ATG’s hard work, inquisitiveness, and commitment to learning creates an environment that fosters growth and mutual respect. We look forward to hosting more courses and collaborations with Argility in the future and believe their candidates are achieving great success going forward with their new skill set.”

We concur with that and envisage a future where our workforce possesses a deep well of Java and Google expertise, enabling us to deliver innovative solutions and maintain our competitive edge.

By continuously investing in our people’s growth and development, we are securing their professional success and contributing to the overall progress of our organisation plus the wider industry.