Women In Digital Skills 12.0 – Orientation

The 12th Cohort for the Women In Digital Skills Training began today 29th March 2021 at the Soronko Academy. The WIDS program is designed to train and equip women in Ghana with basic computer skills, website development, social media marketing as well as soft skills, and entrepreneurship training.  The orientation class was attended by twenty twos selected applicants who were most excited about the learning journey ahead. It is expected that at least twenty-five participants will successfully complete the WIDS Cohort 12 training.

The lead trainer Moses Gameli welcomed the participants and delivered a presentation on how their six weeks training would be structured going forward. He shared his experience of how he learned web development on his own using digital resources such as YouTube and an online learning community. He highlighted that all participants are expected to be punctual and interactive in all scheduled training sessions to make this cohort a success. As part of the training protocols, all participants were each given a letter of commitment for signing and a laptop to facilitate practical learning. The training session began with a fun ice breaker to allow students to network with each other.

Together with the technical training received, participants will receive soft skills training every Friday within the six-week training period. The soft skills training aims at developing the career growth and personal development of trainees. The lead trainer delivered an interactive session on content creation and building an online strategy. He encouraged the trainees to create a social media account and develop an online strategy that would serve as a business model in determining what they want to do online. As part of the digital media training, the students would receive detailed training on how to leverage TikTok to increase tractions for their business and social interventions.

The participants were thankful to have been selected and shared some expectations they hope to gain upon completing the training. Some expectations highlighted by the participants included the following;

• To learn more about digital marketing and content creation
• Leverage social media marketing skills to promote their business and upscale their sales.
• Network with other women in the digital skills space
• Build capacity in IT and Computer basics to increase their employability skills.
• Develop skills in communication and marketing
• To increase my business visibility on social media and gain traffic.

In closing, the trainer, Moses Gameli, advised participants to adhere to all COVID Safety Protocols and as well as respect the views of their colleagues. He highlighted that the overall goal of the program is to allow trainees better understand how digital media would be of benefit to their immediate and long-term career objectives.