Laban’s insights into the google IT Scholarship Certificate program

My name is Laban Chai. I am a former beneficiary of Aiducation Scholarship Program in Kenya. I'm a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor's degree in finance at Egerton University. I was humbled to be part of the shortlisted candidates who had the opportunity to participate in the program by Google and African Development Bank. Since I have always had a great passion for pursuing knowledge in the Information Technology field, I couldn't let this opportunity pass me. Special appreciation to Aiducation for sharing the opportunity with us on GYLA platform.

In the first scholarship program by African Development Bank, we were trained on Coding for employment, where I had an opportunity to study; software development, JavaScript fundamentals, soft skills and building your business. JavaScript fundamentals and software development were my favourite courses. This is because of their complexity which has really helped me develop my concentration levels and research skills. The soft skills I acquired from the training have also helped improve my social and communication skills. The second course I completed was, Building your Business which has broadened my understanding of marketing a business and making it stand out.

Due to my quest for knowledge, I went further with the second scholarship program which was being provided by Google. I was able to do some courses including Technical Support fundamentals, system administration and IT infrastructure and operating systems. In technical support fundamentals and IT infrastructure, I got a better picture of how a computer works and how it communicates and operates with its components. Moreover, I got knowledge of troubleshooting.
In operating systems, I got the knowledge on how to navigate through windows and Linus operating system. The last part was about IT security; defence against the digital dark arts, where I learnt about IT security risks, vulnerabilities and security threats. Apart from the knowledge I obtained, we were awarded a certificate for every course completed. I have already been certified for the 3 courses that I have successfully completed, with two more to come. The certificate awarded in each program will help me add value to my resume, and also the training has greatly helped me with the relevant skill sets that are really advantageous in the IT field. Moreover, My key learning from this program; “You are always never late to do what you deem fit." 

I take this opportunity to motivate all my fellow GYLA members to grab all opportunities that come our way. special mention to Hamisi, our support coordinator in the program. His passion, willingness and motivation laid a role in my success in the program. Many thanks and appreciation to Aiducation International and Junior Achievement Kenya for presenting to us these great opportunities. Many thanks to GYLA for giving us the platform to access these opportunities.
Long live Aiducation, long live GYLA family.

Written by Laban Chai - AiduTalent, Kenya