TalentQL Is Launching A Pipeline Program To Solve The Supply Gap For Senior Developers In Africa
TalentQL is Launching a Pipeline Program to Solve the Supply gap for Senior Developers in Africa
When Adewale Yusuf, Opeyemi Awoyemi, and Akintunde Sultan founded TalentQL in November 2020, their primary objective was to train junior developers before outsourcing their services to organizations in need.
However, demand for senior developers is extremely high and continues to grow. According to TalentQL CEO Adewale Yusuf, demand for senior engineers is at an all-time high, with up to 90% of the startup's clients looking for senior software engineers.
However, there is a much larger issue: an acute shortage of qualified African workers for these jobs. According to Google and the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) e-Conomyrelease Africa 2020 report, Africa has approximately 700,000 professional software developers.
However, a greater proportion of these developers are entry-level to mid-level. As Adewale put it during a conversation with Technext, nobody in Africa is training senior developers. According to the CEO, this is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode unless something is done quickly.
That is precisely where Pipeline by TalentQL comes into play.
The Pipeline Program was necessitated by the continent's massive shortage of Senior Software Engineers. While conducting TalentQL, we discovered that a significant number of available Senior Software Engineers lack the necessary soft skills to compete for global opportunities.
“Through our Pipeline Program, we are committed to providing practical solutions to these issues. The program will teach them not only technical skills, but also the soft skills necessary for success and competition in the global talent market,” Adewale explained.
The six-month intensive Pipeline Program will be entirely online and will utilize a peer-to-peer learning model to provide one-on-one mentorship from senior software engineers at the world's largest technology companies, including Twitter, Tesla, Gitlab, Amazon, and Google.
Pipeline program is open for EVERY developer
Given that the Pipeline program is a TalentQL initiative, one might assume that it is only available to developers who have already been onboarded to the TalentQL network. Or, at the very least, to prospective clients. However, the CEO asserts that this is not the case, as the program is open to any developer who meets the program's criteria and passes the test.
“The Pipeline is aimed at all African developers. Once you meet the minimum requirement of three years of work experience and pass our strenuous technical test, you are qualified to join,” Adewale explained.
He also stated that the Pipeline will not be a criterion for developers interested in joining the TalentQL network, as the company will continue to focus on its core model of sourcing opportunities from around the world and matching them with African talent.
“This is unrelated to our current business,” he stated.
Thus, how do interested developers recoup their investment in the training?
Developers are not required to pay for the program until they are finished and have secured jobs. Payment would therefore be made following the completion of the six months of training. The developer would then make the payment from the proceeds of the jobs they are able to attract in the future.
“You pay after you receive your first opportunity, after we have completed your upskilling,” Adewale Yusuf explained. “We will enter into an income-sharing agreement with developers.”
Additionally, the CEO lauded the Techstars Accelerator, of which his company is a member of the 2021 cohort. Although his team had the idea for the Pipeline Program for some time, he noted that while at the Accelerator, they were able to fine-tune it, learn from other markets, and determine what works best for Africa.
The Pipeline by TalentQL Program provides an opportunity for engineers and developers throughout Africa to enhance their skills and professional status in order to compete more favorably on a global scale.
As the CEO has stated, the program will not only teach them technical skills, but also the soft skills necessary for success and competition in the global talent market.
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