Van Zyl and Pritchard is an internationally recognised company based in Houghton.
It offers courses in Java Programming to anyone who passes the initial acceptance test and is up to the challenge.
The Java Programming, six months course is free of charge. The acceptance test costs R300.
The acceptance test is five hours long and requires no prior computer programming knowledge to pass.
This course is taught from the basics up and gives everybody who takes it a wealth of knowledge that cannot be found in a book.
It also provides guided practical experience in a learning environment, where people are encouraged to learn from their mistakes.
This style of teaching gives the students a broader understanding of the concepts of programming, allowing them to pick up new programming languages easily and quickly.
Java is an object orientated software development (programming) language that is easy to use. It is a diverse and globally popular language that can be used to develop a multitude of different types of software from robotics to banking.
This course also teaches the design and analysis steps in the programming process which make the entire concept of programming easier to digest and work with.
After the initial six month course a further compulsory, two years inservice training is required. VZAP places you during these two years, where you earn an hourly rate.
Read a testimonial below!
Next Course Intake: March 2018
In order to be eligible for this great opportunity, candidates must meet the following requirements.
Course Qualification Requirements
All applicants must:
- Have a South African matric certificate. No previous programming experience is necessary.
- Pass the competency evaluation test.
- Have a valid South African Identity Document and be legal South African citizens.
- Not have a bad credit rating. This includes debt that may have been incurred at other tertiary institutions.
- Have no criminal record.
- Have their own computer.
- Be competent in English.
People we are looking for are
• Those who have completed a matric, a bachelor’s degree or a national diploma in technology and are keen to start out on a programming career with a little help.
• Passionate about creating and building software.
• Have demonstrated success through consistent academic results.
• Be prepared to work in any area within the business where your skills are required.
To apply for this training course please email Susan de Wet at [email protected] or call her on (011) 447 5459.
RIAZ’ TESTIMONIAL
My name is Riaz, a current contractor in my first year of work for Van Zyl and Pritchard. I joined the Van Zyl and Pritchard course in March of 2016 after leaving the University of Witwatersrand.
The opportunity of sponsored training with the prospect of being placed as a contractor through them was difficult to pass up. Along with this, VZAP had a reputation in the I.T community as being a firm that produces high quality and hard-working software developers.
Having previously been exposed to programming, I assumed that the training course would be relatively easy; as it was geared towards beginners. I was wrong. While the first few weeks were indeed easy, as we covered the basics, I soon found the course covering aspects and ideas that I had never been exposed to in university. The main difference was the practical approach to learning, and being able to see how the theory relates to a real world situation. By being tested every Friday we were continuously applying what we had learnt during the past week from both a practical and a theoretical point of view. We also had training on what to expect in the working environment in terms of coding standards, how to conduct ourselves in interviews, and how to conduct ourselves in the working environment, things I found invaluable.
Towards the end of the course we were given a project and divided into groups of four. This project was to be presented to both our course instructor, and various companies interested in contracting through VZAP. The experience of both working in a team, and presenting our work together taught me a lot about how software development is done in the real world, and gave me a good idea about what to expect.
Van Zyl and Pritchard also hosted interviews at their offices where companies came and interviewed prospective candidates to be contracted to them. Before each interview we were given a good idea about what the company expected from us and how the interview would be conducted allowing us to properly prepare. I was placed at a firm that I felt best suited me and started work in January 2017.
With the comprehensive training that VZAP has provided, the move into the I.T. working world went smoothly and has paved a clear career path for me. The skills I learnt through them I still use today. They have given me a solid foundation on which to expand these skills.
