On 3rd September 2024, Zetech University was the stop for the ongoing Microsoft ADC Campus Tour. The candid tech talk event brought together stakeholders and tech gurus in Kenya and the world, in efforts to build a global tech talent pipeline, and as Microsoft put it 'tech giants need to start in the classroom!'
Mr. Joe Dadzie, Vice President, Product Management at Microsoft at Seattle, USA, at the event explained, “Some of the resources Microsoft has been sharing with students include the; Cloud skills challenge, free student certification programmes, Microsoft Learn student ambassadors around the institutions of higher learning, the imagine cup, an idea that helps students bring their unique tech solutions to life, Azure for students and Azure AI text analytics demo, power platform user group Kenya, the game of learners, educator developer blogs among many other exciting opportunities!” Remarked the Vice President at Microsoft.
The students got a chance to network, ask questions, share and exchange ideas with Microsoft ADC tech practitioners including Ms. Catherine Muraga, Microsoft ADC MD; and Ms Irene Githinji, Education Engagements lead at Microsoft ADC. Ms Muraga and Ms Githinji, both remarked of the expertise that Zetech University students present at the workplace and in their internships as observed through the years. They both lauded the institution of the good syllabus coverage in the technical and technological courses.
The visit to Zetech University is strategic for Microsoft ADC with Zetech recently showing her prowess in technology studies and also garnering a huge cohort of students in the Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Cyber Security and Computer Networks. Zetech University continues to host a rich number of students and graduands in the tech space.
Zetech University Vice Chancellor, while welcoming the visitors to Zetech University noted to the students, “We want a student that craves the knowledge and thinks about the future of tech; you can only create a future by imagining, taking the initiative and inventing it. Today take this opportunity to get a feel of the tech from gurus such as Microsoft, represented here. Ask questions, network, exchange ideas and get to network among yourselves.”
The Director Research & Extensions, Ms. Esther Mwangi, encouraged the students at the event to seek more skills as presented and initiatives such as the Microsoft Learn student ambassadors among other products available at Microsoft. At the same time, Dean School of ICT, Media and Engineering at Zetech University, Dr. -Ing. Wilfred Gikaru, while addressing the media at the press conference noted that the students should also take initiative of the many programmes at Zetech University including the Zetech University Innovation hub, which can be used to incubate their ideas, until the invention was fully matured and run through simulations to ensure its effectiveness to the society at large.
Zetech University has incubated many inventions by bright minds at the institution including the AirSafi invention – that monitors the air quality index, Totsi USB cables now a big factory at Kirinyaga County, African Telecommunication Union (ATU) Innovation challenge where the University’s invention emerged as 1st runners-up representing the whole East Africa as position one, the smart pest deterrent system among many others.
The Microsoft ADC Campus Tour brought together Microsoft Learn Ambassadors from other institutions including USIU, JKUAT and Kirinyaga University.
Zetech University continues to pursue technology as one of its pillars in the strategic plan, and collaborations with institutions such as Microsoft continues to play a pivotal role in ensuring that the students in the IT field get to find all the available resources at their disposal while at Zetech University to kickstart their career journey, by bringing the world of work to students and what is expected of them as they study.