The KRS Academy

In January we welcomed 12 Software Development interns into the KRS fold for seven weeks of high intensity training. A key ingredient of the success of this programme is bridging the theoretical world of Computer Science with real world commercial software experience for each of its qualifying alumni.

While on the programme, the interns worked on various technologies, in an Agile structure, ending each week with a review of what they had done and a retrospective on where they could improve. Now some two months later, all interns have completed their learnerships. KRS assists the interns with finding employment, some within the KRS family and others with business organisations within the greater Cape metropolis.

Here is an overview from the interns’ perspective.

The Famous Five

Hailing from all over the country, but now resident in the Cape at KRS, Nando Cornelissen (22), Jean-Pierre Damstra (23), Almario Noah (24), Natalie Barker (27) and Jean-Ray Schmidt (19) all joined as interns and are the company’s newest trainee developers. To a man (and woman), all agreed that the internship was fast paced and intense, and delivered on bridging the disjunction between theory and practical.

Completing a series of tasks, including the development of an actual application – from creation of a database through to a back end communication and to adding the front and a fully-fledged, functioning system – and getting to group with scrum and an agile way of thinking and performing, the interns had their eyes opened to a world of new possibilities and what is really required in the software and application development business.

Now assigned to different teams within the company, we will catch up with each one at a later stage.

Awesome Twosome showing Paarl a thing or two

Elelwani Mbadaliga and Tshegofatso Mogotsi are two more of the KRS Academy graduates who are relishing the employment opportunity presented by their passage through the ‘boot camp’ programme. Presently at Novus Holdings (formally known as Paarl Media), coding and developing, these BSc graduates are stepping up to the mark and demonstrating that women in IT have found their voice. Not detracting from their clearly demonstrable abilities as IT developers, both encourage other women considering a career in this industry, to live up to the challenge, express themselves and not to feel intimidated.

All of the strong minds and voices that participated in the 2015 intake, concur that KRS stands out with its ability to foster a nurturing environment whilst developing practical business skills to suit a successful career in software development and information systems.

KRS runs the academy at the beginning of each year, so please contact us if you’d like to be in front of the queue to interview our graduates for Junior Developer roles in 2016.