A total of forty fresh ICT graduates have further enhanced their technological skills and employability after undergoing a two-week boot camp training programme organised by NetHope programme.  At the boot camp, the graduates were given hands on skills on Information Communication Technology (ICT) as well as soft skills such as tips on employer-employee relations, among others.The students were trained on Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA), Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Cisco Networking Fundamentals. The exercise was conducted by trainers from Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCT).One of the trainees, Yani Kwizera, told The New Times the exercise had enabled him to acquire practical skills that he never got at university.He is currently an intern at Broadband Systems Corporation Ltd (BSC) working as a fibre optic engineer."The programme facilitated me to get a place where I am currently doing my internship and I hope to be fully employed because of the skills I acquired during the boot camp training,” he said.NetHope is an NGO that aims at bridging the gap between unemployed but educated youth and market driven ICT needs and opportunities.Another beneficiary, Barbara Dusenge, noted the training equipped her with necessary ICT know-how which she is now applying at her current workplace where she is also an intern.Dusenge, who works at Telecom House as Network systems maintenance Engineer, holds a Bachelors degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from the Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)."The programme has helped me to enhance my ICT skills, I am ready to compete for any ICT job that comes my way,” she underscored.She pointed out that without the training, she would still be searching for a job.Speaking to The New Times, Apollo Munanura, the Acting Head Human Capital and Institutional Development at Rwanda Development Board (RDB) said the programme is vital as it addresses the practical ICT skills gap among fresh graduates. "We welcome the initiative put forward by NetHope to enhance the employability skills among the graduates,” he said.Munanura, however, pointed out that RDB is monitoring the programme to observe how best it would enhance employability. The NetHope programme in Rwanda is supported by RDB, Kicukiro College of Technology and global technology firms including Microsoft, Cisco, Accenture and ESRI, among others. Kevine Bajeneza, the NetHope Programme Director in Rwanda, said ICT skills are in high demand in this digital era, which deemed it necessary for the programme to target fresh ICT graduates."The programme provides internship and mentoring support to young fresh graduates to effectively succeed in the workplace,” he noted.She explained that NetHope calls for applications and ICT graduate students from various universities and technical colleges to apply after which they undergo rigorous oral and written interviews to select the best 40 students who then undergo intensive training.After completion, the beneficiaries undergo a four to six month internship programme in different NGOs, private and public institutions.Bajeneza observed that the whole programme costs approximately $1000 in case of self-sponsorship.  "It was very important for this programme to open in Rwanda because our country puts ICT at the top of the development agenda,” she said.She noted that once the graduates perform well during their internship, the respective institutions immediately recruit them instead of advertising for the jobs.The programme targets about 120 interns annually. Recruitment for the next boot camp is set for early June.NetHope is a US based NGO with offices in South Africa, Kenya Namibia, Ghana, Rwanda and Haiti with plans to open branches  in  South Sudan and soon, Uganda.