IT Web has reported that the E-Skills Academy has closed down and all staff have been retrenched.

When reporters visited the Sandton offices of the Academy they were told that the offices had been vacated the previous Thursday.

The academy was officially opened by former President Thabo Mbeki in March this year.

Speaking at the time, Mbeki said the academy had an important role to play as it involved the young people of our country, upon whom the future of the country depended.

“This [academy] should also help in our on-going efforts to extend ICT access to all our people as a catalyst to lift the poor out of poverty,“ he said.

The academy was started with R10 million donated by Oracle but required additional funding to remain operational.

It has been reported that the BEE partners for the college refused to sign personal surety for the loans they were sourcing from the Industrial Development Corporation.

Management have said they hope to re-open the college if they can source funding to do so.

While staff are without jobs, students have been registered with Torque-It so that they can continue their cours

Full coverage on ITWeb

* e-Skills Academy goes belly up

* BEE withdrawal kills academy