Professional
Foundations
Programme
ALX now provides more for those who want more. Access the full ALX ecosystem for
just $5 a month, for the duration of your chosen programme:
World-class career development programmes, valued up to $12,500 each
A thriving community of peers and professionals
State-of-the-art Tech Hubs to enhance your journey
Career services and community support
@alxafrica
3 Months (35-40 hrs per week)
What is Professional Foundations?
Professional Foundations is an intensive 3-month programme that equips young
professionals with the essential skills needed to succeed in their careers. It serves as the
standard starting point for all ALX Tech Lite programmes (Data, Programming &
Development, and Business) and is required only once, no matter how many ALX
programmes you pursue, ensuring you begin with the foundational skills essential for
success.
Professional Foundations offers a blend of engaging learning content and hands-on
individual and team deliverables, focusing on developing key 21st-century skills crucial for
professional growth.
The training covers areas such as leadership, communication, quantitative reasoning,
entrepreneurial thinking, critical thinking, task management, and tech skills. Through this
comprehensive approach, Professional Foundations prepares learners to navigate and
excel in their ALX tech specialisation and empowers them to lead with competence and
confidence in their future careers.
Why Professional Foundations Matters
Professional Foundations is the gateway to a transformative journey in the tech world. This
one-time, intensive programme equips learners with the crucial skills needed to excel not
just in ALX Tech Lite specialisations but also in the dynamic global workplace. By focusing
on essential competencies like communication, teamwork, and time management, it lays
the groundwork for lifelong career success.
Beyond foundational skills, this programme fosters confidence and readiness, ensuring
participants can tackle real-world challenges and collaborate effectively in diverse
environments. With its emphasis on professional and personal growth, Professional
Foundations acts as a springboard to leadership roles and meaningful contributions in the
fast-paced tech industry.
Why Join Us?
Career Readiness: Gain essential professional development skills to excel in the
modern workplace.
Collaborative Learning: Work in teams, share feedback, support each other's growth,
and build a strong professional network.
Practical Application: Apply new skills through real-world exercises and guided
projects.
Comprehensive Skill Set: Develop leadership, analysis, and execution skills tailored for
tech careers.
Structure Summary
8 Key Meta Skills
1. Leading Self
2. Leading Others
3. Communicating for Impact
4. Quantitative Reasoning
5. Entrepreneurial Thinking
6. Critical Thinking
7. Managing Complex Tasks
8. Tech Skills
Tools Learners Get to Use
Figma Midjourney Miro Canva Zoom Beautiful.ai
Bing ChatGPT Notion Asana Loom Grammarly
Gmail Google Google Google Google Google
Resume.io
Slides Calendar Sheet Docs Meet
3-Month 100% 35-40 hrs
Programme Digital (Online) Per Week
Learning
programme
Specialisation Breakdown
Each week, you will be expected to:
Log into eHub and engage with your peers.
Access the LMS (Savanna) and complete the weekly content.
Complete and submit each Week’s test and milestone before the deadline,
usually at 11:59 pm GMT.
Attend Office Hours facilitated by the Technical Mentors on Thursdays.
Phase 1
Week 1 Week 2
Karibu Ceremony GCGOs Snapshot & Reflection
Tech Onboarding - Your personal toolkit Ethics in Tech
Program and Portal Deep Dive Self Awareness
Mindsets to succeed Emotional Intelligence
Africa's GCGOs (Global Challenges and Global PICS
Opportunities) Exploring my Strengths and Weaknesses
Community Code of Conduct Intro to Grit, Growth Mindset & Proactivity
Code of Conduct RULER method
8 Meta Skills Overview Tiny Habits
Time Management
Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive and Docs)
GROW Model
Intro to Peer Coaching
Week 3 Week 4
Tiny Habits Review Meditation
Morning Papers Intro to Web Research
Empathy for Problem Solving Research Methodology & Citations
Women Empowerment Writing foundations: Storytelling, Writing Best
Intro to Problem Definition Practices & Tech Writing
Cool Head Warm Heart Model Stories, Problems & Impact Assessment
McKinsey Problem Solving Framework Using Ethos, Pathos & Logos
How to Use Problem Solving Approaches Identifying Key Messages & Illustrating the
In Depth Dive: GCGOs Problem
Intro to Asking Effective Questions Scope Management, Tools & Techniques for
Creating Hypotheses & Research Questions Projects
Google Workspace (Sheets & Slides) Work Planning & Resource Allocation
Tech Literacy: How the Web Works
Phase 2
Week 5 Week 6
Team Assignments Leadership & Followership
Sprint planning meetings and retros Leadership types
Stages of Working in a Team What Makes a Teammate Truly Outstanding?
Agile Technology Teams What is a Prototype?
Problem Definition Review What is a wireframe?
My Chosen GCGO Popular wireframe tools
Working with peers Creative Innovation
Size of the Opportunity Divergent vs Convergent thinking
Trends in the industry The SCAMPER technique
Intro to Research Gathering & Data Bad Idea brainstorming
Data Preparation Techniques Idea generation techniques
Tracking Down a Relevant Dataset Evidence-based reasoning
Intro to Data Visualization Introduction to Logic
Preparing to Conduct User Interviews
Empathy for Problem Solving Review
Types of questions
Tips for successful user interview
Week 7 Week 8
Conflict Management (approach, methods & User Journey Mapping
tips) Finalizing Prototype Scope
Negotiation: BATNA x Rapport Product Requirements Document (PRD)
Negotiation: Listening and Tradeoffs Identifying Constraints
Human Centered Design Recap Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
BUILD Framework Recap Design Handovers in Tech Teams
Design Thinking Recap Best Practices When Conducting Design Hand-
User Personas Recap Overs
Prototypes and Wireframes Audience Awareness Recap
Steps to Creating a 3D Prototype Audience Expectations & Needs
Steps to Creating a Wireframe Audience's Needs x Powerful Message
Prioritizing Your Prototype Features Powerful Message
Types of User Interview Questions Pitching to Tech Leadership
Consent Form Powerful Presentations
User Interview Checklist - 3D Prototype & A Presentation on Presentations
Wireframes Powerful Slides
Powerful Speaking
Powerful Presentation Tools
Video Production Tools
Video Recording Considerations
Editing Your Video
Phase 3
Week 9 Week 10
Peer Coaching Recap Data Analytics & Data Science Specializations
The GROW Model Recap Salesforce Specialization
Intro to Opportunity Identification AWS Specialization
Opportunity Area: Big Data Software Engineering Specialization
Opportunity Area: Software as a Service Key Career Skills
Opportunity Area: Cloud Computing How to Deal with Imposter Syndrome
Opportunity Area: Apps & Tools Resume Writing
Opportunity Area: Artificial Intelligence
Opportunity Area: Entrepreneurship
Ethical Considerations in Technology
Week 11 Week 12
Specialization deep dives Track specific content
Personal Branding Your Elevator Pitch
What is a Portfolio? Foundations Reflections
Why is Building a Portfolio Important? Your Website's Second Iteration
What Makes a Good Portfolio How to review your website and portfolio
Intro to Building Your Website Career Readiness
What to Include in a Website Update Your Skills Map
Website Host, Website Builder and Domain Celebrating You!
Host
Which Website Hosts to Choose
Your Domain Name
What to Include in Your Website
