Skills
Programming in Python
Python links computation, data and automation in a single language. You write it to process a file, query a database, train a model and ship a service. IHETC teaches it from your first algorithm through to production deployment.
What Python lets you do
Python is the language you keep when you change jobs. An analyst uses it to cross two files nobody wants to open by hand; a developer to expose a programming interface; an artificial intelligence practitioner to train and then serve a model. The syntax is the same in all three cases, and that is precisely what makes it an investment: you learn it once and reuse it everywhere, including on tasks you do not yet perform.
- Automate a repetitive process across files, spreadsheets and databases
- Write a readable, tested script a colleague can pick up without a briefing
- Query a database and produce a clean, documented dataset
- Train a machine learning model and expose it as a service
Where it is trained
Each row is a block from the official catalogue. The taught volume and the year of study are those of the filed programme, reproduced as they stand.
| Teaching block | Programme | Taught hours | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms and programming | Computer Science programme — Bac+3 level | 280 h | Year 1 |
| First Python programs | Introduction to Programming | 15 h | Year 1 |
| Files and automation | Introduction to Programming | 15 h | Year 1 |
| Machine learning | Artificial Intelligence programme — Bac+5 level | 200 h | Year 1 |
| Data engineering | Data Science programme — Bac+5 level | 240 h | Year 1 |
The level you reach
On completion you design and ship a production Python program on your own, tested and documented, against real data. Level shows in volumes as much as in titles: here are both, side by side.
- teaching blocks
- 5
- of taught instruction
- 750 h
- credits in total
- 75
- professional qualifications concerned
- 4
Catalogue rule: one credit is twenty-five hours of work, ten of them taught.
The programmes that teach it
Durations, levels and real fees, read from the official catalogue when this site is built.
| Programme | Level | Duration | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Science programme — Bac+3 level | Bachelor's degree | 3 years | 5 400 000 GNF per year |
| Introduction to Programming | Short course | 3 months | 1 200 000 GNF in total |
| Artificial Intelligence programme — Bac+5 level | Master's degree | 2 years | 7 800 000 GNF per year |
| Data Science programme — Bac+5 level | Master's degree | 2 years | 7 200 000 GNF per year |
The roles that call for it
These professional qualifications target a named occupation. Their official framework carries this skill.
| Professional qualification | Target occupation | Level | Taught volume |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Developer | experienced developer | 5 · Senior technician and supervisor | 800 h |
| Data and Applied AI Technician | data technician, AI solutions integrator | 5 · Senior technician and supervisor | 700 h |
| Data Analyst | data analyst | 6 · Manager and professional | 750 h |
| Data and Annotation Operator | data operator, annotator, dataset preparer | 4 · Skilled employee and operative | 600 h |
The questions we are asked
Do I need to know how to code before starting?
The introduction to programming starts from logic and first programs: it is designed for people meeting code for the first time. The long-programme blocks assume that base is already in place.
Is Python enough to work in data?
It is half the job; SQL and applied statistics make up the other half. All three are taught within the same programmes, so you acquire them together.
Is the language taught through African cases?
The working datasets come from West African contexts: operating registers, production series, mobile payment data. The grammar of the language is universal; the cases are far less so.
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