**1. Introduction**

The world is becoming increasingly globalised as characterised by rapid information and communication technology. It has brought a change not only in the knowledge and skill requirements for most jobs across the world, but also brought about a huge change in the knowledge and skills required to meet up the demands of the twenty-first-century workplace. Therefore, it has become necessary for workers to continue to update their skills through on-the-job and off-the-job training programmes. More so, the knowledge and skills acquired through the regular schooling system are no longer sufficient to cope with the ever-growing demands of the world of work. For instance, even the patterns and trends of employment have changed over time, which is also connected to rapid advancements in technology [1]. It has

increased the need to repackage workers' education in Africa to meet up with what is obtainable in the rest of the world. Newer skills needed to perform better and faster on the job, are emerging daily in the world of work as a result many skills becoming obsolete [2]. For this reason, it has become necessary for workers to continue to upgrade their knowledge and skills for optimum effectiveness on their jobs, and to continue to be relevant to their employers, as well as compete well with their counterparts across the world. Indeed today's world is a global village, occasioned by increasing globalisation and advancements in technology. Thus, the continent of Africa is faced with the huge task of enhancing the capacity of its workforce towards the development of the continent.

Since technology keeps advancing and also affecting the various job roles and working skills, so it is necessary to come up with specialised workers' education programmes that meet the regular up-skilling needs of the workforce. Similarly, this kind of education must have some elements of digital skills acquisition [3], which will make it possible for workers to continue to take advantage of technology for further training and re-training. However, this kind of education can effectively be provided when hinged on the principle of lifelong learning [4]. Therefore, an approach to workers education that maximises the affordances of the latest technologies, and that is based on the principle of lifelong learning is considered effective in this wise.

Interestingly, cloud computing is playing an important role in the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) today. Cloud computing simply refers to a combined system of networks, servers and computers tolls used to complete tasks over the internet [5]. Cloud computing systems have been used in various fields, including education, to deliver online instructions and they are considered capable of being used to deliver a high-quality learning experience, interaction, as well as knowledge and skills sharing within the shortest time possible [5, 6]. Cloud computing holds much promise for workers' online training because it is a new technology that can store data on cloud servers, which could be accessed anywhere and anytime on the internet using a digital device like a mobile phone. Similarly, cloud computing technology uses low-cost materials and equipment to construct an online platform within a short period of time, and it is very flexible in terms of deployment capacity [5]. All of these, and the fact that cloud computing provides rapid and reliable access to resources via the internet, make it a potential platform for floating online training programmes for different categories of workers in the African continent.
