The requirements for ICT knowledge, education and learning should be addressed with policy approaches, according to the Department of Communications (DOC).
Speaking at the third annual ICT career expo, deputy minister Obed Bapela said these policies should allow as many people as possible to engage in productive healthy forms of employment that enhances their quality of life. The first expo was held in 2009.
He addressed the expo, which was held in Johannesburg, from Cape Town via Skype. The event was broadcasted at Telkom's Centres of Learning in four provinces and other delegates also participated via teleconference technologies.
Technical acme
The DOC's initial aim for the expo was around creating a closer working relationship with Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in the country, and the developing awareness of various career and employment options for learners in the ICT industry.
The expo was designed to bring together students, academia and the ICT industry to share career-related information and to address matters effecting the growth of e-skills in the country.
“Today, just some three years later, there are approximately 60% of the FET colleges in the country collaborating with the e-Skills Institute to demonstrate real opportunities in this rapidly ever-growing technology space and to increase the number of young people to take careers in ICT,” said the deputy minister.
He added that an ICT-literate society can grow an economy which will create jobs and regularly absorb new entrants in the market.
“We will continue to invest in research and development to ensure that public institutions provide relevant courses, which meet the demands of the market economy and are always at the acme of technological trends.”
Globalisation challenge
The deputy minister said, through the DOC's partnership with the South Korean government, the e-Skills Institute has introduced multimedia and embedded systems training as an optional national subject offered at participating FET colleges.
He added the impact of the e-skills intervention at FET colleges is significant.
It includes increased access to relevant recognised ICT industry-related training at FET colleges; increased capacity of FET college lectures to offer relevant, recognised industry-related courseware; increased number of internships and learnership intake; and the introduction of learners to the ICT Innovative Competition.
“While these achievements are most welcome, it is only a start to address the bigger challenge of globalisation which we need to be prepared for the ever-changing and growing industry.”
Bapela said it is important to understand there are significant contrasts between knowledge, education and learning, since the process of learning can occur, with or without formal institutional education.
"Knowledge accumulation and the accumulation of skills for using ICTs will occur increasingly outside the traditional institutions of formal education.”
ICT framework
The deputy minister said there are several challenges for knowledge, education and learning in the information society and knowledge-based economy.
These are: the need for today's learners to be more familiar and comfortable with abstract concepts and uncertain situations; the requirement of the information society for a holistic understanding of systems thinking; and that highly productive employment requires learners to constantly understand and manipulate symbols within concepts such as intellectual property rights and digital money.
The final challenge, according to Bapela, is the need for ICT-enabled collaboration across boundaries of government, business, education and civil society.
“[This] is increasingly and vitally important for today's and tomorrow's job credentials. However, what is important to note, is that the emerging information society and knowledge-based economy is based on knowledge as a key factor of production.
“The kind of industries emerging in the age of globalisation, integration and collaboration demand new skills; enabled by well-developed capacity to understand and socially appropriate ICT into work, education, personal lives, community and engagement with government.”
He said that to meet these challenges at a national level, there needs to be policy approaches that allow as many people as possible to engage in productive healthy forms of employment that enhance their quality of life; and that meet the increasing demands of global enterprises operating within the global economy.
Bapela stressed the need for partnerships with the industry to address the job creation challenge.
“We recognise that the industry's ability to create jobs also depends on a stable policy and regulatory environment. To enable sustainable ICT job creation, the department will undertake a number of activities including the development of a coherent integrated ICT policy framework for the country.”
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