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Govt on 'aggressive' ICT skills drive

By Damaria Senne, ITWeb senior journalist
Johannesburg, 29 May 2007

Government has announced a number of initiatives that will "aggressively" address the ICT skills shortage in SA and grow the pool of young people entering the sector.

Addressing the Black IT Forum by video link this morning, SA's deputy president, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said the department of education would offer schools incentives for graduates of maths on higher grade.

Communications director-general Lyndall Shope-Mafole also announced government's plans to set up a specialised ICT institute.

Mlambo-Ngcuka would not elaborate on the school incentives but said an announcement would be made soon. She urged ICT companies to support schools in the initiative and to train students and unemployed graduates in the process.

"Given the role and importance of technology in SA, we must pay significant attention to the development of skills at all levels."

ICT institute

Shope-Mafole said the planned specialised ICT institute would conduct research, as well as "mass-produce" highly-skilled people who can address the country's economic and development needs though ICT.

An international company that will implement the training has already been appointed, said Shope-Mafole.

She said the idea of setting up a specialised ICT institute is not a new one. President Thabo Mbeki first announced the incentive several years ago. However, the academic sector argued it was producing an adequate number of ICT graduates, ready for industry, and there was no need for such a facility.

Due to the current skills shortage, the president's international advisory council reopened the discussion, she noted.

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