Are we smart enough?

Much is made of the brain drain. Many believe that SA`s best people have already left, and that those remaining are too few and far between, as well as not good enough. The also believe the local standard of education is terrible. This is all popular wisdom and much of it may be largely fallacious.

Amorphous New Media, which has landed several international contracts lately, finds it hard to attract black skills. "We simply do not get any black applications," says CEO Grant Shippey.

PreWorX`s marketing manager Rhys Taylor says that while his company`s deal with Novell was driven largely by the desire to lower the high software development costs experienced in First World countries, SA is producing some exciting and innovative new technology - very different to the more basic software replication capabilities sold by countries like India. Thorne agrees with this assessment: "The top computer science schools are turning out very good graduates. And if we want to compete, we`ve got to make sure that we don`t become sweatshops. SA should position itself as a provider of quality, but at a low cost. Otherwise we`ll get into terrible competition with other emerging markets."

Johan Roets, CEO at the IQ Business Group, says local expertise in financial services likewise serves to one`s credit. "South Africans and South African expertise is well regarded."

"SA should position itself as a provider of quality, but at a low cost. Otherwise we`ll get into terrible competition with other emerging markets."

Shippey adds, however, that although "skills are coming through, we still have a massive flight risk". He also notes that the popularity and growth of Web and IT skills remains concentrated among the white population. "Penetration of previously disadvantaged individuals into that sector is slow and low. When we put out a job advert for, say, a senior developer, we simply do not get any black applications. It seems they go to the Dimension Data`s and large corporates, for large salaries."

These large corporates, of course, are able to make a far greater investment in skills development. IBM stands out as a company that has done more for black economic empowerment through skills development than most other companies. Gail Mlokoti, IBM`s external relations executive, is tasked with driving empowerment in the business. She says IBM`s technical internship programme currently benefits about 120 people, and another 80 or 90 are involved in sales internships. The company also aids its black channel partners with capacity-building and management skills. Mlokoti admits that only big companies manage to attract black skills. IBM has met its employment equity quotas and has a reputation for its highly skilled workforce. But, though IBM itself reaps much of the benefit, many of its staff members eventually filter through into the industry at large.

The challenge remains, however, and in Shippey`s opinion lies with increasing the average levels of education, including basic literacy, as a priority.