Business Connexion builds on success with skills development programme

Business Connexion has been running a successful graduate internship programme for several years in close co-operation with ISETT SETA. This is aimed at bridging the gap between tertiary education and practical experience - and addressing the countrywide shortage of ICT skills.

“We have been growing this programme for four years, starting with a learnership-based model and then moving on to an internship model,” says Carva Pop, Group Human Resources Manager: Training and Development at Business Connexion. “The focus today is on graduate placement.

“The goal is to bridge the gap between higher education and industry. We aim to fill in where there is a lack of applied knowledge and skills.

“The major, positive change that has recently happened is that higher education and the various SETAs now fall under the same ministry - and this facilitates the creation of a forum where there can be consultation between higher education and industry.”

ISETT SETA is the government organisation that plays a crucial role in driving skills development in the IT industry.

“Things have improved recently with restructuring that ensures better administration and management of funds,” says Oupa Mopaki, CEO of ISETT SETA. “Government and ourselves are keenly aware of the need for ICT skills and the contribution this makes to the national economy.

“Despite our ongoing successes in this area, we still face challenges such as establishing locally based manufacturing facilities and encouraging companies to join the internship programme. Only about one third of the major companies in ICT are active with such programmes and Business Connexion's participation is highly valuable.

“The main need is for private sector businesses to provide the type of training in a hands-on environment that universities can only partially offer.”

“Business Connexion has worked on building relationships with universities across the country to make sure that we establish communication and collaboration,” says Pop. “This is done on a regional basis, so that improved skills impact on the communities where the learners come from. We need to get away from the model where everybody is expected to move to Gauteng.

“This is a key point - we are not just improving individual skills. Our goal is to have an impact on people, their communities and the national economy through responsible corporate citizenship.”

“If these learners can take what they have learnt through mentorship and start their own programmes in communities, we can look at scalability impacting thousands, not hundreds.”

These complex programmes require careful thought and expertise to be successful.

“We have ourselves learnt a lot in four years. It's not enough just to put a training programme in place. If it is to be sustainable and effective, there is a lot of planning needed to make it work,” says Pop.