"The digital divide is growing rather than narrowing and the government alone cannot meet the challenges facing our country today," says Sam Morotoba, the Department of Labour`s acting deputy director-general for employment and skills development.
Speaking at the launch of an ICT learnership programme earlier this week, Morotoba said public-private-partnerships (PPPs) were key to tackling the huge digital divide that still existed.
"We undertake with our social partners to provide our young people with opportunities to learn skills that will help make them more employable or more able to create employment for themselves," Morotoba said.
"The ICT sector in our country reflects the skewed landscape of ownership, control and access to resources between those who were advantaged and disadvantaged by the previous regime," said Morotoba.
"The ultimate goal of the skills strategy in the ICT sector must be to narrow and close this divide between groups within the country, as well as between SA and the rest of the world, including other African countries," he continued.
[VIDEO]Morotoba stated his belief in the value of PPPs involving government, sectoral education training authorities, business to provide experiential training, and training institutions to provide theoretical training, to provide ICT skills to previously disadvantaged learners.
Although conceding some shortcomings, Morotoba insisted the national skills development strategy (NSDS) was working, the skills development revolution was alive, and the financial incentives to train people under the Skills Development Act were making a difference to the lives of ordinary South Africans.
"We remain steadfastly committed to ensuring the equity targets of the NSDS are met, that at least 85% of the beneficiaries of training should be black, 54% female, and 4% people with disabilities," affirmed Morotoba.
"I congratulate revolutionaries who share my passion for building SA as a society with a base of knowledge and skills, and I thank all those companies, training providers and learners who are leading the charge by participating in exciting new learnership programmes."
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