T-Systems South Africa (TSSA) is taking up the fight to reduce the country’s skills shortage by contributing R2.4 million to a fund that will help 200 students at the University of the Free State (UFS).
The company, through its corporate social-responsibility wing, Nation Building Initiative, says it saw the need to aid the advancement of students after being contacted by the university’s Kovsie Alumni Trust.
According to T-Systems, this forms part of the company’s national development plan for 2030 that envisions the elimination of poverty and reduced inequality.
Professor Corli Witthuhn, UFS vice-rector of research, innovation and internationalisation, says: “The contribution of funding from T-Systems enabled us to empower our honours students by paying their outstanding university debt for 2019.
“This has had a significant impact on the lives of many of our honours students who will be able to enrol for master’s programmes, or seek employment without the burden of university debt.”
Dineo Molefe, MD of TSSA, says: “T-Systems has always invested in education by running a number of developmental initiatives; among others its ICT Academy – which provides free learnerships, internship programmes, including a learnership for disabled people as well as the flagship Hazyview Digital Learning Centre, which has become a unique rural nearshoring success story.
“All of this is earmarked to address the serious shortage of ICT skills – and by developing those skills, we not only address an industry problem but also contribute to employment opportunities in South Africa.”
The contribution by TSSA comes as the country faces a chronic shortage of skills, particularly ICT skills required to help local organisations succeed in the digital economy.
The 10th edition of the South African ICT Skills Survey, carried out by the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering at Wits University, in partnership with the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa, reveals a severe situation.
The research shows that skills associated with the current set of emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, Internet of things, blockchain, automation, data science and programming, remain the scarcest.
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