Johannesburg, 23 Feb 2007
Government representatives, business leaders and economists agree that a sound educational system is one of the most important enablers for the future of our country.
Ensuring that a sound educational system and a sound tertiary education system is in place, the country will be able to bridge gaps between the supply and demand for skills. Currently the demand for certain skills is enormous.
Centring on the ICT space, Graham Duxbury, managing director of Duxbury Networking, says his company sees specific shortages in two main areas.
"These are, firstly, centred on strong competencies in the more technical disciplines within ICT and, secondly, in the realm of the true entrepreneurial spirit it takes to drive one's own business and set of ideals."
Surprisingly enough, Duxbury says the former is the easier of the two problems to solve.
"Myriad technical institutions such as Duxbury Networking's own ITA approved training facility and mechanisms such as learnerships exist, with the ability to furnish graduates and school leavers with the skills required to play in the technical space," he says.
"The more pressing problem, however, lies in fostering a high level of personal entrepreneurial spirit. And sadly, this neglected area is an intrinsic part in the process of building leaders of the future - students and graduates alike must be aware that their future resides in their own hands.
"So, what can be done to foster this spirit?" Duxbury asks.
"Well, I believe the starting point should be to drive this understanding home to the educators. If the educators believe their own future rests in their hands, this is in turn what they will communicate to their students," he says.
"As a country, we could be doing so much more for education. At the most basic level, we should be paying teachers more and increasing their level of expertise. If teachers get better remuneration structures, will it not become more attractive for people to move into the education space?" he asks.
Aside from remuneration, Duxbury says more impetus must be placed behind projects that 'train the trainer' and allow them to do a better job of educating the youth.
"Initiatives such as the ADP project (Africa Drive Project) are sound examples of e-learning drives that are reaping good rewards. Another example is the community upliftment project centred on eight Soweto schools, which Duxbury Networking and Kingsmead College are involved with.
"Driving basic computer literacy and low-level technical expertise to administration staff and teachers in eight Soweto schools, not to mention furnishing them with tools such as a database, the difference in attitude and most certainly the quality of learners at those schools is tenable.
"And although these efforts are reaping rewards, I believe there quite simply aren't enough of these initiatives taking place in the market yet," he opines.
With better-paid and more qualified educators, Duxbury says the next phase will rest with industry itself. "All industries need to take-on graduates with a flair and interest for their markets and train them with a combination of learnerships, internships and in-house academies.
"It is key to note, however, that all industries are seeking individuals with the right drive, ambition, innovative nature and personal entrepreneurial spirit. These candidates will only be available to the market, should the two underlying layers of the educational system be brought in line," he adds.
Duxbury also believes industry should not simply be looking externally for candidates that exude the 'right stuff' to become the IT leaders of the future.
"In our experience, some of the best, most motivated and driven individuals have come from inside our organisation," he says. "A number of our past packing, stores and administration staff members have gone on to do greater things within our organisation.
"If they have the right attitude, anything is possible," he maintains.
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