Govt outlines plans to develop ICT skills

Johannesburg, 12 May 2006

Government has identified the local ICT skills market as an area of scarcity, says labour minister Membathisi Mdladlana.

Speaking to ITWeb after yesterday`s ministerial roundtable in Kempton Park, Mdladlana said one of the primary tasks of government`s Human Resources Committee is to look at growing the pool of ICT skills in SA, particularly among the black community.

The committee comprises representatives from the departments of labour, communications, education, and science and technology.

Mdladlana noted that due to the requirements of the Employment Equity Act, it is imperative for SA to develop ICT skills among the previously disadvantaged.

"Information technology is so fundamental these days - and we`re finding that the skills aren`t available for us to deliver quality [IT] services," he said.

Earlier this year, government said it would open the way for 23 000 foreign applicants to compete with South Africans in 56 industry sectors, including ICT. In this sector, government said it seeks to attract 2 500 foreign applicants - 1 500 software developers and 1 000 silicon and microchip developers.

At the time, the announcement caused outrage in the local job market, with many industry players saying government should seek skills among local unemployed ICT professionals, instead of looking abroad.

Lionel October, the Department of Trade and Industry`s deputy director-general of the Enterprise and Industry Development Division, explained that government`s foreign skills initiative should not be seen as a threat to local jobs, but as a means of kick-starting major projects and creating "thousands of local jobs".

October added that government is aiming to attract expatiates, and has launched a recruitment drive in Europe and Asia. Nearly 1 000 South Africans have already been identified for placement locally.

'Urgent` SME issues

Speaking earlier in the day, Mdladlana explained that the roundtable had been established to concentrate on statements made by president Thabo Mbeki during his 2005 State of the Nation address, as well as Cabinet`s investigation into labour issues.

The roundtable, focusing on the impact of labour laws on job creation and on small business development, featured members of business, representatives from the presidency, members of Mdladlana`s Cabinet, trade unions, the International Labour Organisation, and the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac).

Although the roundtable addressed the nature of South Africa`s current labour legislation and the impact this may have on SA`s aims to achieve economic growth rates of between 6%, the main focus was on the impact of labour laws on small business.

In this regard, the minister said moves to fast-track amendments and resolutions to enable SMEs to grow are important to achieving the desired growth rates and addressing unemployment.

"The issues around SMEs are urgent. But these will not need broad reviews. Instead we will look at developing codes which don`t need to go through the parliamentary process - and so can be done quicker," he said.

Taking time

As for broader issues around labour legislation, the minister warned that no changes would be seen this year for several reasons.

Firstly, the International Labour Union will be asked to review any changes that are proposed and this commonly takes some time.

Secondly, he said, he does not have the power to go directly to Parliament with recommendations. Instead the recommendations will need to be drafted, discussed at Nedlac, redrafted until agreement is reached, presented to Cabinet and then only tabled in Parliament.