We want more

Recession or no recession, there's still a lot of work to go around. And someone has to do it. South Africa's efforts to develop enough skills to meet its needs have, to put it mildly, failed. Something must be done.

Says Hamilton Ratshefola, MD of Cornastone Consulting: “The first National Master Scarce Skills List for SA indicated the country had a critical shortage of nearly 40 000 ICT workers. Cisco predicts a 24% shortfall in terms of supplying the number of IT workers needed by 2009, especially in 'specific technology areas', and a 30% shortfall in advanced networking skills.

“Last year, Gartner warned the coming generation is likely to shun the industry because of a perceived lack of glamour and a reputation for hard work. South Africans don't appear to be rushing to acquire the IT-related skills that organisations are looking for.”

“It's around how we tighten it up,” says EOH HR director Pumeza Bam. “It's around how we look at entry-level skills coming into the industry. It's about partnering with the SAPs and Microsofts and Accentures to build programmes that are sustainable. There have been initiatives in terms of skills academies, but these run flat when the money runs out. It's about keeping an eye on it and sustaining it.

“Like all organisations,” she says, “we run internships. We do graduate recruitment and take them through an 18-month programme. Then, when that's up, how do we retain them? Our graduates have told us the programme is fine, but they often don't know what's expected of them. It's critical to get mentors appointed. And interns must know what they're doing. We interviewed some of our graduates and the comment from one was 'great programme, but what next?' If we make our plans for them clear, it eliminates some of the edginess where people start looking for other opportunities, and it will help us retain them.”

We cannot live by hope.

Hamilton Ratshefola, MD, Cornastone Consulting

Beyond private efforts, government simply has to get involved, particularly as it is driving strategies that aim to see SA become a top BPO/call centre and software development outsource destination.

Ratshefola concurs: “Government should play a role from a macro-planning perspective, `a la the Ministry of Planning, and look at intended GDP growth and work out how many doctors, engineers and so on we need to achieve that, then prepare the education system to gear up to achieve that.

“We leave it to chance that the industry will develop. Government needs a focused plan to develop skills, by industry, based on what is required. Government hasn't done its job. It hoped there would be sufficient skills. We cannot live by hope. India and the likes don't live by hope. There is a concerted effort to develop engineers, artisans, etc. Hopefully, the appointment of Trevor Manuel will give the oversight and co-ordination needed. For the last 16 years, we've lived by chance; we now need to live by proper forecasts and planning based on growth projections,” he states.

On a macro-level, resolving issues, like crime, that cause thousands to flee the country on an annual basis will also help. Expats who left for greener pastures and pound-based salaries will return if there is enough interesting work to keep them here, and if the problems they escaped are solved. Globalisation and South African moves into Africa will provide interesting work. Government has to do the rest.