The growth of tablets continues to surpass all expectations, throwing the PC industry into disarray and turning the heads of everyone from your three year-old to educationists to corporate buyers across the board.

Institutions, in many cases foreign, that offer instant academic qualifications 'at the touch of a button' are on the increase and these 'qualifications' have little or no practical value in the marketplace.

The value of an MBA degree has been widely criticised by scholars and business practitioners.

Fewer available places at tertiary education institutions and a marked decrease in learners who have matriculated with mathematics and science is a major concern to education authorities and employers.

South Africa, presently rated as one of the least competitive countries in the world, could see the business tide beginning to turn in the nation's favour when a practical, multi-faceted approach to the development of crucial business skills gets underway at Rhodes University this year.

Today's corporate organisations have developed a completely new way of doing business that has overturned the rigid, hierarchical and divided system of labour in years past.

This management education feature addresses the role of the South African Qualifications Authority(SAQA), as they grapple with the challenges of instituting the new National Qualifications Framework. We then unpack the issues behind the skills shortages in managerial positions in South Africa, particularly the financial services sector. In addressing these shortages, several options await a prospective employer. There are longer executive MBA programmes that focus on business management and education, and shorter seminars and workshops for the manager with less time at his or her disposal.

Most parents in South Africa place a high importance on ensuring their children receive a primary and secondary education. However, without a certified tertiary education, the chances of finding long-term employment are discouraging. Parents are urged to start saving now for their children's tertiary education in order to give them the best chance of overcoming the cycle of unemployment and poverty afflicting the country.

The education industry has the potential to become the largest investment sector on the world’s stock markets. However, for this to occur, governments would have to relinquish their existing dominance over and control of education.