Tag: skills development

Your valuable skills development training partnerships assist us with changing the lives of thousands of young South Africans. South Africa’s increasing unemployment levels are a huge threat to future economic growth and the overall prosperity of its citizens. Statistics South Africa’s most recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the country’s unemployment rate climbed to 30.1% in the first quarter of 2020.

In 2020, technology is set to continue transforming organisations and skills needs are evolving rapidly. As organisations focus on sustainability, relevance and sourcing and retaining talent, job seekers will need to focus on learnability and skills development.

The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is gaining traction in all sectors. Artificial intelligence (AI), robotics and automation are being applied to create ingenious innovations – advancements aimed at making life easier, improving productivity and speeding up the evolution of industries.

It’s amazing how quickly the world around us is changing. The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) is upon us and how we continue to adapt to this era of rapid technological and societal change is crucial. Why we need to adapt and how fast we are able to adapt to these changes remain a core question of our time, and education is a key factor in how we navigate these changes.

Youth unemployment is a national crisis affecting millions of South Africans. According to Stats SA, the burden of unemployment is concentrated amongst the youths (aged 15-34 years) as they account for 63,4% of the total number of unemployed persons in 2019.

Although the notion of shared value, CSI and businesses giving back to the communities in which they operate is nothing new, it is becoming more imperative for businesses to integrate the well-being of society into their core objectives. In many instances, contributing to society is a secondary objective for businesses and yet without a healthy flourishing society, we cannot be successful in business.

Property, and the ownership of land, is an emotive topic in South Africa. While progress towards redressing inequality in land ownership and the property sector could be far quicker, the good news is that we know where we stand, and property offers unique prospects for achieving real social change. 

Government needs to take bold and rapid action to extricate the country from the economic quagmire in which it finds itself. The local economy is struggling to generate the growth needed to address high unemployment and inequality, as well as arrest the declining productivity that has eroded the country's global competitiveness.

In celebrating the Youth Month, we are reminded that the uprising that began in Soweto more than 40 years ago was all about education, and how it profoundly changed the socio-political landscape of the country.

Both have a role in reducing unemployment and contributing to a sustainable society. Back in May, News24.com columnist Mpumelelo Mkhabela implored President Cyril Ramaphosa to 'make job creators the most important people in the country'. In his piece, Mkhabela called unemployment a 'national emergency', and begs that the entire country – especially those in government departments – cultivate a mindset that focuses on the importance of job creation.