Tag: upskilling

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) presents a promising foundation for building a skilled workforce in South Africa. However, a vital question remains: how can employers ensure a steady pipeline of talent with the necessary skills, and what responsibility do they hold in achieving this?

In a South African context, ‘dignity’ is a word that is often supercharged, laden with meaning and emotion. Given our dark history where apartheid stripped whole groups of people of their dignity – and because of the prevailing gap between rich and poor, with South Africa having the highest Gini coefficient in the world – we not only have to believe in dignity, we must also strive to uphold it across all aspects of society.

The 2024 Cybersecurity Readiness Index reveals a decline in South African businesses’ preparedness for cyberattacks. According to the released index, just 5% of companies in South Africa have ranked at the "mature" level of readiness which is needed to be resilient against modern cybersecurity risks, down by 19% year-on-year.

Is your company ready to successfully transition from learnerships to occupational certificates? As the deadline of 30th June approaches for the registration of legacy learnerships, companies must ensure they are prepared for the seismic shift in the skills development landscape. This pivotal moment marks the end of an era for historical learnerships and signals the coming-of-age for the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations’ (QCTO) occupational certificates.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is now firmly in the mainstream as workplaces and jobs begin to undergo a transformation that is both daunting and exhilarating. According to the Future of Work Report 2024, over 95% of global business leaders agree that AI will profoundly influence how companies deliver services.

In the contemporary business environment, characterised by rapid technological advancements, globalisation, and shifting workforce dynamics, organisations face unprecedented challenges in workforce planning and management. Traditional models, focused primarily on headcount, no longer suffice as companies navigate the complexities of digital transformation, remote work, and an increasingly diverse and dynamic workforce.

Moving to the cloud is essential. Businesses that don’t move to the cloud can, to some degree, add complicated layers to their legacy systems in an effort to keep up with the times, but eventually, they will be forced to make the move.

Is it time to say goodbye to the good old job specs? In the midst of rapid change and innovation, the concept of rigid job descriptions is fading fast. Modern workplaces are evolving, and it's clear that the traditional way of defining jobs simply doesn't cut it anymore.

As South Africa moves into 2024, the landscape of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) is poised for significant shifts. The B-BBEE framework has been a cornerstone of economic transformation in our country, aiming to address historical imbalances and promote inclusive economic growth.

The uniquely challenging global events of the past few years have underscored the critical importance of people management for companies. Disruptions, including the pandemic and its aftermath, forced organisations to clearly define priorities and quickly build up specific capabilities in employee health and safety and more flexible working models.