Call for comment on 11 new 4IR Future Skills Qualifications

Source: luchschen – 123RF.com

4IR represents a new era of innovation in technology – one that's unlocking new market opportunities, and fueling growth across the global economy. The introduction of the 11 4IR Future Skills qualifications is a monumental milestone for the country and the MICT Seta.

“As the MICT Seta we are excited about our partnership with the Higher Learning Institutions in launching and spearheading the provision of formal training for 4IR in South Africa. We are hopeful that with these 11 qualifications we are going to bridge the current shortage of skilled labour within the ICT and Digital industries and, ultimately, increase the employment rate and entrepreneurship in South Africa,” says Matome Madibana, MICT SETA Acting CEO.

The newly developed qualifications include: Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security, Data Science, Design Thinking Lead, Design Thinking Practitioner, Internet of Things, Robotic Processing Automation, Quality Engineering Automation, Systems Development and e-Waste.

These qualifications will equip young professionals and the current workforce to deal with the disruptive effects of new technologies. Enabling them to innovate and create new products and services across industries.

A MICT Seta 4IR Advisory Committee was established to adhere to four organisational pillars, namely; Education, Research, Policy and Labour. One of the key outputs from the Advisory Committee is the Integrated Digital Skills Strategy. The 11 qualifications were developed under that strategy in collaboration with a community of experts such as Universities, TVET Colleges, QCTO, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMS), Professional Bodies, Labour and Government Departments under the leadership of Gugu Sema, Acting Senior Manager 4IR and 4IR Assessment Quality Partner at MICT Seta.

As a strategic implementation imperative, the Seta established Research Chairs in 2020 with the University of Johannesburg, Wits University, Nelson Mandela University, University of Western Cape and Tshwane University of Technology to strengthen and improve research and innovation capacity. To increase reach across the public University landscape, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Walter Sisulu and Fort Hare Universities were onboarded recently.

The QCTO gazetted future skills qualifications are still open for public comment on the MICT Seta website: www.mict.org.za. Comments should be submitted to az.gro.otcq@stnemmoccilbup by Monday, 20 September 2021.

After the public comment process, the qualifications will be submitted to the South African Qualifications Association (SAQA) for further validation, approval and registration to the public domain.

“We strongly encourage participation from the public on these exciting qualifications so we can ensure all viewpoints and feedback is taken into account as we finalise the process that will have a high impact on the South African labour force and its readiness to take advantage of 4IR,” concludes Madibana.