South Africa is facing a serious information technology (IT) skills deficit due mostly to a lack of training, said an IT trainer on Monday.
”We are not seeing a big enough inflow into the economy of IT and engineering graduates,” said director of black-empowered IT training company IT Intellect, Peter Denny, in a statement.
”This is a serious problem and I believe it is getting worse.”
Denny said the shortage was a ”serious problem” for the country’s economy.
”SA schools need to push science and technology more forcibly. There has to be a more concerted focus on this,” he said.
”There are just not enough young adults coming out of school with the ability to move on into the tertiary level and undertake IT, engineering or science-focused degrees or diplomas.”
Denny said the problem in South Africa was different to that in the United Kingdom, where the shortage of IT skills was due to the export of IT and engineering jobs to other countries, including China and India.
The UK needed to increase its technology, science and engineering degree holders to 97 000 within seven years, up from the current 45 000, said Denny.
He said SA was, like the UK, losing skills to other countries ”as young people opt to leave the country to work overseas, due to perceived higher levels of employment, overall opportunities and, frankly, considered safety factors”. – Sapa