BusinessLive reports that a task team has been established to advise the minister of higher education, science and technology on how to manage the threats and opportunities posed by the fourth industrial revolution.
The term is used to describe the rapid innovation under way in fields like artificial intelligence, 3-D printing and robotics, which is expected to disrupt just about every sector, from manufacturing to the service industry. The automation expected to flow from the fourth industrial revolution threatens almost 6-million jobs in SA over the next seven years, according to a study by global consultancy firm Accenture. These occupations include clerks, cashiers, bank tellers, construction workers, mining and maintenance staff. The appointment of the task team was one of former higher education and training minister Naledi Pandor’s last official acts before she relinquished the portfolio at the end of May. The task team is expected to identify the priority areas and interventions that should be undertaken by the minister of higher education, science and technology to “advance digital skills and absorption by industry”, according to a Government Gazette notice published on 7 June. President Cyril Ramaphosa has also established an advisory committee on the fourth industrial revolution, but it has a broader mandate as it is not confined to the higher education sector.
- Read the full original of Tamar Kahn’s report on the above at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page