Engineering News reports that the SA information technology (IT) industry needs to move quickly to save the industry’s skills pipeline or risk falling behind the world in terms of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) progress.

This is according to Institute of Information Technology Professionals SA (IITPSA) vice-chairperson Senele Goba. “There is an urgent need for support at school level. If we want more students to study IT, complete their courses and succeed in the industry, we need to support the subject in high school. Computer sciences at schools ensures students are exposed to IT prior to tertiary education. We need [the lack of IT in high schools] to change,” she indicated. Further, while the Department of Basic Education (DBE) defines IT as a school subject, the number of schools offering the subject is declining year-on-year. According to the DBE, the number of IT learners in all provinces has decreased since 2008 and nationally there is an average of only twelve IT learners per school. Goba proposes the creation of a forum to bridge the needs of educators through the support South African IT companies can offer as a solution. She explained: “For example, IT companies could volunteer the regular support of their IT technicians to manage maintenance. Because a relatively low number of public schools offer IT, this commitment would be manageable and could fall under the company’s [corporate social investment] programme. Coordination plays a role, and this is something we as the institute could support. It cannot be a blanket approach, but we could look at where the most IT students are and where the greatest need is.”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard at Engineering News

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