Vimala Ariyan
OPINION - Not so long ago, one would have been forgiven to wonder when the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) will be realised.
Would it be a sudden paradigm shift, like the Big Bang that would usher in a brand new era, or perhaps a slow organic journey to be realised somewhere down the line – decades even?
But here we are today gobsmacked by a pandemic that has left us grappling for solutions, testing us emotionally; financially and politically.
As difficult as it may be to comprehend, in adversity does lie opportunity.
Education is a considered a critical sector, and the pandemic has changed education forever as the crisis has forced companies to change their way of work overnight.
Change is, therefore, required in the well-ingrained behaviour of individual workers, companies, social partners and, above all, in learning and development policies to a system in which skills are continuously updated during the working life to match changing skills needs.
The human engagement, previously enjoyed by Instructor-Lead Training (ILT), which has been the standard in South Africa for most of our lives, has been replaced by virtual online programmes on rapidly changing platforms. Technology in education has certainly taken the front seat. The opportunities and benefits experienced with online learning globally could result in us never going back to the classroom-based model of training as businesses are fast leaning towards a digital transformational culture within their workplace.
The role of Automation and Artificial Intelligence in organisations has led to changes in jobs which, inadvertently, will require employees to adapt their current skills and roles to the present and post-pandemic ways of working to ensure business resilience. Remote working has become the norm rather than the exception, hence, we cannot trap learning and development within four walls anymore – not when education is undergoing an astonishing digital revolution.
Immediate workplace adaptation, to usher in new skills, is crucial for business survival and competitiveness, hence, companies, in their attempt to drive greater employee engagement, must focus on accelerating the pace of upskilling and reskilling of their staff. Achievement of success will not only depend on developing the scare and critical digital and cognitive capabilities of employees but also their fundamental social and emotional skills to manage the transition comfortably.
For our new virtually working world to be most effective, we must create “virtual learning experiences” that will benefit both employers and employees and allow for a productive workforce. Organisational changes must prioritise and align with training plans to be in line with the much needed online digital skills. Failure to address the urgent need for digital skills development will comprise our economy further and delay transformation to the online world of learning. Sadly, many organisations have neglected Skills Development since the onset of the pandemic.
Placing a stronger emphasis and focus on Skills Development will improve national productivity, help workers to diversify their employment opportunities and provide the unemployed with new skills to either enter the labour market or opt to become entrepreneurs. The delivery of learning programmes have been greatly affected in South Africa by the COVID-19 pandemic which interrupted training rollout bringing it to an almost complete halt. This is a huge setback for the country.
As we enter a new year, whilst still trying our best to keep the country afloat, we continue to face unprecedented challenges that impact skills development. Initially, businesses came to a standstill initially when affected by the lockdown in compliance with health regulations and technology investments for business continuum. Training sessions were cancelled and/or postponed indefinitely, and many learners were left in limbo without any indication as to when they could continue their development. As the country quickly evolved and advanced technologically, training interventions that were halted may never be resumed due to the digital divide.
Skills for the new labour market are the immediate focus and private sector organisations are moving away from the requirement of a formal qualification as they strive to meet labour market demand. Apprentices, Learnerships and on-the-job training is highly favoured and encouraged as these can be successfully delivered online to meet current demand.
The current reforms of the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the Quality Council for Trade and Occupations (QCTO) to accommodate online learning serve to remove obstacles that national standards previously disallowed.
The SETAs are required to rapidly increase their support and guidance of online skills development initiatives as new occupations emerge and as virtual training within the country gains momentum. Skills Development Providers (SDPs), delivering new age training, must be accommodated and supported in our swiftly changing environment.
Government and private sector businesses must take responsibility and assist by increasing their presence in support of digital skills development initiatives for both employed and unemployed South Africans. There’s a grave need for a national expanded access to online educational platforms for all which the country must meet.
Guidance towards skills gaps can be found in the annual Sector Skills Plan (SSP) which is developed, based on extensive research, by each SETA to identify the skills priorities within the sector. The respective Sector Skills Plans give us a clear indication as to where skills gaps lie, and what skills we must focus on developing for employment opportunities.
We cannot afford to stall the process of developing our people. In disregarding the immediate Human Development needs, we will be creating long term implications for post-Covid recovery.
Vimala Ariyan is the Chief Executive Officer of SAIL, the South African Institute of Learning – the country’s largest SETA accredited learning institute.
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