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Intermediate-level ICT skills and development in South Africa: Private provision form suited to national purpose!

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Abstract

ICT skills are critical to the success of enhancing national development in a globalised era (see World Bank 2006). Rudimentary intermediate-level ICT skills necessary to function optimally in basic computer-related environments are crucial to national competitiveness in a developing context. The supply of these skills provided predominantly by private, non-state institutions in most developing contexts is considerably under-researched (see Atchoarena and Esquieu 2002). This paper provides a rationale for the suitability of private sector intermediate-level ICT provisioning, exploring peculiarities of provisioning in the South African context. The features associated with the varied provider types and the response to the multiplicity of learner and client groups serve as crucial features of suitability. It posits the view that the capacity of the sector to respond effectively to skill needs provides the basis for national development in the South African context. The culpability of the sector in responding effectively to rapid technological developments provides the basis for its suitability to private provision forms. Lessons from this work and its impacts on national regulation of private ICT provision will provide important insights for other developing contexts.

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Notes

  1. Gauteng is South Africa’s economic heartland with a contribution of 34.4% to national GDP in 2005. KwaZulu-Natal is the second-highest contributor with 16.4%, followed by the Western Cape with 14,7%. The combined contribution of the three urban provinces is therefore 65.5%, Jac Laubscher, Group Economist: Sanlam Limited. Retrieved (http://www.sanlam.co.za/eng/economicinsight/economiccommentary/economic+commentary+6+december+2006.htm)

  2. With for instance, see IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing); IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineering) and ACM (Association for Computing Machinery).

  3. SETAs have been established to respond to labour market imperatives in the sector. 23 SETAs exist in various economic sectors in 2008. The interests of the ICT sector is accommodated by the ISETT SETA.

  4. NATED refers to programmes officially recognised and assessed by the National Department of Education. These programmes existed prior to the introduction of the new curriculum implemented at the start of the 2007 academic year.

  5. These include Art and Music Business Studies, Educare/Social Services, Engineering, General Education and Utility Industries (Powell and Hall 2004:42).

  6. Technical qualifications were designed in terms of N levels. N1 to N3 referred to intermediate-level skills, while N4 to N6 refer to higher education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), Postal: 3rd Floor Block B, Metropolitan Park, 8 Hilllside Road, Parktown, 2001, South Africa

    Salim Akoojee

  2. Education, Science and Skills Development (ESSD), Human Sciences Research Council, Private Bag X41, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Fabian Arends

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Correspondence to Salim Akoojee.

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Akoojee, S., Arends, F. Intermediate-level ICT skills and development in South Africa: Private provision form suited to national purpose!. Educ Inf Technol 14, 189–204 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-009-9089-9

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