Skills shortage doubles

Johannesburg, 03 Sep 2007

The latest findings from research aimed at quantifying SA's ICT skills shortage have seen its numbers almost double since July.

The research is being conducted by the Information Systems, Electronics and Telecommunications Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (ISETT SETA) and IT Association (ITA).

Last month, ITA president Keith Anderson admitted he was mystified by its conclusion that the shortage only amounted to 2 753 skilled ICT professionals as at July.

However, ISETT SETA CEO Oupa Mopaki says this number has since been revised to around 5 000.

"This upwards shift is as a direct result of companies returning to us with their feedback - we can't quote any other figure. The market must understand this: we can't make companies tell us how many vacancies they have; we can only report the information we have at hand, which is what they have told us," he explains.

Behind doors

Early last month, ISETT SETA and the ITA met with the presidential Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition secretariat to discuss the research project.

The process of gathering the information to establish SA's actual ICT skills shortage saw companies on ISETT SETA's levy-paying database being sent a questionnaire. This questionnaire was drawn up in collaboration with industry players, says Mopaki.

Anderson says its initial numbers were based on the response of 35 large employers, representing about 56 790 employees within the sector.

It is understood that in excess of 2 000 companies received the questionnaire.

"There is still a great deal of uncertainty in the sector as to what the actual [skills] gap is. This challenge is further exacerbated by the general apathy of organisations to respond to our questionnaire and supply relevant data that would help us establish the extent of the problem," explains Anderson.

Stepping up

However, concerns over lacklustre industry involvement seem to have resulted in industry action.

Mopaki says the ITA and ISETT SETA are starting to see more responses trickling in following the high-profile Presidential International Advisory Council meeting.

"These responses are critical to us. Not only will they be the basis of the quantification exercise, but we hope to match areas of shortages to our database of unemployed graduates who are desperate to work," he explains.

Mopaki says the agency is preparing to meet with companies to discuss the shortages disclosed in their responses to the questionnaire.

"If a company is short of five system engineers, for example, we intend to take them our list of appropriately qualified people and try find a match. We have been reliably informed that there are about 200 000 unemployed graduates in the country. We have to make the link between training and industry absorption; we cannot afford to keep adding to the number of skilled unemployed," he concludes.