Higher education, science and innovation deputy minister Buti Manamela this week unveiled a fourth industrial revolution (4IR) micro-laboratory at the Goldfields Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in Welkom, Free State.
This is the third 4IR Centre of Excellence to be officially opened in a TVET college. Manamela says the facility will serve as a gateway to create skills development, innovation and entrepreneurship.
“There is no question about the fact that 4IR is now upon us,” he states. “The advent of the 4IR is not just changing the labour market, but the very world we live in and how we function within it.”
There’s been concerted effort from government, training institutions and industry players to equip South Africans with the skills to respond to the demands and opportunities of a technology-immersed future.
Data from the Education Commission shows more than half of the nearly two billion youth worldwide will not have the skills or qualifications necessary to participate in 4IR.
Manamela points out that all industries are rapidly transforming, while many occupations are becoming obsolete. “New ones are being born in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing and advanced wireless technologies.
“We are also seeing how these rapid advances in technology are fundamentally altering the skills requirements for various jobs.
“As is evident, the 4IR is all about new solutions and new technologies that can provide new, better and faster solutions. This is why it is also anticipated that a wide range of occupations will require a higher degree of cognitive abilities, such as creativity, logical reasoning and problem solving, as part of their core skills.”
The deputy minister indicates the Department of Higher Education and Training has embraced president Cyril Ramaphosa’s call and recommendations of the 4IR Commission.
“As a product of these discussions, we agreed to roll out the 4IR concept at TVET colleges in our country. We agreed to sponsor 10 TVET colleges to establish 4IR Centres of Excellence in them.”
As a result, the department has since identified several TVET colleges where these centres will be located. These include Ehlanzeni in Mpumalanga, Ikhala in the Eastern Cape, Lephalale and Vhembe in Limpopo, Vuselela in the North West, Northern Cape Urban in the Northern Cape, Western College in Gauteng, uMgungundlovu in KwaZulu-Natal, and West Coast in the Western Cape.
Meanwhile, the department’s entities – the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority – have also collaborated to establish 18 industry-partnered learning factories (IPLFs).
According to Manamela, two IPLFs in each province, at a cost of about R120 million, will support 4IR skills development, innovation and entrepreneurship.
“These learning factories will also serve as platforms for upskilling and reskilling of the industry workforce through short courses to support the adoption of advanced technologies.”
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