The private sector must throw its support behind regional programmes by aligning its transformation and social investment activities with the larger goals of bodies such as the EU and NEPAD, a technology industry leader said today.
NEPAD in Africa and the Lisbon Agenda in Europe both need the support of the private sector to achieve sustainable, meaningful skills development, according to Ian Smith, Senior Vice-President of Oracle UK and SA.
Speaking in Johannesburg, Smith reviewed Oracle South Africa`s investment in skills development and emphasised the importance of aligning company initiatives with governmental and regional imperatives.
"Both the European Commission and NEPAD have acknowledged the important role the private sector must play in developing skills in Europe and Africa respectively," said Smith. "President Thabo Mbeki stated as much when he said that increased participation is needed by the African-based private sector to own, manage and drive development.
"The European Commission`s own Competitiveness Report found a positive correlation between productivity and levels of research and development, the number of students in higher education and specialisation in hi-tech activities. Regions rich in this type of investment are far more likely to have a well-developed entrepreneurial culture, helping to continue to foster the type of exciting industries in which Europe can and does lead the world."
Oracle South Africa has successfully launched a number of programmes in conjunction with the ISETT SETA, NEPAD and local universities to grow the pool of IT skills on the continent. The combined initiatives today see some 800 learners at secondary school, tertiary and post-graduate level acquiring mathematics and computer skills to achieve greater work-readiness in SA. Oracle South Africa`s partnership with NEPAD on the E-Schools project in Africa will see hundreds more learners in schools on the continent gaining access to learning material on the Internet. Oracle`s Think.com Web-based learning environment will be the foundation software for Internet-based learning material for schools. Currently Think.com is used in more than 3 000 schools worldwide.
In the UK, Smith leads Oracle`s skills development initiatives, focusing on developing business skills and providing support for mathematics and computer education for more than 10 000 learners in schools across the UK.
"Through our experience garnered in SA and Europe, when it comes to skills development at all levels, any initiative that will deliver a benefit to our company should be aligned with a larger vision for it to deliver sustainable, measurable results," said Smith.
Share