EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
ANDRÉ ZITZKE , MANAGER GLOBAL ACADEMIC
PROGRAMMES AFRICA , SAS
ADESH NATHALAL , EDUCATION MANAGER , SAS SOUTH AFRICA
In 2018 , Korn Ferry predicted a global technology labour skills shortage of 4.3 million workers , and unrealised output of $ 449.70 billion , by 2030 . With technology underpinning all other sectors of the global economy , this talent shortage could stall advancement not only in the technology space but across industries .
The technology crunch is already having an impact on key business areas like innovation , business agility and workforce productivity . Urgent action is needed to tackle this technical skills crisis that is already stifling productivity and innovation across the globe , from the US to South Africa .
Increase upskilling and cross-skilling of the existing workforce , including people from non-technical backgrounds .
tools vendors . Create a learning environment and culture where employees are empowered and encouraged to grow their skills .
Several local industry events like Coding4Mandela and Teachers4DataAnalytics that are vital to expose young people to the career opportunities available for those with STEM skills . The private sector must also engage with universities to ensure that their programmes are capable of developing industry-ready talent .
This is why SAS remains focused on developing and grooming talent to enter the technology space through foundational education . It starts at the school level from a young age with the focus on data literacy and leveraging free cloud applications like SAS DataFly and the downloadable toolkit .
SAS outlines three recommendations to address the technology skills gap . Consolidate diverse AI and analytics tools around modern , open , multi-language tools which will increase data science productivity and empower end users to do basic analytics tasks , thereby democratising analytics and allowing more people to join the field .
Increase upskilling and cross-skilling of the existing workforce , including people from non-technical backgrounds . Encourage a diverse range of certifications , including training courses from software
The SAS Specialisation programs for universities is another example of how tertiary institutions can get access to the means to develop technical skills in students .
When combined with the practical exposure that hackathons like The Curiosity Cup and SAS Hackathon provide , and SAS-based industry certification available at a much-discounted rate to students , there are opportunities to provide students with an advantage when it comes to applying for their first job .
However , a traditional reliance on university degrees may not be enough . Our How to Solve the Data Science Skills Shortage report indicated that large companies would consider dropping their degree requirements . While they largely want to work with academic institutions to recruit technology talent directly , they also understand that relying on graduates alone will not fill vacancies fast enough .
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