10 May 2007 - SmartXchange launches Smart City ICT Skills Development Forum

The Launch of the KZN ICT Skills Development Forum is the culmination of research that SmartXchange, together with the Municipality’s Economic Development Unit and Skills Development Unit has been conducting into the ICT skills supply and demand in the eThekwini Municipal area.

The event took place in the SmartXchange boardroom on Thursday May 10 and was attended by senior representatives of the ICT industry and tertiary training establishments.

Robynne Erwin, Skills Development Manager at SmartXchange, who has spearheaded the project since its inception, chaired the launch and outlined the work in progress.

Opening the launch, Martin Cele, CEO at SmartXchange, said his organisation has a mandate to develop and expand the SMME environment and that skills development is a critical component to economic growth of the ICT SMME sector.

“The research were have been doing has identified a number of challenges facing both Industry and Training providers and these have already been validated at the previous stakeholder meetings. This Forum provides a platform for dialogue between industry and training providers where Skills Development issues can be discussed and creative solutions found.”

SmartXchange, through its partnership with Microsoft was able to secure an ASGISA representative to address the forum. Marie Roux, National Skills Development Manager at Microsoft, sits on the ASGISA council and has undertaken to ensure the Forum is kept up to date with ASGISA initiatives. “The National Business Initiative driven by the Deputy President has created a working plan with targeted programmes, the aim of which is to excite people about skills development. We are creating a bandwagon where things will happen and where jobs will be created.”

“We need common access to skills development information and initiatives and access to industry needs and the role that ICT plays in business. This forum enables the ICT industry to share information, keep abreast of national Skills Development initiatives as well as to pool resources to ensure that the skills required by industry are developed.”

The benefits of the Skills Development Forum that has now been launched are many and include such essentials as networking opportunities, learnership workplace provision, sharing of best practices, awareness of skills development initiatives, collective industry input, qualifications aligned to ICT job requirements, Databases of jobs and skills, part of the Provincial ICT Cluster initiative and a potential lobby for student loan systems.

To download the primary research documents click below