1 Seta Career Opportuni… · Web viewThe MICT SETA also requests SDFs to provide data on the...

The Media, Information and Communication Technologies

Sector Education and Training Authority

Career Opportunities

Guide2014/15

Career Opportunities Guide 2014 Page 1

Our Vision:

To be recognised as the leader in the development of a highly skilled knowledge-based information society.

Our Mission:The MICT Seta generates, facilitates and accelerates the processes of

quality skills development at all levels in the MICT sector.

Table of Contents1 Introduction............................................................................................................................4

2 Sector Profile.........................................................................................................................5

2.1 MICT SETA Sub-sectors.......................................................................................5

2.2 Number of employers...........................................................................................5

2.3 Number of employers per sub-sector per size......................................................5

2.4 Number of employees per sub-sector...................................................................6

2.5 Racial distribution per sub-sector..........................................................................6

2.6 Employees by Occupation Group.........................................................................7

3 Demand and Supply of Skills...............................................................................................11

3.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................11

3.2 Labour demand...................................................................................................11

3.3 Scarce Skills demand.........................................................................................11

3.4 Approach to identifying scarce and critical skills.................................................12

3.5 Overview of scarce skills.....................................................................................13

3.5.1 Advertising.....................................................................................143.5.2 Film and Electronic Media................................................................143.5.3 Electronics.....................................................................................153.5.4 Information Technology....................................................................173.5.5 Telecommunications........................................................................18

3.6 Overview of critical skills.....................................................................................19

3.7 Supply of Skills into the MICT Sector..................................................................23

3.7.1 FET/HET landscape and enrolments in relevant qualifications...............233.7.2 Other providers...............................................................................24

3.8 Learning Programmes........................................................................................24

3.9 PIVOTAL programmes........................................................................................26

3.10 Registered qualifications.....................................................................................27

3.11 Utilisation of Qualifications..................................................................................30

3.12 Training Conducted in the Sector.......................................................................31

4 Summary.............................................................................................................................32

5 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................32

6 Contact us........................................................................................................................... 32

Sector Skills Planning:............................................................................................................32

Learning Programmes............................................................................................................32

ETQA .................................................................................................................................33


1 IntroductionThe purpose of the Career Opportunities Guide is to provide an overview of the MICT sector skills requirements within the South African context. The information for developing the Guide was gathered through multiple data sources and research methods:

Desk research was conducted by sourcing and reviewing documents and data from several institutions including Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), and the Bureau for Economic Research (BER). This data is complemented by other desktop and online research reports that are sub-sector specific and those that are generic about the South African economy.

An ICT skills survey report developed by the Joburg Centre for Software Engineering in conjunction with MICT SETA and supported by the Computer Society of South Africa, the Information Technology Association of South Africa and ITWeb

An analysis of the workplace skills plans (WSP) and annual training report (ATR) submissions was conducted to determine the level of skills need and supply amongst employers submitting these documents periodically to MICT SETA

In-depth Interviews were conducted with key informants and stakeholders with knowledge of the sector to gain insights about the dynamics of the sector and issues relating to skills development

Focus groups were conducted across all sub-sectors, including targeted sessions with the small businesses in the sector to confirm scarce skills

The MICT SETA endeavours to develop strategic quality human capital in relation to the needs of the South African MICT Sector that will contribute to social upliftment and the stimulation of economic growth by raising the levels, quality and relevance of education and training in the sector. The development of the Career Opportunities Guide is aimed at building and promoting a competent workforce. It provides career opportunity information in the MICT Sector and it targets employers and training providers. Employers can use the Guide to assess the extent to which their scarce and critical skill requirements are in demand while the training providers can assess whether their curricula encompass the requisite skills. The Guide is also intended to assist:

Learners in schools to make subject choices

Matriculants to make career choices

Young graduates who need to find employment

Employees within the MICT sub–sectors to further develop their careers.

Even though ICT is used throughout the economy, it is important to note that the MICT SETA currently records the skills needs of its stakeholder companies. This Career Opportunities Guide primarily captures the MICT Sector specifically, hence the exclusion of ICT skill demands of other SETA sectors, unless stated otherwise.

2 Sector ProfileThe MICT sector is made up of five sub-sectors that are varied but interconnected and at the forefront of information and communication technology.

2.1 MICT SETA Sub-sectorsThe five sub-sectors comprise:

Advertising

Film and Electronic Media

Electronics

Information Technology

Telecommunications

2.2 Number of employersThere are over 19,500 employers in the sector broken down as follows:Table 1: The MICT Sector Number of Employers per Sub Sector

Sub-Sector Total

Advertising 2,303

Film and Electronic Media

2,151

Electronics 2,469

Information Technology 9,398

Telecommunications 1,228

Unknown 1,963

Total 19,515

Source: The MICT SETA OGS, 2013

2.3 Number of employers per sub-sector per sizeAbout 95% of the employers are small with less than 50 employees, and levy-paying employers constitute only 20%.Table 2: The MICT Sector Size of Employers per Sub Sector

Sub-Sector 0-49 50-149 150+ Total


Advertising 2252 40 11 2303

Film and Electronic Media 2072 38 41 2151

Electronics 2304 98 67 2469

Information Technology 8961 297 140 9398

Telecommunications 1112 72 44 1228

Unknown 1936 17 10 1963

Total 18640 562 313 19515


2.4 Number of employees per sub-sectorFigure 1: Number of Employees by Sub-sector, 2009 to 2013

Advertisin

g

Film an

d Electr

onic Med

ia

Electr

onics

Informati

on Technology

Teleco

mmunications

0100002000030000400005000060000700008000090000

100000

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Source: The MICT SETA OGS

In terms of race segmentation of employees, there are more white people (40%) employed than other race groups across all the sub-sectors. Africans constitute over 37% of all employees in the sector whilst Indians are the least represented employees. As can be seen from the figure below, Information Technology has the highest proportion of white employees as compared to other sub-sectors while Telecommunications and Film and Electronic Media have the highest proportion Africans.

2.5 Racial distribution per sub-sectorFigure 2: Race Distribution of Employees

Adverti

sing

Film and Electr

onic Media and

Electronics

Information Tech

nology

Telecommunica

tions0

5000100001500020000250003000035000

African Coloured Indian White


In terms of employment equity, the sectors still have some way to go in ensuring that those employed are representative of the demographics of the country. Skills shortages are rated as one of the most important factors hindering the success and sustainability of companies in the sector. Challenges are however, faced in the form of the transfer of critical skills to designated groups, this is progressing at a slower rate than expected. Focused skills development interventions will serve as one of the strategic mechanisms employers should consider in redressing this situation.

HIV/Aids

According to StatsSA1 the total number of people living with HIV is estimated at approximately 5, 26 million in 2013. Of adults aged 15–49 years, an estimated 15,9% of the population is HIV positive. The HSRC2 key findings of the 2012 household survey show that an estimated 6.4 million people are living with HIV/AIDS in 2012, and that over 2 million people were on antiretroviral (ARV) treatment by mid-2012. This dramatic increase of ARV treatment in the country has had a major impact on the survival of people living with HIV, which was more prominent in the older age groups. There has been a decline of HIV prevalence among youth aged 15 – 24 years, however, the context of current HIV/AIDS trends resulted in the reduction of high skilled labour and the capacity to replace the human capital (the response by management, and the effectiveness of government interventions) is becoming critical. A less experienced and particularly young workforce might result in declining productivity; this may call for increased skills development interventions to respond to the HIV/Aids dilemma.

2.6 Employees by Occupation GroupIt is important to understand the occupational make up of employees in the sector as this ultimately has implications on the types of skills development intervention required. There are more professionals than any other occupational category in the sector. Professionals constitute 37% of all employees in the sector. Managers and clerical support workers each represent 15% of the reported total workforce.

Employment within managers, professionals and associate professionals categories typically require a degree, diploma or NQF level 6 qualifications as an entry. These categories collectively account for 68% of all employees in the sector. As compared to other economic sectors, which employ more people in elementary occupations, this sector

1StatsSA: Mid-year population estimates 20132Plenary Session 3, 20 June 2013 - "HIV/AIDS in South Africa: At last the glass is half full"


reflects the converse and could be attributed to the professional services orientation of offerings by employers in the sector.Figure 3: Employee Breakdown by Major Group

1 Managers

2 Professionals

3 Technicians and Associate Professionals

4 Clerical Support workers

5 Service and Sales Workers

6 Skilled Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery, Craft And Related Trades Workers

7 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers

8 Elementary Occupations

0 20000 40000 60000 80000


Across all sub-sectors, there are more professionals as compared to other occupational categories. They are followed by managers and clerical support workers each representing 15% of the total workforce of employers submitting WSPs. Across all sub-sectors, elementary occupations and plant and machine operators have the lowest representivity. The implication of this spread amongst occupational categories is that the MICT SETA has to focus on the production of mid to higher level skills.

Table 3: Number of Employees by OFO Sub Major and Sub-sector

Major OFO Group Advertising

Electronic Media and Film

Electronics Information Technology

Telecommunications

Total

1 Managers 1531 1316 3265 9864 8024 25543

2 Professionals 3219 4386 6220 29354 13699 60482

3 Technicians and Associate Professionals

963 2675 4579 10486 4586 24315

4 Clerical Support workers 1075 3208 3273 10216 6715 25736

5 Service and Sales Workers 200 268 569 1963 2470 5795


206 298 1457 1549 9389 13270

7 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers

229 228 798 782 623 2744

8 Elementary Occupations 224 659 722 2275 510 4737

Total 7647 13038 20883 66489 46016 162622


The following figure presents the number of employees in the MICT Sector, segmented by gender. As can be observed, the sector is very male dominated with 63% of all employees being male. At the managerial, professional and technical occupational levels there are more males than females. Amongst the elementary occupations there appears to be an even split between male and female whilst clerical support workers and service and sales workers have a higher female representivity. Table 4: Major Group by Gender

Major OFO Group Male Female

1 Managers 17081 8462

2 Professionals 41052 19430

3 Technicians and Associate Professionals 15541 8774

4 Clerical Support workers 9059 16677

5 Service and Sales Workers 2735 3060


11350 1920

7 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers 2183 573

8 Elementary Occupations 2808 1929


In terms of race, Whites account for 61% of total managers reported and 50% for professional roles. Amongst plant and machine operators and elementary occupations Africans are the majority accounting for 68% and 81% respectively. This implies that Africans are holding lower level positions whilst their white colleagues have a higher representivity in more senior roles.Table 5: Major Group by Race

Major OFO Group African Coloured Indian White

1 Managers 4694 2143 3053 15653

2 Professionals 17593 5405 6928 30556

3 Technicians and Associate Professionals 10374 3106 2371 8464

4 Clerical Support workers 13814 4111 2198 5613

5 Service and Sales Workers 2212 901 948 1734


6688 1936 921 3725

7 Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers 1873 529 190 164

8 Elementary Occupations 3872 471 57 337

Total 61120 18602 16666 66246


The racial profile for the sector when observed according to occupational categories has some significant implications for transformation in the sector. In terms of skills development, there is a need to capacitate and up-skill Africans so that they can over time access more


senior roles and managerial roles can be more representative of the demographics of the country.

3 Demand and Supply of Skills

3.1 IntroductionThis section starts off by discussing labour demand in the MICT sector based on the data from the sector profile and sector analysis. Thereafter, it outlines challenges being experienced in quantifying scarce skills demand in a more coherent manner. MICT SETA has started using various research methods to achieve a level of triangulation in the demand for scarce and critical skills in the sector. Methods being used include the traditional reliance on WSPs and ATRs submissions as well as interviews with selected stakeholders in all the sub-sectors and an electronic survey.

3.2 Labour demandDemand for labour is a function of a number of factors. As output in the economy increases, firms are likely to employ more people. As outlined in the previous chapter, all the sub-sectors are anticipating growth in the medium term and this could have a positive impact on the demand for additional people. In terms of expected growth rates per sub-sector, Advertising 8% y.o.y compounded, Film and Electronic Media 7.4% y.o.y compounded, Electronics 11,4%, Information Technology 8% and Telecommunications approximately 10%

It was reported in chapter 1 that about 6% of employees in the sector are above the age of 55 implying that they are nearing retirement and will have to be replaced in the next five years, considering a retirement age of 60

Interviews with stakeholders in the sector have pointed to high levels of labour turnover. They cited the fact that the skills employed in the sector are also applicable in other sectors of the economy

As articulated in previous section, the sector employs more managers, professionals and technicians and associate professionals. These occupational categories generally require training in mid to higher-level skills.

The expected economic growth in the sector, coupled with the anticipated retirements and attrition and other exits from the sector indicates a need for increased demand for labour in the sector. Although at a slow pace, the sector overall experienced an increase in total employment between 2002 and 2012 and this is likely to continue, at least in the medium term. As posited by Schofield (2013), in relation to the ICT sector, “so with Gartner predicting 1,9 million new technology jobs in the USA to support Big Data analytics by 2015, the European Union forecasting a shortage of 700 000 entry-level skills by 2015, Australia predicting a shortfall of 35 000 IT workers in the same time frame, ICANN suggesting a shortage of between 20 000 and 40 000 computer security experts in the USA, what can we expect for South Africa?”

3.3 Scarce Skills demandMICT SETA is required to focus primarily on the development of scarce and critical skills in the sectors. There are various ways of understanding demand for skills in an economic sector. These include:

In the WSP submissions from stakeholder organisations, MICT SETA requires SDFs to provide data on the training interventions that they intend conducting. In other words, an indication of planned demand.

During interviews, employers were asked to comment on occupations that they were finding difficult to recruit. This provided “top of mind” examples of such occupations by those interviewed.


The survey conducted amongst employers in the sector also provides some indications of scarce and critical skills demand.

Although an analysis of WSPs provides indications for demand in terms of planned training to take place in the sector, there are instances where training is conducted to “claim” back money from the SETAs and often this distorts the picture. Employers have indicated that they often do not provide in the WSP the training that they are self-funding and only include the training where they expect the SETA to provide funding and which is in line with funding guidelines. This obviously distorts the picture.

The MICT SETA also requests SDFs to provide data on the occupations they had difficulty filling and to forecast their anticipated difficulties in recruiting experienced and qualified people over a four-year period as follows:

Immediate – these are immediate as at end March2013

Anticipated need for the period 1st April 2013 to 31st March 2014



One of the major limitations of the demand data is the lack of submissions from all the employers in the sector. However, this is circumvented through modelling techniques, which extrapolate the data for the whole population.

3.4 Approach to identifying scarce and critical skillsAs part of their work, SETAs analyse demand for skills from employers within the sector of their respective sub-sectors. The demand for skills takes various forms:Recruitment difficulties: There are instances when employers experience difficulties recruiting. Some of the reasons could be linked with the shortage of skilled and qualified people for the identified vacancies. That could signal a need for training of people to increase a pool of qualified people. It could of course be that there are sufficient people in the market but the job or industry or even particular company does not have a good image and therefore does not attract good skills. No amount of training of new people will turn things around. A particular TV station could have difficulties recruiting Camera Technicians even though there is a high supply of such people in the market. The people with the necessary skills could have a particular dislike for the TV station or there could be better opportunities in the film making business making working in TV less attractive. No matter how many more people are trained, they could still choose not to work there because of the lack of attractiveness of working in the particular organisation, sub-sector or job.

Skills Gaps: there are times when people particular jobs, roles or occupations require people with particular skills but there is shortage of people with those skills. Due to the dynamic nature of the MICT sector with technologies changing constantly, people employed in the sector and those not currently employed could find themselves lacking certain skills because of changes in technology. In other words, there is a supply of qualified people but they lack the particular skill required. These skills gaps are sometimes referred to as critical skills, which are basically skills that are critical for a particular job or occupation but which are lacking amongst those qualified and available to work. There is need for training to top up the skills that these people already possess. For example, as programming languages evolve, Programmers and Developers with knowledge of older languages could soon find themselves not being able to operate in the world of new programming languages and new technologies. There is however some additional specialised skills that one needs which are additional requirements for such a job. In other words, there is a skills gap amongst those who are qualified and available to work.

Skills shortages: this is when there are not sufficient numbers of qualified people to fill certain vacancies. One can think of the number of medical doctors being produced by the universities in the country annually. If say there are only 500 electrical engineers being produced annually but there are currently vacancies for 4000 engineers across the economy, it could take 8 years to fill all vacancies. Of course electrical engineers might die, emigrate or retire and in that way, more vacancies would exist and there would be an even bigger need that just 4000 for engineers. In such instances certain employers could elect to import qualified and experienced people from countries that have an over-supply or which pay lower salaries. Skills development could play an integral part in alleviating such problems.

Labour shortage: this happens when there just isn’t sufficient numbers of people to work. In countries with high employment one could find it difficult to find people to work in certain sectors, which for whatever reasons are not able to attract people. When there is labour shortage, skills could be imported from elsewhere to help increase the pool.

Given the above typologies for employment, having conducted an analysis of demand for skills in the sector, the SETA has a number of levers open to it on the supply side:There are instances where a new qualification has to be developed to help increase a pool of qualified people through creating a new pathway for accessing learning.

The qualification should be of good quality and be trusted by employers

Funding of learning could enable the production of more skills in the sector

Retooling of graduates into areas where there is demand for qualified people could increase a pool of people available to work

Provision of top up skills could enable people with skills gaps to become competent in performing particular roles

Although it is difficult to quantify the accurate numbers of skills demand across the various typologies, thinking through the typologies helps with the development of an appropriate intervention. On the supply side, MICT SETA could be working with universities to improve their curriculum to make it more responsive to the needs of employers, developing new qualifications, retooling graduates, providing experiential learning opportunities and providing access into the sector through entry level programmes.

3.5 Overview of scarce skillsEach year, the SETAs gather data on the scarce skills (occupations where employers experience difficulties recruiting qualified people) identified in each of the SETA sub-sectors. As outlined above there are various typologies for skills identifying scarcity.

In estimating scarce skills for the sector a model was developed taking into account the number of WSPs submitted per sub-sector. In addition the model was weighted on the size of employers. A number of assumptions, which were outlined in chapter one, were used to calculate the weightings and a platform was developed on which to estimate demand for the whole sector. The model was applied on the scarce skills needs identified for the sector through WSP submissions and a list of over 185 occupations was developed.

In compiling the top scarce skills, the following were considered:Number of times an occupation is identified as scarce in the WSP submission

Occupations identified as scarce skills per sub-sector during interviews

Reasons for scarcity given during the survey


3.5.1 AdvertisingThe limitation of the data presented below is that even though it is modelled, the input data is from employers and might not have been well thought through when being submitted as part of WSPs. The following table provides an estimate of top 10 scarce skills in the Advertising sub-sector.

Table 6: Estimation of Advertising Scarce Skills Need

Occupation OFO Code 2013 2014 2015 2016

Director (Enterprise / Organisation) 112101 52 13 13 26

Data Management Manager 133103 26 13 13 26

Graphic Designer 216601 209 143 130 104

Multimedia Designer 216603 509 104 104 757

Web Designer 216604 52 26 26 52

Advertising Specialist 243101 222 170 117 352

ICT Account Manager 243401 26 26 26 26

Multimedia Specialist 251301 65 0 0 13

Copywriter 264201 78 157 196 78

Sales Representative (Business Services) 333903 26 13 13 52

Classified Advertising Clerk 441901 65 0 0 0


As presented in the table above, in the Advertising sub-sector, the occupations identified are mostly professional indicating the need for high-level skills. Across most of these, the most favoured intervention was internships followed by bursaries. The following is a summary of the scarce skills occupations for the sub-sector:Director could refer to senior managerial people including project directors. Other alternative titles include Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Company Director, Executive Director and Managing Director

Alternative titles to a Data Management Manager are Data Operations Manager or Data Processing Manager. Their role involves processing and manipulation of data

Multimedia Designer alternative titles include Digital Media Designer, Instructional Designer, Interactive Media Designer and Multimedia Artist

Advertising Specialists are also known as Advertising Account Executive, Advertising Account Manager, Advertising Agent Representative, Advertising Coordinator / Specialist or Creative Director (Advertising)

3.5.2 Film and Electronic MediaThe table below presents the estimation of Film and Electronic Media scarce skills identified and projected over a period of four years. There appears to be some relationship between skills required in the Advertising sub-sector and in the Film and Electronic Media sub-sector.

Table 7: Estimation of Film and Electronic Media Scarce Skills Need


Multimedia Designer 216603 2788 2788 2788 1859

Management Accountant 241102 133 187 187 80

Market Research Analyst 243102 267 533 533 133

Software Developer 251201 107 0 0 27

Multimedia Specialist 251301 2665 2665 2665 1333

Web Developer 251302 133 187 187 133

Technical Writer 264103 267 533 267 533

Radio Journalist 264204 133 53 53 133

Director (Film, Television, Radio or Stage) 265401 1333 1333 1333 1333

Film and Video Editor 265403 133 0 0 0

Program Director (Television or Radio) 265404 107 160 160 53

Technical Director 265405 133 213 267 0

Sales Representative (Business Services) 333903 187 80 80 160

Set Designer 343204 160 213 213 107

Sound Technician 352103 533 800 1066 533


It appears the areas of scarcity for most of the Film and Electronic Media occupations exists primarily in more technical roles specific to the sector and less on generic skills such as HR and Finance. In addition to the table above, print journalists with particular specialisations were identified as scarce. Alternative titles to a multimedia specialist are Animation Programmer, Computer Games Programmer, Digital Media Specialist, Graphical Programmer, Multimedia Developer and Multimedia Programmer.

Film and Video Editors are also known as Post Production Editor or Film Editing Equipment Operator

3.5.3 ElectronicsThe table below presents the estimation of the top Electronic sub-sector scarce skills required within South Africa projected over the next four years. For this sub-sector, higher scarcity is being estimated in computer related and electronics related occupations. As demonstrated in the next table, there are similarities between the areas of scarcity in the Electronics and Information Technology sub-sector. This could be attributed to the IT intensive nature of the electronic sub-sector and the level of convergence that exists between the two sub-sectors. Table 8: Estimation of Electronics Scarce Skills Need



Sales Manager 122102 136 72 48 144

Electronics Engineer 215201 112 112 136 128

ICT Trainer 235601 120 80 40 120

ICT Sales Representative 243403 160 80 48 160


Developer Programmer 251203 184 192 24 104

Computer Network and Systems Engineer 252301 272 208 208 160

Electrical Engineering Technician 311301 176 0 0 88

Electronic Engineering Technician 311401 1280 480 240 960

Computer Network Technician 351301 320 176 152 232


With regards to Electronic Engineer the alternative job titles are Communications Engineer (Army), Computer Engineer, Electronics Designer, Information Engineer, Instrumentation Engineer and Television Engineer.

Computer Network and Systems Engineers have alternative job titles such as Communications Analyst (Computers), Computer Network Engineer, Computer Systems Integrator, Computer Systems / Service Engineer, Network Engineer, Network Programmer / Analyst, Network Support Engineer, Systems Engineer, Systems Integrator or ICT Customer Support Officer.

3.5.4 Information TechnologyTable 9: Estimation of Information Technology Scarce Skills Need


Finance Manager 121101 166 18 37 46

ICT Project Manager 133102 175 239 368 110

Management Consultant 242101 230 202 193 257

ICT Account Manager 243401 120 175 147 83

ICT Sales Representative 243403 147 156 156 46

ICT Systems Analyst 251101 1094 1011 883 1214


Programmer Analyst 251202 120 120 110 37


Quality Assurance Analyst (Computers) 251901 166 193 248 230

Database Designer and Administrator 252101 147 607 175 175

Systems Administrator 252201 202 138 92 221

Computer Network and Systems Engineer 252301 2005 947 736 1407

ICT Security Specialist 252901 497 671 1030 524

Technical (ICT) Support Services Manager 252902 138 37 37 28


Web Technician 351401 211 745 331 138

Telecommunications Technical Officer or Technologist 352201 331 221 230 294

Program or Project Administrators 441903 276 184 110 524


There are software developer, programmer analyst and developer programmer skills that remain areas of scarcity in the sub-sector. In this regard, the ICT survey found that priority skills are in the fields of Software as Service/Cloud Computing, Network Infrastructure, Information Security and Application Development. On the other hand, the top programming languages were found to be NET, C#, C++, Java and VB.

In addition to the scarcity reflected above, the Government Information Officers Council, representing all government departments CIOs in South Africa have provided a list of scarce skills from a government IT’s viewpoint. The list consists of job titles where blue indicates scarcity also identified in the table above:


Business Analyst

Mobile Apps Developers

ECM Specialists

Web & Portal Developers

Business Intelligence Developers

SAP HCM Consultants

SAP SRM Consultants

SAP Authorization Consultants

SAP Basis Consultants

SAP Abap Developers

Open Source Developers

Data Architects

Application Architects

Network Administrators

Quality Assurance Administrators

IT Managers

With regards to the list above it is noted that the imminent deployment of SAP HCM as part of IFMS will impact on SAP HCM skills countrywide. The government strategy to promote open source will be impacted by the scarcity of skills. Enterprise Content Managers are in demand by all government departments and is a high scarcity. Moreover, the strategy of developing IMSP will be impacted by lack of Enterprise Architecture skills.

3.5.5 TelecommunicationsAs with the Information Technology and Electronics sub-sectors, Telecommunications has identified a higher need in the technical occupations that are specific to the sector as being a scarcity of skills. The telecommunications sub-sector incorporates both the retail side and the technical side. As noted in the table below, there is a scarcity amongst professionals. The experienced retail managers are required in the mobile phone shops. Table 10: Estimation of Telecommunications Scarce Skills Need


Sales and Marketing Manager 122101 50 50 50 55

Chief Information Officer 133101 100 100 50 175

Retail Manager (General) 142103 45 40 40 40

Telecommunications Network Engineer 215303 50 50 50 25

ICT Trainer 235601 30 25 25 40

Management Consultant 242101 50 25 25 50

ICT Business Development Manager 243402 55 50 50 60

ICT Systems Analyst 251101 40 25 25 65



Systems Administrator 252201 25 25 25 35

Electrical Engineering Technician 311301 35 20 15 25

Computer Operator 351101 250 100 100 250


Telecommunications Technical Officer or Technologist 352201 30 30 30 55

Telecommunications Line Mechanic 672204 50 50 50 100


In the table above, all occupations presented are deemed to specifically require ICT technical skills. It must be noted that the OFO code for Management Consultants also include job titles such as Business Analyst, Business Support Project Manager, E-commerce Programme Manager, Service Solutions Project Manager and Technology Development Coordinator.

The occupations identified as scarce over the next four years presents MICT SETA with an opportunity to work with stakeholders in prioritising and supporting interventions that are aimed at addressing these scarce skills.

3.6 Overview of critical skillsThe rapid technological changes in the sector require that employees keep abreast with the developments. This is a costly exercise for employers, as they constantly have to send employees for training on new technologies. The annual training report submissions for 2013 by employers has reflected a 78% training on short courses (learning programmes that are not credit bearing) as compared to other forms of learning programmes. Employers in the sector have indicated that the type of training that employees have to attend is typically vendor specific and some do not bother with providing MICT SETA with information about such programmes as they fund them from their internal training budgets.

Each year, the SETAs gather data on the scarce skills (current and potential important vacancies) identified in each of the SETA Sectors. The critical skills below were identified from WSP submissions and extrapolated using modelling techniques to reflect demand at a sector level. There were over 500 critical skills identified across all the five sub-sectors and identifying the top ones was somewhat challenging.

The table below reflects an estimation of critical skills for the Advertising sub-sector.Table 11: Estimation of Advertising Critical Skills

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Customer Service 114 228 285 331

Digital skills (Including programming, animation, and applications) 95 190 238 276


Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Strategic thinking 57 114 143 166

Reputation management 38 76 95 110

Research skills 19 38 48 55

Management / Leadership development 19 38 48 55

Content Management 19 38 48 55


As presented in the table above, in the Advertising sub-sector, it is estimated to require customer service skills more than any other critical skill. The crucial skills identified were grouped together as they reflected needs identified across various occupations.

The table below presents the estimation of Film and Electronic Media critical skills. Most of the critical skills identified are technical skills that are relevant to occupations in the sector, followed by generic skills such as accounting that are required across various economic sectors.Table 12: Estimation of Film and Electronic Media Critical Skills

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Digital (programming, airwaves, animation) 1983 3967 4958 5752

Set Building 401 801 1002 1162

Project Accounting 401 801 1002 1162

Technical directorial skills 200 401 501 581

Client Relationship Building 120 290 352 349

Management / Leadership 120 240 300 349


The Electronics subsector listed technical skills as the highest critical skills in the sector. With the exception of sales, the rest of the critical skills identified in the Electronics sub-sector are technical skills that are specific to people employed in the sub-sector.

Table 13: Estimation of Electronics Critical Skills

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Technical skills (Including 1512 3023 3779 4384

Consulting 252 504 630 731

Engineering techniques 252 504 630 731

Facilitation 189 378 472 548

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Sales 189 378 472 548

Java 126 252 315 365

Database Administration 76 151 189 219

Voice and Data Communication 76 151 189 219

Biochemistry 63 126 157 183

Field Technician Controls 63 126 157 183


The table below presents the estimation of Information Technology critical skills over the next four years. It is likely that the sub-sector stakeholders will continue to enrol their employees on short courses, as is currently the case, to address the skills gaps. Innovation and commoditisation of technology and the consumerisation and proliferation of devices ensure that the employers and practitioners in the sector must invest in skills and skills updates on a continuous basis (ICT Survey, 2013).

Table 14: Estimation of Information Technology Critical Skills

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Sales Skills (Including Account Management) 7172 14344 17930 20799

Technical skills 1057 2115 2644 3067

Support Skills 570 1140 1425 1653

Product Skills 386 772 965 1120

Network Support 322 644 805 933

Oracle and MS Databases 276 552 690 800

Accounting 257 515 644 747

Business Analysis 202 405 506 587

Management and leadership Development 184 368 460 533

Office Automation 184 368 460 533


In the Information Technology sub-sector, employees require to be upskilled in sales skills followed by technical skills. Most of the critical skills gaps in the sub-sector are technical in nature. Some soft skills such as management and leadership development and accounting are starting to emerge in this sub-sector as compared to other sub-sectors.


The table below presents critical skills gaps in the Telecommunications sub-sector. Most of the critical skills gaps are deemed to specifically require IT technical interventions with the exception of mentoring and succession planning skills.

Table 15: Estimation of Telecommunications Critical Skills

Critical Skill 2013 2014 2015 2016

Mentoring and succession planning 1104 2209 2761 3203

Customer Service Skills 412 824 1030 1195

Technician 412 824 1030 1195

Management/Leadership 148 297 371 430

Product knowledge 90 165 206 239

Engineering, planning, Core network and monitoring 84 165 206 239

General understanding of Telecoms 82 165 206 239

IT networking 80 165 206 239

Programming 78 165 206 239


The critical skills needs highlighted above indicate the trend of employers funding and conducting their own training as they see fit and in line with their business requirements. Given the varied nature of programmes per sub-sector and across occupations, employers are accessing bespoke training from providers of their choice.

MICT SETA has identified a number of vendor programmes that are in high demand within the sector and it is in the process of aligning them with the National Qualifications Framework so that they could be recognised as credit bearing. Employers recognise these programmes as standard bearers and they enable employees to be employable. Once the programmes have been aligned with the NQF, in addition to receiving a certificate from the vendor or the certificatory, MICT SETA will also be issuing a certificate of credits.

3.7 Supply of Skills into the MICT SectorThe MICT sector relies on a mix of private and public provision of education and training for skills into the sector. The public HET sector provides degrees and diplomas that are relevant for the sector however there is always a need for additional skills once people have graduated. These are typically offered in the private sector. The private providers have traditionally provided training in some of the sub-sectors over the years and their training is generally considered to be of sufficient value.

Given the rapid nature of technological advancements in the sector, there is a need to consistently up-skill employees. Though a mixture of learning programmes are popular within the MICT sector, vendor specific programmes and certifications remain the most popular, more especially in the Information Technology sub-sector. For the practitioners to work on particular equipment, they require training that is typically non-credit bearing and lasting just but a couple of days.

3.7.1 FET/HET landscape and enrolments in relevant qualificationsAll universities in South Africa produce skills that are relevant in the sector. The DHET requires that SETAs work closely with public HETs and FETs in delivering skills development. In respect of this, the SETA grant regulations issued in 2012 required SETAs to fund PIVOTAL programmes.

There are about 52 FET colleges in South Africa which each provide a myriad of qualifications. A few of these FET colleges are conducting business with SETAs and have successfully implemented SETA funded programmes on behalf of employers. Government would like to see more of these colleges getting involved in the delivery of training, especially in rural areas where private provision is almost non-existent and where there is a need for targeted skills development interventions. A number of FET colleges are accredited to offer the International Computer Driver’s License (ICDL), which enables them to offer end user computing skills to people close to where they are located. Challenges that currently exist for FET colleges are ensuring better throughput rates amongst NC (V) learners and those enrolled on Nated programmes. FET colleges offer technical and business programmes that are relevant in the MICT sector.

The South African HET sector produces thousands of graduates annually who remain unemployed. Often learners enrol on programmes that do not offer career opportunities whilst in other cases the curriculum being taught at these institutions does not align with the needs of employers in the economy. The HEMIS database of the DHET provides graduates data across all public HEIs in the following categories:Undergraduate diplomas and certificates

First bachelor’s degrees

4 year bachelor degrees

Postgraduate diplomas and certificates

Honours degrees

Masters degrees and diplomas

Doctoral degrees

The following table reflects graduates per annum between 2009 and 2011.

Learning Category 2009 2010 2011


Advertising and Marketing related 5,311 5,834 6,626

Computer science and electrical engineering related

7,326 7,937 8,378

Film and Photographic Arts 63 341 361

Source: HEMIS database, 2013

As can be seen from the table above, there has been a general graduate output increase in all categories. Graduate outputs for marketing and advertising related degrees have been on an increase between 2009 and 2011. There was an increase of about 13% in graduates between 2010 and 2011. Computer science and computer science related graduates have also increased between 2009 and 2011. With regards to the Film and Photographic Arts, an almost 6% growth was recorded between 2010 and 2011.

Although the graduate output reflected in the table above indicates a growing trend, taking into account over 19,000 employers in the sector as well as other employers in the broader economy who are also recruiting these skills, the output is limited. It must be noted that employers in the sector do not only employ graduates from these categories, however, these form the core of “technical” skills required in the sector.

It must however be noted that employers have lamented the lack of work readiness of graduates. In most instances these graduates were taught on out-dated curricula and must first learn some more in the workplace before they become usable. In addition, employers have to train them on proprietary software packages or equipment relevant short courses. Given that most of the vendor courses are not aligned to the NQF, these cannot be claimed under PIVOTAL grants despite being of importance in the sector.

There appears to be a challenge with graduates not having sufficient knowledge and exposure to the workplace prior to graduating. However, there are some private training providers who work closely with the industry and are constantly exposing their students to real world projects. In order to overcome the challenge of a lack of work-readiness, some employers have explored internships, which they use as an on boarding programme to expose and develop graduates.

3.7.2 Other providersThere are private training providers operating in the sector providing specialised and niche training and in certain instances are reliant upon to produce the technical skills required. Employers in the ICT sector increasingly rely on vendor specific training packages in relation to the software packages and technologies that practitioners are required to use. While some of the training is provided as top up skills to graduates and experienced practitioners, there are specific training programmes that are aimed at providing skills and certification for people with no post school qualification or background in the sector.

Given the need policy direction to fund more PIVOTAL programmes, it is imperative for the sector to identify and align specific vendor programmes to the NQF so that they can be funded as part of the sector development strategy.

3.8 Learning ProgrammesLearnershipsA learnership is a programme that consists of a structured learning component and includes practical work experience of a specified nature and duration.

A learnership is related to an occupation, is registered with the Department of Higher Education and Training and shall lead to a qualification registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

For the purposes of this policy, the duration of the learnership shall not be less than twelve months.

The total grant for the learnership shall be R53,000.00 (ceiling) per learner, this shall include the minimum stipend of R1500.00 per learner per month. The training grant shall be R35,000.00 per learner.

The learnership grant is not intended to cover all the total implementation cost in instances where the implementation cost exceeds the ceiling amount.

Skills ProgrammesThe Skills Programme is an occupationally-directed learning programme comprising of both theory and practical work experience, it is unit standard based and bears credits that lead to a registered qualification.

The duration of the MICT Seta skills programmes shall be three to six months.

A total grant for the skills programme shall be between R5000 and R35 000.00 (ceiling) per learner (depending on the duration) and the minimum stipend shall be R1500,00 per learner per month.

Short CoursesShort courses are learning programmes that are occupationally directed and aimed at addressing critical and scarce skills within workplaces.

Short courses are not unit standard based and may/may not lead to a qualification registered on the NQF.

The duration of the MICT Seta short course shall be one to six months.

A total grant for the short course is dependent on the duration and the type of the course.

Internship ProgrammesThe MICT SETA internship programme is a programme that is undertaken at a workplace for the purposes of exposure to the workplace experience.

The duration of the MICT Seta internship programme shall be between eight and twelve months.

The total grant for the Graduate Internship Programme shall be R70 000.00 (ceiling) per Intern and the minimum stipend shall be R3500, 00 per Intern per month.

Workplace experienceThe MICT SETA workplace experience is a programme that is undertaken at a workplace for the purposes of exposure to the workplace experience to complete a qualification.

The duration of the MICT Seta workplace experience shall be between six to twelve months depending on the institutional requirements.

The total grant for the workplace experience shall be R70 000.00 (ceiling) per Intern, this shall include the minimum stipend of not less than R3500,00 per Intern per month.

BursariesA bursary is a grant allocated to learners who are studying or registered to study in academic learning programmes that lead to academic qualifications such as certificates, Higher Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees.

The bursary grant shall be awarded for the duration of the qualification for qualifying learners studying or intending to study within the MICT sector and shall be annually renewed subject to the Bursar’s successful completion of the academic year sponsored.


The total bursary grant shall be up to an amount of R70 000.00 (ceiling) per year inclusive of all other inherent costs.

3.9 PIVOTAL programmesDefinitionAccording to NSDS III and the new SETAs Grant Regulations regarding monies received by a SETA and related matters (Government Gazette No. 35940), PIVOTAL programmes refer to:

Professional, vocational, technical and academic learning programmes that result in qualifications or part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) that address critical and scarce skills needs.

Professional learning programmes shall mean programmes that lead to designations that are registered by professional bodies.

Vocational learning programmes shall mean nated and artisanal programmes that lead to a trade and/or the National Certificate Vocational (NCV).

Technical learning programmes shall mean programmes that are occupationally-directed and registered by the SETA; such programmes include apprenticeships, learnerships and skills programmes.

Academic learning programmes shall mean programmes that lead to academic qualifications such as certificates, Higher Certificates, Diplomas and Degrees.

PurposePromoting National Qualifications Framework (NQF) registered and quality assured PIVOTAL programmes that address priority scarce and critical skills identified in the MICT SETA Sector Skills Plan

Criteria for PIVOTAL FundingThe MICT SETA shall allocate at least 80% of its total 49.5% discretionary grants within a financial year (1 April 2013 – 31 March 2014) towards PIVOTAL programmes to address critical and scarce skills within its sectors as set out in the SSP in accordance with the new Regulations. The remaining 20% shall be allocated to other programmes in accordance with the priorities outlined in the SSP.

The MICT SETA PIVOTAL learning programmes shall cater for:

Full occupationally-directed learning programmes that are recorded in the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and PIVOTAL Training Plan (PTP)

Programmes that address scarce and critical skills identified in the company’s WSP or PTP and/or the broader MICT SETA Sector Skills Plan

Theory (college or university) and practical learning in the workplace.

Employed and unemployed.

PIVOTAL grants shall be allocated to initiatives that address the MICT sector’s scarce and critical skills through the following programmes:

Work-integrated learning (Industry based learning)

Professional placements

Apprenticeships

Learnerships

Skills Programmes

Workplace experience placements (for Universities of Technology and FET Colleges learners)

Bursaries

Internship programmes shall not be funded through the PIVOTAL grant, but rather, through the remaining 20% of the discretionary grants in accordance with the sector priorities outlined in the SETA Sector Skills Plan.

Applying for PIVOTAL grantsIn order to obtain a PIVOTAL grant from the SETA, employers and other institutions that meet the MICT SETA criteria for PIVOTAL grants shall:

Complete and submit a, Annual Training Report (ATR), Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) and PIVOTAL Training Plan (PTP) by 30 June 2013 and thereafter by 30 April each year, using a prescribed template that is accessible from the MICT SETA’s SETA Management System (SMS).

The MICT SETA PIVOTAL grant shall be applied for through the Letter of Intent (LoI) as provided by the MICT SETA on its website.

In certain circumstances, a co-funding approach shall be employed, wherein a funding partnership between the MICT Seta and the implementing company shall be entered into.

Qualifying companies that implement the MICT SETA PIVOTAL programmes in rural areas and those that target people with disabilities shall be eligible for a 100% PIVOTAL grant.

3.10Registered qualificationsThe MICT SETA ETQA has a number of qualifications that it manages and for which it accredits training providers and registers assessors and moderators. For every such qualification, once registered, the training provider is not limited to the MICT sector but can offer training to the rest of the economy. That means in addition to supporting, the MICT SETA has a responsibility to the rest of the economy for provision of quality assurance services on the qualifications it accredits.

The following table presents the list of qualifications managed by MICT SETA, and the number of accredited training providers for each qualification. There are 43 qualifications registered of which 40% are at NQF level 4 and 37% at NQF level 5. There are three qualifications at level 6 and 1 at level 7. Over 10 qualifications have no training provider accredited whilst 10 have only 1 provider registered. There are only five qualifications with more than 50 training providers registered. That potentially signifies the popularity of such qualifications.


Table 16: The MICT SETA Qualifications and number of Accredited Training Providers

SAQA ID

Qualification Title Credits Assessors NQF Level

Providers

21190 Further Education and Training Certificate: PC Engineering

120 13 Level 4 1

21191 Further Education and Training Certificate: PC Support 120 18 Level 4 1

21797 National Certificate: Telecommunications for Customer Premises Equipment

152 17 Level 4 3

21799 National Certificate in Telecommunications for Customer Premises Equipment: Level 3

135 14 Level 3 3

48573 National Certificate: Information Technology: Systems Support

147 329 Level 5 99

48671 National Certificate Music Industry: Sound Technology 139 20

48792 Certificate: Broadcast Engineering 120 7 Level 5 0

48811 Further Education and Training Certificate: Music Industry: Sound Technology

159 8

48872 National Certificate: Information Technology: Systems Development

131 248 Level 5 87

49077 National Certificate: Information Technology: End User Computing

130 1346 Level 3 778

49121 National Certificate: Interactive Media 130 24 Level 5 0

49122 National Certificate: Radio Station Management 157 6 Level 5 0

49127 Further Education and Training Certificate: Design Foundation

141 36 Level 4 0

49138 National Diploma: Copywriting 240 1 Level 5 0

49317 National Certificate: Scriptwriting 147 1 Level 7 0

50479 Further Education and Training Certificate: Advertising 148 16 Level 4 0

57607 National Certificate: 3D Animation and Visual Effects 149 6 Level 5 0

57611 National Certificate: 2D Animation 136 9 Level 5 0

58394 National Certificate: Film and Television Production 122 22 Level 5 0

58820 National Certificate: Advertising 124 6 Level 5 0

58978 National Certificate: Journalism 120 32 Level 5 0

59057 Further Education and Training Certificate: Telecommunication Network Operations

132 30 Level 4 5

59569 National Certificate: Electronics 120 11 Level 3 0

59910 National Certificate: Information Technologies 130 0 Level 3 2

SAQA ID

Qualification Title Credits Assessors NQF Level

Providers

Operations

60509 National Certificate: Design Techniques 121 7 Level 5 0

61450 Further Education and Training Certificate: Film and Television Production Operations

157 22 Level 4 1

62069 National Certificate: Radio Production 159 17 Level 5 0

63769 National Certificate: Business Analysis Support Practice 138 36 Level 5 4

63849 Further Education and Training Certificate: Electronics 122 4 Level 4 0

63909 National Certificate: Business Analysis 149 30 Level 6 2

65874 Further Education and Training Certificate: Telecommunication Systems

132 1 Level 4 0

65876 Certificate: Telecommunication Systems 120 1 Level 5 1

71850 Certificate: Information Technology: Database Development

120 8 Level 6 1

71853 Further Education and Training Certificate: Information Technology: End User Computing

132 16 Level 4 1

71869 Certificate: Information Technology: Database Administration

120 23 Level 6 1

73298 Further Education and Training Certificate: Photography 128 2 Level 4 0

73390 Further Education and Training Certificate: Graphic Web Design and Multimedia

136 4 Level 4 1

73391 Further Education and Training Certificate: Website Development

136 4 Level 4 1

73429 Further Education and Training Certificate: Computer Programming

136 5 Level 4 1

78963 National Certificate: Telecommunications for Customer Premises Equipment

120 4 Level 2 0

78964 Further Education and Training Certificate: Information Technology: Technical Support

163 320 Level 4 59

78965 Further Education and Training Certificate: Information Technology: Systems Development

165 182 Level 4 50

83026 National Certificate: Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Software Testing

138 4

Source: MICT SETAETQA database, 2013

The availability of assessors on qualification is important to ensure sufficient provision of training in the sector and across the economy. At NQF level 2 there is one qualification and four assessors registered. This is contrasted with NQF 7 where there is 1 qualification and only one assessor.

Table 17: The MICT SETA Qualifications and Number of Registered Assessors


Row Labels Qualifications Assessors

Level 2 1 4

Level 3 4 1371

Level 4 16 690

Level 5 15 751

Level 6 3 61

Level 7 1 1

Source: MICT SETA ETQA database, 2013

The availability and capacity of one assessor to produce quality work over time is risky, especially if demand for the qualification increases and this could pose a risk for MICT SETA. This means there is a potential need to improve the number of assessors. The highest number of assessors is registered against NQF 3 qualifications. However it must be noted that the majority of workers in the sector require mid to high level skills and not lower level skills. That means assessors are likely to be servicing the rest of the economy instead of the MICT sector.

3.11 Utilisation of QualificationsThe utilisation of qualifications by employers in the MICT sector and across the rest of the economy is an important indicator of targeted skills development and appropriateness of skill programmes. According to the MICT SETA ETQA database, between 2008 and 2013 there were just over 60,000 enrolments. Amongst those, 37% had an achieved status whilst 60% were still enrolled. Less than 1% of all enrolments were recorded as having been de-enrolled.

Amongst the 43 registered qualifications there were 21 that recorded enrolments between 2008 and 2013, with the highest number of enrolments being recorded against National Certificate: Information Technology: End User Computing at 18% of approximately 60000 enrolments. In total there were 24382 enrolments recorded against the registered qualifications.

Figure 4: Enrolments by Registered Qualifications (NQF)

Level 345%

Level 418%

Level 534%

Level 63%

Source: MICT SETA ETQA database, 2013

In terms of the enrolments on registered qualifications, NQF 2 and 7 qualifications did not have any enrolments recorded between 2008 and 2013. Although the enrolments include skills programmes, the above figure is in respect of registered full qualifications of MICT SETA. The figure illustrates that amongst 24382 enrolments, 45% were at NQF 3, 34% at NQF 5 and 18% at level 4.

3.12 Training Conducted in the SectorAnalysis of ATR data demonstrates the extent of training taking place in the sector amongst those employers submitting WSPs. The data demonstrates that employers there are training more on short courses and skills programmes as opposed to other forms of skills development interventions. Given the dynamic and fast paced nature of the sector, this is not surprising. Employers across all sub-sectors during interviews further indicated the need to ensure continuous capacitation of employees in new methods and technologies. The employers across all sub-sectors are operating in a globalised world and the need to keep abreast with latest development is of importance.

Table 18: Training conducted based on ATR submissions

Learning Intervention

Advertising Electronic Media and Film


Telecoms Total

Learnerships 18.1

154 107 160 670 183 1274

Learnerships 18.2

38 834 299 2249 536 3956

Skills Programmes

533 1443 3188 7927 20838 33929

Internships 77 85 90 222 98 572

Short Courses

5016 10542 12976 56039 89562 174135


Learning Intervention

Advertising Electronic Media and Film


Telecoms Total

Adult Education & Training

187 300 1351 1720 1673 5231

Bursaries 129 288 547 1179 820 2963

Total 6134 13599 18611 70006 113710 222060


The current regime of SETA grant regulations requires that SETAs fund more PIVOTAL programmes and this is going to have an impact on the number of funded interventions in all sub-sectors. Employers may have to fund short courses from their internal training budgets whilst relying on SETAs for full qualifications. This however has implications in terms of an expected increase in the demand for full qualifications.

4 SummaryThe MICT sector relies on private and public sector providers of education and training. Although the public HETs and FETs play an important role in producing graduates with relevance for the sector, private training providers have an increasingly important role to train in niche areas. In order to expand provision, MICT SETA needs to work with public FET colleges to enable them to offer accredited qualifications. There is also a need to build the capacity of private providers to provide quality occupational qualifications.

Given that employers are spending their internal training budgets - more than 1% of payroll, the significant concentration of short courses more than any other learning type points to a response to the real market needs. Employers have indicated that these short courses are not cheap and they are enrolling their employees because these are their tools of trade. This calls for a targeted approach by MICT SETA in building skills supply capacity for the sector.

5 ConclusionThe MICT sector is a dynamic sector with potential for further growth. Being at the forefront of technological changes and advancement is crucial amongst employers and stakeholders in the sector. This together with keeping up to date with international trends in advertising as well as in film and electronic media has some serious skills development implications. As the use of technology and mechanisation becomes prevalent this too has skills development implications. The BBBEE imperatives of the country require that meaningful transformation take place in the economy and skills development is an important pillar in that regard. Mainstreaming of computer skills, especially end user computing will continue to be relevant, especially amongst people with low-level skills. As various programmes expressed in policies and guidelines of government start to be implemented in the medium term, there will be a need to address the skills requirements that emerge from such programmes. This SSP endeavours to address all these issues and will be an important contributor towards achieving inclusive growth in the MICT sector.

6 Contact us

Sector Skills Planning:

Name Designation Email

Sekgana Makhoba Senior Manager: Sector Skills Planning [email protected]

Thobeka Siluma Administrator: Sector Skills Planning [email protected]

Learning Programmes


Jabu Sibeko Senior Manager: Learning Programmes [email protected]

Ernest Nemugavhini Learning Programmes Coordinator [email protected]

ETQA


Charlton Philiso Senior Manager: ETQA [email protected]

Buyisiwe Gumede ETQA: Administrator [email protected]


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