Reminder for robust security

PreParing For a job which doesn’t yet exist

While digital and tech trends provide bread crumbs in the direction of future occupations – we are educating for the in-demand occupations of the future. School guidance counsellors and parents of today’s data analysts, or social media managers didn’t know that these positions would exist when they offered advice on school subject choices.

So how do we prepare for jobs that don’t yet exist?

“It becomes a question of having your finger on the pulse by constantly being in contact with industry, and understanding current trends,” says Dr Deonita Damons, director at Boston City Campus. “Accept that most jobs and professions require lifelong learning to remain relevant, keep up-to-date by enrolling for a qualification, elevate your CV with a higher education degree. Boston’s PGDip is upper management level gold for those looking for a promotion or opportunity in a new company.”

A brave new world

Technology is indispensable and reshapes our workplaces in many ways, through the adoption of tools like the internet and email communications, and artificial intelligence that monitors Boston’s degree and diploma students.

Continual learning

Author Alvin Toffler predicted that the future belongs to those who can unlearn and relearn. History tells us that technology creates more opportunities and jobs. Sounds odd right?

The thinking was that automation would cause people to lose their jobs!. Virtual or tangible, automated or humanised, work is changing in many ways, but the fundamentals remain: acquiring skills to meet new-age workplace demands. Job market as barometer of economy

A recent CareerJunction report shows a continued increase in recruitment activity over the last 13 months - encouraging because it signifies that employers are showing confidence in the local economy with more opportunities becoming available for job seekers. This despite the ongoing challenges faced by our economy.

Between March 2021 and March 2022, hiring activity increased by 39%, CareerJunction said, representing an uptake of 18% in job advertising, compared to the year-on-year stats for March 2020 to March 2021.

Jobs in demand

CareerJunction Index says that although Information Technology continues to be the top-performing employment sector in South Africa, hiring activity in this area has declined slightly in the last three months.

“This decline may be partly attributed to increased emigration as travel restrictions are relaxed, as well as the growing trend of ‘digital nomads’ in the IT space,” the report said.

“Digital nomads are location independent, allowing them to work in any region of the world. While this enables a flexible lifestyle, it also drains the country of necessary talent to fill positions,” says Dr Damons.

Back to work

Interesting to note, according to CareerJunction, the Admin, Office & Support sector has seen the biggest increase in hiring activity at 17%., this possibly because an increasing number of local companies are moving back to a more office-bound working environment as Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease.

“Despite this trend, remote working resulting from the pandemic has definitely changed the workplace with a fluid approach by companies to job locations. This has given rise to a hybrid environment with employees alternating between home and work, according to job requirements and company policies,” says Dr Damons.

Skills in demand

Along with the increased demand for digital skills across the board in most occupations, there is a demand for a higherlevel thinking in order to accommodate this digital transformation in the workplace. Key skills include Cognitive Flexibility, Emotional intelligence, Critical thinking: and Decision making, all skills that graduates of the Boston BsocSci gain in this degree.

We are living in a time of flux where the demand for essentially human skills such as decision making, empathy, critical thinking is growing in tandem with the digital evolution. Boston is an award-winning SA private higher education institution.

Contact Boston on 011 551-2000, e-mail info@boston.co.za, visit www.boston.co.za, or Facebook.

WorldPassword Day on 5 May was a reminder of the increase in cyber threats affecting South Africans and the country’s businesses.

Country lead for Trellix South Africa Carlo Bolzonello said a recent TransUnion study revealed that 37% of South Africans admitted that they had been targets of Covid-19 related digital fraud.

“Furthermore, the rate of digital fraud against the country’s businesses went up by 44%. While passwords may be a critical part of everyday life, they aren’t adequately protecting personal and business data against these growing threats. Instead, individuals and organisations should use biometric or phone message multifactor authentication (MFA) wherever possible,” Bolzonello said.

He added that individuals and organisations that rely heavily on passwords should be vigilant in keeping track of security vulnerabilities that can lead to data breaches.

“But most importantly, their first line of defence against cyber-attacks needs to be bolstered with cyber security solutions like MFA and anti-malware,” he said.

Trellix chief product officer Aparna Rayasam said while laudable in its aims, if World Password Day highlights anything it is how passwords remain a relatively weak first line of defence against cyberattacks, and they should not be a primary counter measure.

“A few years ago some experts predicted that the password would disappear entirely, which interestingly has not been the case. But thankfully, we no longer rely on them as the primary method for protecting sensitive and critical data. Security practices have moved on and multifactor authentication (MFA) is now commonplace, with biometric information increasingly being used to thwart attacks,” Rayasam said. She added that the use of passwords persists and it is critical for organisations of all sizes and sectors to educate employees on best practices for password management.

“Sharing or reusing passwords should be avoided, and using software which prompts regular updates can be beneficial. However, cybercriminals will continue to look for ways around defences. Organisations must remain vigilant for unusual activity on their network, implementing security that detects, stops and adapts quickly to incoming threats,” Rayasam said.