NEW SMART SKILLS CENTRE IN THE WORKS FOR SALDANHA BAY INDUSTRIAL ZONE

In efforts to address the ever-widening digital skills gap in South Africa, the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) has signed an MoU with the Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone (SBIDZ) Licencing Company Soc Ltd to set up a new fully automated Smart Skills Centre in the region.

The centre, which will focus on basic digital skills, is aimed at addressing the digital skills divide in the district and at helping surrounding businesses and rural community members to learn technology-related skills.

HELPING SMES

“This Smart Skills Centre is the pilot project, and we anticipate establishing many more in rural communities across the country. A big drive for setting up centres like this is the potential they hold in helping small and medium enterprises in the surrounding areas. Technology that we may take for granted – such as computers, printers, and internet access – will now be available for emerging enterprises in the Saldanha Bay area,” says Yershen Pillay, CEO of CHIETA.

“It is widely understood that in the rapidly digitising world, South Africa faces a deficit of the skills needed to embrace the opportunities presented by technological advancements. In this regard, I believe it is the responsibility of SETAs to angle skills development opportunities towards digital skills initiatives, in line with the government’s future skills strategy,” he adds.

COMPETITIVE OIL AND GAS MARITIME SECTOR

The MoU outlines the scope of the collaboration, the logistics of the training programmes and the estimated timeline for implementation. The initiative will provide considerable scope and functionality to the SBIDZ SME collaboration initiative which aims to establish a competitive oil and gas maritime sector.

In a rapidly digitising economy, the partnership between CHIETA and SBIDZ will help equip people with the skills and expertise to function productively in the economy. Surrounding businesses and community hubs including schools and TVET colleges will benefit from the centre, gaining access to a variety of free digital learning programmes. The centre will be set up next to the Saldana Bay IDZ office.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution era requires every individual and entity to be competitive. It is vital that we focus attention on youth and emerging enterprises and do what we can to give these individuals a boost so that they are equipped to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the digital economy. We look forward to working with SBIDZ on this initiative, which is sure to change the trajectory of many Saldana Bay residents and businesses,” concludes Pillay.

SBIDZ CEO Kaashifah Beukes with CHIETA CEO Yershen Pillay