INTERVIEW SSACI
Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative
Interview with CEO, Shanita Roopnarain
F
or the Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative (SSACI), private-public partnerships are an integral part of closing the skills gap and reducing youth unemployment. The past two decades have seen the organisation bring in over R100million in skills development and training. SSACI partners with various stakeholders, including government departments, higher education institutions, the private sector and NGOs to implement its programmes. Here Chief Executive Officer Shanita Roopnarain tells us about SSACI’s work, the importance of public-private partnerships and what the Initiative's plans are for the future. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS TO PARTNER TOGETHER FOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT? Research has shown the supply of and demand for skills must be aligned if we are to solve our economy's skills gap and growing youth unemployment. This is difficult to achieve in reality since the world of work changes as quickly as technology advances, as do the necessary skill requirements. Curricula therefore by default become outdated and difficult to respond to in an ever-changing work environment. SSACI believes that a good partnership with industry and business allows for such curricula gaps to be bridged. SSACI’s work on Work Integrated Learning (WIL) has shown that in this context, when the commercial and public sectors interact, the
22 | Public Sector Leaders | May 2022
