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e-Skills Council to address ICT skills challenges
25 July 2008
The e-Skills Council, chaired by the Minister of Communications, Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri will hold its second meeting to discuss the e-skills report and propose recommendations on policy and programmes that will assist South Africa to address the information and communication technology (ICT) skills challenge.
The recommendations of the meeting will be presented to the Presidential National Advisory Council (PIAC) on Information Society and Development (ISAD) in September 2008.
The meeting will highlight the e-skills landscape of South Africa as well as findings on the demand and supply of e-skills.
Since the first meeting of the e-Skills Council in February 2008, a lot of work has been done in pursuit of enhancing South African government's vision of addressing the skills shortage which is a major constrain to the country's economic growth.
A strategic framework has been developed which has provided guidance to the report that is being developed by the e-Skills Working Group. The report is meant to provide an analysis on ICT skills demand and supply gaps and benchmarking South Africa against five countries; viz Vietnam, Mexico, Finland, India, Ireland and Cuba.
The details of the meeting are as follows:
Date: 25 to 26 July 2008
Venue: Krugersdorp, Gauteng, South Africa
Editor's note
The South African e-Skills Council is a partnership between government, the private sector, educators and other established government institutions that provide strategic advice on ICT-related skills issues.
The Council will be composed of relevant Ministers and internationally-based advisors as follows: Minister of Communications (Chairperson), Minister of Education (Alternate Chairperson), Ministers of Labour, Science and Technology, Trade and Industry and Public Service and Administration.
The e-Skills Council will be supported by the e-Skills Working Group. The Working Group is comprised of representatives from South African stakeholders; namely, government, ICT sector, academia, researchers and civil society.
The Minister of Communications has appointed Professor Maredi Mphahlele as the chair of the e-Skills Working Group.
For more information, contact:
Joe Makhafola
Tel: 012 427 8010
Cell: 071 290 1735
E-mail: joe@doc.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Communications
25 July 2008