Systemic Approach to e-Skilling in South Africa

Abstract

There is widespread agreement of the importa nce of information and communication technolo- gies (ICT) in building equitable prosperity and globally competitive economies. Effective use of these technologies, however, requires building ne w capacities and skills, here referred to as e- skills, not only in the working fo rce but the entire population. These skills are in very short sup- ply all over the developing world, and are of par ticular concern in South Africa. In order to ap- propriately address this issue, South African govern ment has taken a systematic and systemic ap- proach, to address the matter and has developed an approach involving a number of stakeholders from all spheres of government, business, education, civil society and organized labor. That effort led to the e-Skills Summit (2010), which provided the guidelines for the creation of the national e-skills policy named the National e-Skills Plan of Action (NeSPA). This paper, based on descrip- tive case study methodology, brings a portrayal of that systematic and systemic approach. The paper, aimed at academics, practitioners and policy-makers, also depicts the e-skilling key suc- cess factors, expected impact of NeSPA, and th e principles for monitoring and evaluation. The paper ends with a brief description of some lessons learned during the initial implementation phase of NeSPA.