Belgium Campus ITversity Articles

The Problem

It’s no secret that we are facing a global skills shortage. In fact, according to ManpowerGroup’s 13th annual Talent Shortage survey, this is the worst shortage in over a decade with 54% of companies worldwide reporting the problem. In South Africa alone, 34% of companies are facing a skills shortage, with the majority of companies expressing a desperate need for skilled IT practitioners.

A shortage of skills is a serious problem which can prove detrimental to both a company’s growth and business goals. Without access to qualified employees, businesses are likely to find themselves unable to meet consumer demands. A lack of skills can also lead to slower output times, increased operation costs, and a multitude of other performance issues which greatly hinder business. In the remainder of this short article, we will take a look at the possible causes of, and solutions for, the current skills shortage.

The Cause

Skills shortages are caused by many factors including:

• A mismatch between the qualifications offered and skills required by industry.
• A shortage of job candidates with adequate work experience.
• Shifts in the global economy which cause the number of job openings to shift up or down.
• Changes/advances in technology which create a need for newly skilled workers.
• Under-investment in skills development.
• Migration.

Solutions

Being able to access skilled workers with the necessary qualifications to meet your business needs is hard enough in normal circumstances and can feel close to impossible in the midst of a global skills shortage. We have identified two ways that organisations can help address this issue within their industry.

Re- and Up-Skilling

The first, re- and up-skilling current employees. This can either be done within the organisation through peer-to-peer knowledge sharing or externally by encouraging employees to return to school to acquire additional knowledge/skills (can be expensive and time-consuming). Although these are both practical solutions, they do not address the issue at its source. This is where our next solution comes in.

Partnering with Educational Institutions

Another option for organisations is to partner with educational institutions to ensure that the qualifications they provide are in line with industry needs. This will provide you with a constant supply of industry-ready graduates who are more than capable of meeting your business requirements. In addition, you may even choose to offer workplace training/ internships to these students. Not only will this further equip them to meet the demands of industry, but it will also give you an opportunity to keep a close eye on your potential employees.

If you are looking for an IT institution to partner with, Belgium Campus iTversity is your best choice. For the past 22 years we have been collaborating with local and global businesses to ensure that our IT qualifications remain relevant and that our graduates are industry preferred. If you would like to join our industry network and contribute towards erasing the education-industry gap, please contact us at: Oosthuizen.P@belgiumcampus.ac.za.