Sustainability and transformation are the key focus areas for ICT Training Institute Dynamic DNA as the business is structured into different specialities that talk directly to the career needs of youth in the ICT sector, particularly in the context of the 4th industrial revolution.
4IR refers to new technologies that are shaping our lives and the world we live in, such as AI, IoT, automated vehicles, cloud computing, data analytics, robots and cyber security. As these technologies develop, new generation careers are coming through, with jobs for software developers, systems analysts, information security analysts, database administrators, web developers, computer network architects, systems administrators, support specialists and programmers set to increase significantly in the next five to 10 years.
“It is imperative that any ICT training programme takes the fundamental shift brought by 4IR into consideration in order for its skills development to remain relevant,” says Prudence Mabitsela, MD of Dynamic DNA.
Dynamic DNA’s strategy aligns well with that of the MICT SETA, as the two organisations work together to respond to skills shortages and create employment opportunities for young, skilled IT professionals in a world consumed by digital transformation.
Approximately 85% of Dynamic DNA’s 2016 learner intake has found employment within the ICT industry, due to the skills gained through the programme. “Our primary goal is to create employable candidates; individuals who have the skills and tools to be sustainably employed in South Africa or anywhere in the world,” says Mabitsela.
Mdu Zakwe, CEO of MICT SETA, agrees: “Our industry must deliver learning opportunities that will ensure gainful employment and entrepreneur development. Training that results in the learner remaining ‘on the street’ must be a foreign concept to our quest. Our purpose is to see the transaction through to its natural conclusion, where the skills transfer and certification process empowers our learners to plug into employment and entrepreneur opportunities.”
Zakwe, who took up the CEO position on 1 April 2019, was speaking during a visit to Dynamic DNA on as part of the MICT SETA’s mandate to ensure their key partnerships with industry remain true to the core principles of the organisation – to build capability in terms of skills and develop long-term partnerships with business to increase absorption rates.
Because a lack of practical work experience makes many newly qualified ICT learners unemployable, the absorption rate in the ICT sector – the conversion of qualified learners into paid employees -is still fairly low. To counter this, Dynamic DNA not only provides NQF specialised training programmes.
“Our mentorship programme partners newly qualified interns with tech companies, where they can gain practical, hands-on learning. We also equip our learners with the soft skills necessary to function in a corporate or business environment,” says Mabitsela.