Strategies for Using ICT Skills in Educational Systems for Sustainable Youth Employability in South Africa

Abstract

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can play a significant role in the socioeconomic development of many countries. Digitisation in South Africa has increased, and ICT skills are pivotal in the sustainability of youth employability in the labour market. Hence, ICT skills, soft, hard, and technical skills are required in government, private organisations, and businesses. This study aims to investigate possible ways educational systems can adopt ICT skills to improve youth employability in South Africa. This study examines the factors that affect youth employability such as lack of ICT skills, access, income, affordability, infrastructure, poverty gap, inequality, lack of education, lack of access to information, and high demand for IT skills expectations in organisations as among the challenges that hinder youth employability in the South African economy. We propose that educational institutions should incorporate practical pedagogy to prepare qualified youths for the labour market. This study focuses on using ICTs for the sustainable development of youth employability in South Africa. The Sustainable Livelihood Theory was used as the study framework while the quantitative method was used for the data collection process. The researchers used close-ended and open-ended questions to draft a questionnaire to gather data from 49 respondents. We triangulated the received data from youths living in the East Rand of Johannesburg. Results derived from the study show the significance of ICT skills in educational systems on youth employability. The practical implication of the study recommends that policymakers implement ICT skill strategies to support educational institutions to prepare youths for the labour market.

Re-Examining the Impact of Public Education Expenditure on South African Literacy

“…Despite increased government spending, education quality and outcomes persist (Berg et al, 2022;Modiba & Mkhize, 2022). In addition, the education system in South Africa is confronted with a multitude of challenges that encompass a scarcity of adequately qualified teachers, inadequate skills development, and an ongoing rise in unemployment rates (Alao & Brink, 2022). As a result, this has called into question whether the increased government spending on education is yielding the desired results.…”

Information and Communication Technology Management for Sustainable Youth Employability in Underserved Society

“…Access to ICT is not evenly distributed in underserved communities in South Africa (Attwood et al, 2013). In most cases, district municipalities could not implement extensive efforts to provide adequate ICT facilities in community public libraries (Alao & Brink 2022). Many youths living in the township could not familiarize themselves with digital technology that can potentially be used as leverage to identify job openings and gain soft and hard skills in high demand in the labor market (Remedios, 2012).…”

“…Over the years, youth unemployment has risen in the country, and young people between 18 and 35 constantly migrate from rural areas to urban locations to seek employment opportunities to improve their economic standards (Alao & Brink, 2020). Other factors contribute to youth unemployment, such as lack of education, lack of support from the government, low economic development, and poverty (Ogbonna et al, 2022;Alao & Brink, 2022;Scott et al, 2005). In this paper, we focus on how to address the problems that contribute to youth unemployment caused by the scarcity of ICT resources in Tembisa Township.…”