Systemic Approach to e-Skilling in South Africa

Abstract

There is widespread agreement of the importance of information and communication technologies (ICT) in building equitable prosperity and globally competitive economies. Effective use of these technologies, however, requires building new capacities and skills, here referred to as eskills, not only in the working force but the entire population. These skills are in very short supply all over the developing world, and are of particular concern in South Africa. In order to appropriately address this issue, South African government has taken a systematic and systemic approach, 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 descriptive 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 success factors, expected impact of NeSPA, and the principles for monitoring and evaluation. The paper ends with a brief description of some lessons learned during the initial implementation phase of NeSPA.

Leaders' political skills and organizational change

“…Social astuteness has been discussed using a variety of constructs, such as social skills, social competence, emotional intelligence, social intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, social perceptiveness, political skill, political savvy, social affordance seeking, and social abilities (Gilbert & Kottke, 2009;Mitrovic et al, 2013). Further, the concept has been defined as sensitivity and responsiveness to social and interpersonal cues, the ability to put people at ease, and empathy and impulse control, as well as being referred to as a networking skill and social effectiveness (Perrewé & Ferris, 2016).…”

“…Moreover, they are able to effectively interact with others and understand social situations (Ferris et al, 2005a). Indeed, a high degree of social astuteness enables people to understand their own and others' actions and influence the resolution of problems at the individual, group, and organizational levels across multiple dimensions relevant to social perceptions (Ferris et al, 2007); in addition, they can understand diverse situations, inspire those around them, build trust, and positively control and influence others to respond to change (Ferris et al, 2000;Mitrovic et al, 2013). Hence, social astuteness is essential for navigating and performing effectively in organizations (Mitrovic et al, 2013).…”

Use os Frog VLE in Science Learning

“…The importance of technology can be used for the development of various civil and business society activities (Z. Mitrovic, Sharinf, & Taylor, 2012). Therefore, teachers need to be proficient in using technology to create an effective learning process.…”

Penggunaan Frog VLE dalam Pembelajaran Sains

“…Penggunaan teknologi di negara yang sedang membangun merupakan fenomena yang baru (Adegbenro, Gumbo, & Olakanmi, 2017). Di Eropah kemahiran itu disebut dengan ekemahiran yang berkaitan dengan kecekapan, keupayaan untuk membangun, dan menggunakan teknologi dalam konteks persekitaran pengetahuan (Mitrovic et al, 2012). Kepentingan tekniologi untuk kemajuan berbagai aktiviti masyarakat sivil dan perniagaan (Mitrovic et al (2012).…”

“…Di Eropah kemahiran itu disebut dengan ekemahiran yang berkaitan dengan kecekapan, keupayaan untuk membangun, dan menggunakan teknologi dalam konteks persekitaran pengetahuan (Mitrovic et al, 2012). Kepentingan tekniologi untuk kemajuan berbagai aktiviti masyarakat sivil dan perniagaan (Mitrovic et al (2012). Untuk itu, guru perlu mahir dalam menggunakan teknologi untuk menciptakan proses pembelajaran yang berkesan.…”