• The provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal is on a mission to roll out 4IR skills and tech development bootcamps across all municipalities of the province.
• Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube says that these bootcamps are in-line with hopes that the province won’t miss out on future 4IR and IT opportunities.
• At the latest bootcamp, 280 learners received training in skills like cybersecurity, data analytics, coding, robotics, broadband and esports.

The government of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been making aggressive efforts in expanding the role of 4th industrial revolution (4IR) skills and technology development among the youth in the province.

This week saw the opening of a 4IR Skills and Technology Development Bootcamp for the province’s youth held at the Archie Gumede Conference Centre in Mayville, Durban.

According to Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube, the provincial government of KZN will be rolling out bootcamps in all the province’s municipalities with the aim of fast-tracking 4IR-focused IT skills and technology development for young people.

At this latest two-day event, 280 learners received training in various IT skills, including cybersecurity, data analytics, coding, robotics, broadband internet and esports.

“We want the young people gathered here today to help create smart solutions to solve daily challenges such as using smart technology to find missing bodies that were washed away by the floods in April this year,” said Dube-Ncube at the bootcamp.

SA News reports that eight inmates from the Westville Correctional Services Centre also attended the bootcamp.

Dube-Ncube has been prioritising the implementation of the Connect Smart Province Project, and hopes to transform KZN into one of the country’s “technology hubs.”

In October, the premier launched a mobile digital skills laboratory as part of the Connect Smart Province Project in Pietermaritzburg. Here learners were exposed to Space Technology, Data Analytics, Multimedia Production and ‘9D Technology.’

At the 4IR skills bootcamp on Wednesday, the premier told youth attendees that the provincial government of KZN wants to be able to leverage 4IR as the “new frontier of economic growth” and the “pillar on which industries of the future will be built.”

“Our view remains that if we let the opportunities brought about by the 4IR miss us, we risk putting the future of our next generation into bleakness. This is a reality we can no longer postpone because it will have dire consequences for our development prospects,” Dube-Ncube warned.

“The sky is not the limit for the youth in our province hence we are creating an enabling environment for them to have the skills set and entrepreneurial acumen to be part of the multi-trillion dollar digital economy.”

November saw the first 4IR skills bootcamp launched by the local government at the Durban Exhibition Centre, which 450 people attended.

[Image – Julia M Cameron on Pexels]