• Forge Academy & Labs has welcomed its first group of graduates from its learnership training programme at Ehlanzeni TVET College in Mpumalanga.
• The programme was launched by Forge, Ehlanzeni and the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority.
• The partnership between the trio is said to have already sparked transformative initiatives at the TVET college.

South Africa’s success in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) depends largely on our ability to nurture the talent and skills required to develop and implement next-generation technologies.

The private sector has played a large role in nurturing that talent and providing skills training. This is likely due to the fact that the private sector needs the skills associated with 4IR to bolster businesses. As such, over the last decade, we’ve seen many private firms launching training initiatives to upskill South Africans.

One of those is Forge Academy & Labs, an education organisation that trains students for jobs that will leverage next-generation technology. Recently, Forge Academy & Labs provided training for students at the Ehlanzeni TVET College in Mpumalanga.

This particular learnership programme was launched by Forge, the TVET college and the Media, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICT Seta).

The training provided covered 5G, digital business creation, robotics, 3D printing, virtual and augmented reality as well as artificial intelligence. In total, 25 students graduated from the learnership programme.

“We are pleased to see the success of our collaboration with Ehlanzeni TVET College and MICT Seta, which witnessed the establishment of a 4IR centre at Mlumati Campus, Nkomazi. This initiative empowers young individuals in Nkomazi with essential 4IR skills, enabling them to become catalysts for change in their communities,” chief operations officer of Forge Academy and Labs, Tariq Shurmah said in a statement.

The partnership between the trio is said to have already sparked transformative initiatives at the TVET college. The programme has also helped foster innovation and entrepreneurship among the youth in Mpumalanga.

“Ehlanzeni TVET College remains committed to driving innovation and excellence in 4IR education, empowering the youth to become agents of change in the digital age,” says principal of Ehlanzeni TVET College, Elias Mbuyane.

As you might imagine, as important as this training is, it isn’t free. Organisations such as Forge Academy & Labs need to invest in this training and that can get costly quickly.

For one, how students are trained is vital and as such, teachers also need to be trained. As a 2019 research paper laid out, “A number of challenges were identified in adapting to the 4IR, including pedagogical adaptation, teacher development, and increased funding for and investment in resources and infrastructure for technological advancement. The 4IR offers, among others, a greater opportunity for participation in the digital economy and collaborative partnerships.”

Of course, the private sector does ultimately benefit from this investment, provided that those who have been trained remain in South Africa.