Internship – the ICT skills development solution for SA?

[rpm]

Internship – the ICT skills development solution for SA?

Job creation is currently high on the political agenda, but the fundamentals of this issue need to be addressed.

 

[Tick]

"While we talk about university education and the importance of becoming a knowledge economy, there are still many unemployed graduates. So clearly we are missing something. I believe that the something is hands-on, practical experience."

No, that something is a frikkin work ethic. And I mean the 'whities' too. Across the board, our graduates seem to think that merely showing up and knowing little more than how to turn a computer on somehow makes them 'IT experts' in the land of the blind.

 

[|tera|]

No, that something is a frikkin work ethic. And I mean the 'whities' too. Across the board, our graduates seem to think that merely showing up and knowing little more than how to turn a computer on somehow makes them 'IT experts' in the land of the blind.

Completely agree. I've been on the receiving end of this. Work your rear off for peanuts and other employees play games and enjoy the scenery. Sucks, but it's true.

 

[MickeyD]

No, that something is a frikkin work ethic. And I mean the 'whities' too. Across the board, our graduates seem to think that merely showing up and knowing little more than how to turn a computer on somehow makes them 'IT experts' in the land of the blind.

Fully agree as well.

This is a topic that is very close to my heart. In the "old" days all the bigger companies, parastatals and government departments used to have annual intakes of apprentices in many, many different fields of work. The "appies" received in-house training at the various institutions' own fully accredited training colleges coupled with practical field training and had to undergo annual external exams. Minimum apprenticeship period is three years - no 30-day wonders.

Once qualified they were absorbed into the workforce.

To my knowledge this has been stopped by almost all institutions.

HUGE mistake.

Focussing on telecommunications, I'm aware of the JIPSA program but that is basically for unemployed graduates and does not address the issue of producing trained artisans/technicians.

My friend tells me that Telkom have training colleges in all the major centres with unused fully equipped technical facilities. Why don't the telecoms network operators get together and form a joint venture to kickstart the "appies" concept again using these facilities? Fields of study could be from mobile network installation, backhaul installation, customer premises installations to full network maintenance, which includes software related skills. IT fields can also be offered - from desktop support to server installation/maintenance.

Minimum entry is a Matric and students are paid a very basic salary for their study period. If they drop out they have to repay their study costs (as per a normal bursary agreement). If they pass they are guaranteed a position in the industry (as a worker, not an engineer!).

In a nutshell; if the Government was serious about creating job opportunities and skills development, they should get all the network operators around a table and have them start a program as per above.

The reality right now, is that all the network operators outsource their build/maintenance requirement to external companies, many of whom bring in foreigners to perform the work.

 

[Messugga]

Focussing on telecommunications, I'm aware of the JIPSA program but that is basically for unemployed graduates and does not address the issue of producing trained artisans/technicians.

My friend tells me that Telkom have training colleges in all the major centres with unused fully equipped technical facilities. Why don't the telecoms network operators get together and form a joint venture to kickstart the "appies" concept again using these facilities? Fields of strograms being udy could be from mobile network installation, backhaul installation, customer premises installations to full network maintenance, which includes software related skills. IT fields can also be offered - from desktop support to server installation/maintenance.

Telecommunication is a very tough nut to crack and the internship programs on offer are somewhat limited with respect to whom they allow into said programs. I, for one, would have loved to get into telecommunication but I unfortunately didn't find any available possibilities and now I'm not exactly a junior anymore and require a slightly larger salary, making entrance into that specific arena even more unlikely.

The result is that the specialized companies' tendency to avoid senior people without experience directly related to their trade coupled with the lack of sufficient quantities of in-house training, they're starting to run low on competent people. This goes for any engineering-orientated company I've worked with, ranging from electrical engineering, electronic engineering, security and SCADA.

An interesting side effect is that the few guys that do meet their standards, get worked to death and end up leaving the industry in search of greener pastures, leaving the remainder to pick up the slack. This, I've seen with power utilities where one had ONE engineer left, in the entire company.

 

[MickeyD]

Telecommunication is a very tough nut to crack and the internship programs on offer are somewhat limited with respect to whom they allow into said programs. I, for one, would have loved to get into telecommunication but I unfortunately didn't find any available possibilities and now I'm not exactly a junior anymore and require a slightly larger salary, making entrance into that specific arena even more unlikely.

The result is that the specialized companies' tendency to avoid senior people without experience directly related to their trade coupled with the lack of sufficient quantities of in-house training, they're starting to run low on competent people. This goes for any engineering-orientated company I've worked with, ranging from electrical engineering, electronic engineering, security and SCADA.

An interesting side effect is that the few guys that do meet their standards, get worked to death and end up leaving the industry in search of greener pastures, leaving the remainder to pick up the slack. This, I've seen with power utilities where one had ONE engineer left, in the entire company.

Amongst other issues, you have touched on the thorny issue of an ageing workforce and this is probably my biggest gripe, hence my wish for apprenticeship programs to be reinstated.

 

[ponder]

An interesting side effect is that the few guys that do meet their standards, get worked to death and end up leaving the industry in search of greener pastures, leaving the remainder to pick up the slack. This, I've seen with power utilities where one had ONE engineer left, in the entire company.

You can't really blame them either. That one engineer will now have to carry the can and do the work of 4-5 people at the same salary, train some slapgat whipper snappers. If that engineer is white (sorry to bring race into it but it's a fact of life here) his prospects for advancement is scarce and he will be stuck at a certain ceiling while one of those whipper snappers will become his superior in the not to distant future even though he has way less knowledge or skills than the grey beard. What would you do if you were that last engineer left?

Coming back to the training thing Telkom has the infrastructure & facilities (better than private institutions) in place to be used to train people in the field. 'If' all the players come together on this it could be a very valuable contributor to the industry as a whole and benefit the entire country. My feelings as usual are that they lack the vision.
Not to long ago students/staff from Telkom were also sent to Telekom Malaysia's internal orientation programs. These programs definitely add value.

 

[CrazYmonkeY159]

From my expirience, the more "traditional" IT companies of SA do have graduate programmes, where they get graduates to do little side projects and activities (not real work) to get them acquainted with the work environment and then if they are satisfactory they are hired full time.

 

[oom]

We would love to help people out, but we just dont have the money to hire people to train them up right now, now if there were funding to help us to build out business in order for us to have enough work to hire people to pay/train them, that would be a different story.

 

[MickeyD]

From my expirience, the more "traditional" IT companies of SA do have graduate programmes, where they get graduates to do little side projects and activities (not real work) to get them acquainted with the work environment and then if they are satisfactory they are hired full time.

Agreed that many companies have graduate programmes, but this is not the problem on the ground level. We need more workers (technicians) not engineers.


/engineers are also in short supply, but that's another issue.

 

[IceQB]

Agree with MickeyD, more good technicians required.
The in house training, internship was the best way imo to gain on hands experience & still is.

 

[Messugga]

You can't really blame them either. That one engineer will now have to carry the can and do the work of 4-5 people at the same salary, train some slapgat whipper snappers. If that engineer is white (sorry to bring race into it but it's a fact of life here) his prospects for advancement is scarce and he will be stuck at a certain ceiling while one of those whipper snappers will become his superior in the not to distant future even though he has way less knowledge or skills than the grey beard. What would you do if you were that last engineer left?

That engineer is 30 now and IS one of the young whipper snappers! The older engineers got snapped up by consulting firms ages ago.

I started at a new company fairly recently, but maybe I should look into it a bit more after I've been at my current company for a sufficient time. I just suspect that their salaries may be lower than what I'm currently pulling, though I may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[eCliPSe]

The company I am currently employed with gives 4 interns a 6 month chance to show that they have the drive to work in an Enterprise Sized environment. Last time 2 of the 4 was employed. This time we have 6 interns and I personally have recommended that all 6 be employed due to their personal drive. We are only the Kzn branch and I am sure that our Head Office gives a lot more people the opportunities to succeed.

Noting in life is for Nothing. In IT you cant hang around or you will fall behind. You are never done learning. If you do don't wonder in 5 years time why you aren't making any head way in you career.

Love for what you are doing also has been lost in our Country. Its almost like people here feel like they are owed a paycheck and not supposed to work for it.

 

[FuLL_MeT4L]

Although this is definitely a problem for ICT in particular I think that it is something common to a greater number of sectors in South Africa.

BEE, disregarding the political contentions, adds more fuel to the fire under our arses in this predicament.
We need to equip people with skills - bugger 'decent work', bugger the middle class trade unions. Given skills only prosperity can follow.

I would love to see the collaborations mentioned in the article bear fruit but I'm sceptical.
The ANC is too stagnant to effect real change. Either that or they are purposefully holding the poor back to safeguard their 'blind' votes.