Johannesburg, South Africa – More than 300 technical skills educators will converge at the University of the Witwatersrand today for a three-day Sasol Inzalo Foundation Annual Technical Teachers’ Conference to discuss how best to future-proof the country’s learners against the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

According to World Economic Forum’s (WEF) 2017 Executive Briefing on the Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa, although sub-Saharan Africa has one of the youngest populations in the world, we are under-prepared for the impending disruption to jobs and skills brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An estimated 75% of existing jobs are expected to be automated by 2030 as a result of advanced technological progress brought about by this revolution. 

“This has several implications for the education sector,” said Dr Rufus Wesi, acting Director of the Sasol Inzalo Foundation and Programme Manager. 
“While Industry 4.0, as the Fourth Industrial Revolution is also called, brings about opportunities, to be adequately poised to take advantage of them, we need to review our technical education to ensure it addresses critical skills gaps. This is so that we can l future-proof our learners, who are the next generation of workers.” 

This is the third conference of this kind that the Foundation is hosting. The first one took place in 2016 and was attracted from various education institutions and organisations including government departments and agencies.