Covid-19 – Impact On Education, Skills Development And Training

The National Skills Authority (NSA) is monitoring the impact of Covid-19 on education and training. Melody Xaba spoke about drivers of change and skills of the future. Pre-Covid-19, about 35% of the workforce was at risk of losing jobs due to automation, and this situation is now worse because of the crisis. All sectors have been impacted by the crisis, and thousands of businesses will close. Digital transformation has been accelerated massively, for example schools that were going to go digital over 10 years have done so in a matter of weeks. There is still a shortage of digital skills, so upskilling is essential.

There are six drivers of change and the major skills required for future work include being about to collaborate online; they are all interconnected. Roles that can be automated are disappearing. Mining is going to become increasingly digital for greater efficiency and to reduce risks, and the jobs that are increasing in the sector are things like drone operators……………………………………