Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Mondli Gungubele has launched the Digital Skills Forum (DSF) to lead, oversee and coordinate the implementation of the national digital skills programme.

‘A critical function of the DSF is to provide strategic direction on the implementation of the digital skills programme; prioritise and coordinate areas of focus; mobilise resources in the form of expertise; funding and institutional support and monitor performance,’ the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT) said in a statement.

The DSF will also advise on the reconceptualisation and structuring of the digital skills development ecosystem in support of digital skills building.

On 5 August 2020, Cabinet approved the National Digital and Future Skills Framework, as developed by the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies.

The strategy provides a framework for the prioritisation of critical digital and future skills, as well as to ensure a coordinated and integrated implem
entation across government and various sectors.

‘South Africa has made strides towards embracing digital technology. Government has recognised the importance of developing digital skills and has taken giant steps to bridge the digital divide.

‘As such, DCDT developed the implementation programme through partnerships and collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), International Labour Organisation, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

‘The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy is intended to provide a framework for the prioritisation of critical digital and future skills as well as to ensure coordinated and integrated implementation across government and various sectors,’ the department said.

The National Digital and Future Skills Strategy recognises the importance of leadership and governance to ensure successful digital skills generation and development.

‘The strategy proposed the establishment of the Digital Skills Forum as an institutional mechanism that w
ill ensure a coordinated implementation of the digital skills programme.

‘This is also echoed in the recommendations of the diagnostic report of the Presidential Commission on the 4th Industrial Revolution (PC4IR), which acknowledges that the skills development ecosystem is characterised by a silo mentality and expresses concerns about the speed at which entities are able to adapt and change curricula to accommodate the needs of the workplace,’ the department said.

The Digital and Future Skills Strategy states that the Digital Skills Forum will provide technical digital skills support to the broader work of the Human Resources Development Council (HRDC) and ensure coordinated implementation of the digital skills programme, with secretariat support from the DCDT.

The roles and responsibilities for DSF members are as follows:

Provide technical digital skills support to the broader work of the HRDC.

Facilitate information, expertise, and knowledge sharing.

Mobilise resources to support the digital skills p
rogramme.

Advise and guide the redesigning and streamlining of the skills ecosystem.

Advise on the funding mechanism for digital skills building.

Oversee prioritisation and coordination of various digital skills initiatives.

Ensure investment in strategic projects for mass skills development.

Monitoring and evaluation of the action plan of the DSF and its technical working groups.

orse the recommendations of the technical working groups.

Source: South African Government News Agency