 |
|
|
|
 |
Newsletter |
| Subscribe to our newsletter |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Latest news |
 |
|
|
| Dariel Solutions does its part to develop IT skills |
| Dariel Solutions quoted in a Computing SA feature: Simplifying software |
Dariel Solutions quoted in Business Day skills feature: Skills shortage encourages head-hunting
Written by Jennigay Coetzer
MOST BEE activity in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector has been based on uncertainty about what was expected of companies due to the lack of a policy framework and delays in finalising the industry charter.
But the milestones since the beginning of this year include gazetting the broad based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) codes of good practice in February, deputy CEO of Faritec, Hashmukh Gajjar says.
He says gazetting the codes provided a foundation for the framework for the ICT charter codes of good practice.
"There is no longer room for interpretation."
Typically, ICT companies have found it easier to deal with black ownership and top management areas of the charter, and the industry is on track with this and with preferential procurement and corporate social investment requirements. But more investment is needed in areas such as skills development, employment equity and enterprise development, which are more difficult to address.
Generally, skills development has not been managed and executed well in the IT sector, and this has led to recruiting staff instead of developing resources internally, Gajjar says.
But the newly gazetted codes of good practice require companies to spend 3% of their annual salary bill on skills development, he says.
Gajjar says Faritec is turning out about 25 skilled individuals through its learnership programme, and most are will be absorbed within the company.
Greg Vercellotti, executive director of Dariel Solutions, says fulfilling the requirements of the ICT Charter in terms of employment equity is a problem due to the shortage of skills at all levels.
"In 2004, candidates we were interviewing for positions already had one job offer on the table; in 2006 they had an average of three and now they have four."
Another issue is that there are fewer high-level skills coming into the industry, Vercellotti says.
He says honours and masters computer science students are being enticed to leave their programmes early to enter the job market. This is a major concern because these are the people that drive innovation and quality and are therefore needed in the industry.
"Without high-level entrants we are not laying a good foundation for the architects and designers of the future."
Fewer young people from the black communities are studying computer science, often because of lack of access to technology at school. Companies such as Dariel are sponsoring computer laboratories in schools, Vercellotti says.
The high-school curriculum should include more challenging computer content, such as developing a website and communicating online with their counterparts in overseas schools. Similarly, in universities students need to work on interesting ICT projects that are aligned with business-related challenges, Vercellotti says.
"We are working with universities to do this," he says.
Linzy Mothusi, HR manager at Lightedge, says the head-hunting of skilled people is a major frustration for ICT companies because it means either replacing them and retraining new staff or making a counter offer.
"We placed a technician with a client who offered him a permanent job at 50% increase in salary."
The individual had been working for Lightedge for two years and the company had developed his skills from nothing.
While staff are enticed by money offers, they may also have other reasons for wanting to leave that need to be identified and addressed, says Mothusi.
The problem with headhunting is that companies often take the position that there is no incentive to develop skilled people only to have them leave, and then join in the poaching.
Unless the headhunting situation is addressed the industry will continue to haemorrhage skills, Mothusi says.
The charter should place more emphasis on skills development and less on black ownership and management in the scorecard.
If companies can claim black ownership they will have access to government business, and this is encouraging more effort in this area, she says.
But black ownership favours the elite and will not make a major contribution to the development of the broader population.
The answer is to change the scorecard and take 15 points away from black ownership and management and add 10 of these to skills development and the other five to social development, says Mothusi.
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
