This week the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, met with two business chambers in the Eastern Cape in her ongoing drive to foster partnership between government and business in addressing the country's low intake of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in schools and the resultant skills critical challenges.
Ms Gina and her counterpart from the Department of Basic Education, Ms Reginah Mhaule, have agreed to work together to secure private sector support for STEM in schools across South Africa.
The partnership between government, business and education institutions is important to help bridge the gap between South Africa's emphasis on mathematics and science subjects at schools and development of a skilled workforce.
Following the first meeting that took place in November with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this week's meetings took place with the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber in Gqeberha on 10 December, followed the by Border-Kei Business Chamber in East London on 11 December.
The Eastern Cape is home to major original equipment manufacturers for the automotive sector – VW and Mercedes-Benz – as well as the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) and the Coega Special Economic Zone in Gqeberha.
These economic drivers alone are important catalysts for joint efforts to build a renewed critical skills pipeline through STEM education from a basic level through to post-school education and training (PSET) institutions and internship systems in line with industry needs in the region.
Deputy Minister Gina emphasised that STEM education is more than just a field of study, it is a catalyst for socio-economic transformation and innovation.
"We need to create a strong, interconnected value chain that connects STEM education, skills development, and innovation with industry needs so that it would be easier to plug these skills into the economy," said Deputy Minister Gina.
She said, "We are meeting business chambers across the country to discuss how we can work together to bridge the gaps in our education system on STEM subjects as a basis for a supply-side to university courses that require this foundation. Engineering, sciences and technology courses will take off again from the current decline once we get STEM right at the basic education level. It's only through partnerships like these that we can create meaningful change."
The Deputy Minister's engagements are a response to the declining levels of business investment in research, development and innovation (RDI) in South Africa. According to the 2023 South African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators Report, R&D expenditure by the business sector has declined significantly since 2017.
There was a further decline in 2020/21 in comparison to the previous year (10,8%). R&D expenditure by the business sector in 2020/21 is 40% lower than it was a decade ago. Compared to other organisations for Economic Co-operation (OECD) countries, South Africa's R&D intensity is lower, and has been overtaken by some African countries that spend larger amounts of funding on RDI than South Africa. The consequence of divestment is dire for South African industrial development, including new technologies.
Ms Denise van Huyssteen, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, welcomed the opportunity to partner with the Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation (DSTI), expressing confidence in the potential impact of their collaboration.
"As the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, we fully appreciate the significance of STEM-related professions and are deeply committed to addressing the skills gap through initiatives like the Bay of Opportunity and the Skills Development Desk.
One of the challenges is that the few engineers we have in our business member organisations get poached by international industry players in Europe, so we need to produce more if we are to survive," said Ms Van Huyssteen.
The DSTI has been invited to partner with the chamber on programmes that aim to identify the critical skills needs of member organisations working with PSET institutions to create tailored upskilling programmes. Once individuals are trained, they will be matched with meaningful job opportunities, bridging the gap between education and employment.
Executive Director of the Border-Kei Chamber of Business, Ms Lizelle Maurice, commended the drive to lay a solid foundation for education in schools across the country and prepare young people for the jobs of the future.
The ELIDZ is home to a science and technology centre that is underutilised in terms of scaling up innovation by companies that rely on technology. The representatives of the IDZ urged the Department to support the centre and work with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.
While the meeting discussed possible interventions, Dr Chris Ettmayr, Sector Manager of Renewable Energy and ICT at the ELIDZ, said a digital hub in the zone was being used to encourage the youth in East London to get involved in gamification, coding and robotics.
"We want to start influencing their young minds and then give them a platform by giving them the opportunity to actually work on the digital setting at the IDZ and start inventing smart projects as required by the city," said Dr Ettmayr.
All the business chambers that have been engaged by the Deputy Minister thus far have expressed commitment to continue discussions and identify steps to implement the shared objectives to contribute significantly to building a skilled workforce, empowering local communities, and driving economic growth across South Africa.
For more information:
Veronica Mohapeloa
Cell: 083 400 5750
Email: veronica.mohapeloa@dsti.gov.za
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