In just two years, the World Economic Forum predicts that 85 million jobs globally will be displaced by automation, but in South Africa, our biggest challenge goes beyond merely keeping up with global tech skills to making sure graduates know how to apply them to the issues we face here at home.

“Technology education in South Africa cannot simply mirror international curricula and hope the benefits will reach our communities,” says Sarina Till, Dean of the School of Computer Science at The IIE’s Varsity College and IIE MSA. “We need to train graduates who can design smart, practical systems for our towns, cities and rural areas.” 

While many IT programmes locally are still shaped around globalised course templates, the needs of South African society, from challenges like load shedding and unemployment to poor infrastructure and rural healthcare shortages, demand a more applied, context-aware approach. 

“Equally important is that students learn to build solutions with communities and not just for them,” Till adds. “When graduates work alongside the people who will ultimately use these technologies, the results are more sustainable, relevant and empowering for everyone involved.”

South Africa’s unique challenges are a call to produce graduates who bring  more than just theoretical knowledge to the table, but the ability to build bridges between education, business and the communities they serve by co-creating solutions that create shared value.

Community capacity building in practice

The energy crisis, for instance, is as much a systems design challenge as a supply problem. “With the right technical skills, our graduates could build smart systems that are context-aware, balance supply and demand in real time, integrate renewable sources effectively, and apply predictive maintenance so that systems remain functional even when there is disruptive electricity supply,” says Till.

Education can be more accessible with context-specific innovation. AI-powered language tools have the promise to make English-based learning materials accessible in isiZulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and other languages, widening access to training and work opportunities. AI forecasting could also help governments and businesses anticipate which sectors will grow in the next decade, ensuring training aligns with future job markets and not just today’s vacancies.

This applied approach is part of a deliberate mindset shift, explains Dr Gill Mooney, Dean Academic Development and Support at the IIE. “What’s needed is a mindset shift, from qualification-first thinking to skills-first education. Students are encouraged to explore multiple perspectives and to test theory through diverse applications, whether in collaborative projects, simulated work environments or industry engagements.”

The practical, real-life benefits of this are far ranging. For sectors like mining, which contributes 6.2% to GDP but has one of the highest fatality rates globally, locally trained AI specialists could deploy predictive safety systems and autonomous equipment. In healthcare, AI-driven diagnostics could extend expert-level care to rural areas where one doctor might serve up to 7,000 patients.

“These are not abstract, future possibilities,” says Till. “They are opportunities within our reach if tertiary institutions focus more on producing graduates who understand both the technology and the local context. If we give them the tools and mindset to solve South Africa’s challenges, we won’t just be keeping pace with global trends — we’ll be setting them.”

If South Africa keeps producing graduates fluent in global tech theory or simply trained in the use of AI from a global perspective but untrained in applying it locally, we’ll remain dependent on imported solutions that often fail in our realities. The real competitive edge lies in building a generation of IT professionals who can take the same tools that are shaping the likes of Silicon Valley and evaluate and adapt their use to benefit South Africa’s under-resourced communities. That is how South Africa will not only close its digital skills gap but also create homegrown innovations that the world will look to replicate.