Can SA survive given the following

[Pap_sak]

Dave A

You right in certain regards - the job market has changed - no more typing pools!

But new "professions" have also pop up : IT, human resources, spin doctors, health & safety, project managers...hell I am sure there were not many fitness instructors 60 years ago!

[Blurock]

Dave A

You right in certain regards - the job market has changed - no more typing pools!

But new "professions" have also pop up : IT, human resources, spin doctors, health & safety, project managers...hell I am sure there were not many fitness instructors 60 years ago!

New technologies require new skills. Unfortunately our education is lagging and we have not been able to keep up with the rest of the world.

The new SKA kilometre array telescope will inject direct investment of more than EUR 1.5 billion into South Africa. Sadly, most of the scientists and skilled people required will come from other parts of the world as we just do not have the people to operate it.

When we think job creation, we think pick and shovel, we do not think of acquiring the necessary skills to move up the ladder. When you are at the base of the pyramid, you have to compete with many other building blocks and carry a heavy load. Remember, there is always room at the top, but it is a long way up!

[vieome]

New technologies require new skills. Unfortunately our education is lagging and we have not been able to keep up with the rest of the world.

While I agree with your statement I would also like to point out the following, the Irony of it, is that much of the technologies that we use were developed by college drop outs. Many of the computer hackers(someone who makes a computer do what they want as opposed to crackers -people that break into computer systems) of this world are self taught. I think a better understanding of poverty and better ways of helping people escape the poverty trap will determine the future of the country.

If one is living below the poverty line and in an area for the below the poverty line, the kids will look to those who have managed to escape the poverty. If the escape was through education many will chase education. However in africa most that escape poverty is either through crime or corruption thus the society which has a larger amount of people below the poverty line, begin their evolution towards a more corrupt society. Corruption and Crime are faster ways to escape poverty, and once the corruption virus sets in, there is no stopping it. A whole generation of people are now created who believe that the only way they will ever get anywhere is through corruption, there are no examples of people who escaped through any other means.