CHIETA forges ahead with bridging digital divide

The Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) is continuing to blaze
ahead with its mission to bridge the digital divide between rural and urban communities by
opening yet another SMART Skills Centre that will aid in the acceleration of basic digital
skills.

The SMART Skills Centre is located at the Port Elizabeth TVET College Iqhayiya campus,
which is situated in the rural area of Gqeberha, which ensures easy accessibility for the local
community and surrounding schools.

As part of the partnership with CHIETA, the college will provide infrastructure and security
for the centre, while NEMISA will provide online learning programmes and MICT SETA will
be responsible for providing ICT-related programmes. Further programmes will be
determined and established once the specific needs of the community have been identified.

“This latest SMART Skills Centre is another tangible step by CHIETA towards our goal of
ushering a new dawn for digital skills development and training for rural communities aimed
at narrowing the digital divide that is still prevalent in our country,” says CHIETA CEO
Yershen Pillay.

“We envisage that the rollout of CHIETA SMART Skills Centres will ultimately contribute
towards advancing rural communities’ employability within various economic sectors, as it
will enable skills development in line with the demands of emerging technologies and the
4IR.”

Pillay adds that CHIETA is delighted to have taken a leading role in revolutionising digital
skills development and training in South Africa by recognising the need to establish and roll

out skills development platforms aligned to 4IR focus areas. This will play a major role in the
reskilling and enhancing the sector’s workforce for jobs in the digital era, in response to
the rapid evolution of technology.

The SMART Skills Centre is equipped with 12 training pods, three virtual reality pods and a
smart boardroom. All programmes offered at the centre will be free and accessible to nearby
rural communities, who will also receive access to social media platforms, free data and
career guidance exhibitions. An electronic booking process will ensure that all community
members have equal access to the centre and its services.

“Various technology-based programmes will be offered by the centre, including those
related to technologies such as robotics and virtual welding, as well as a multitude of skills
programmes and e-learning initiatives,” says Pillay.

“As with all other CHIETA SMART Skills Centres, this centre’s uniqueness lies in its
accessibility to rural communities and the augmented reality or virtual reality-based training
initiatives for artisans. Intelligent systems are fast becoming integrated into every aspect of
our lives, which is bringing significant cultural and societal change on a global scale. We must keep up with this trend to develop a future-ready workforce.”

Other than offering programmes that will advance skills development for unemployed youth
based on various technologies, including blockchain, artificial intelligence, software
development and data science, the centre will also provide access to online learning
platforms that will guide local youth to start up successful and scalable data-driven
commercial businesses. This enterprise will ultimately provide technological solutions that
respond to the needs of the local economy.