Civil Engineering August 2021 | Vol 29 No 7

Civil Engineering August 2021 7 making, and project management are some skills that will be in scarce supply. CHANGE BASIC AND HIGHER EDUCATION CURRICULUM Digital technologies transform the structures of teaching and learning. However, there is currently a misalignment in the cur- riculum that is being taught and the expectations of employers. Students and learners must be taught coding, robotics, and other skills of the 21 st century like critical and creative thinking, collab- oration, and communication to be better prepared and equipped for a world driven by 4IR technologies. Planning and investment decision making ideologies are also in need of an overhaul. The curriculum needs to be reviewed and adapted to be relevant to the new world. This will require partnerships between the private, public, and education sectors to close the existing gap. Higher education and training institutions should start preparing students for jobs of the 21 st century and stop preparing students for jobs that no longer exist. The future requires employees to work collaboratively, think creatively and have empathy while incorporating digital technolo- gies into everything. Technology must be part of teaching and learning in schools and higher education institutions. The coro- navirus pandemic has necessitated the adoption and use of digital technologies in basic and higher education. Through career guidance, students must be encouraged to go the route of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM), and related career paths. The big factor of 4IR in education is the transformation of the curriculum – humanities must join social sciences and technologies to create a multidisciplinary field. WORK INTEGRATED LEARNING Universities and colleges should create and maintain relation- ships with the public sector, private sector, and civil society to be able to prepare and place students for Work Integrated Learning (WIL). WIL is a technique for closing the gap between industry needs and higher education programmes. Students should have exposure to work experience and be involved in practical work to acquire skills, gain experience, and build networks. As students and graduates undertake practical work, they can link theory learned in higher education with practical knowledge, and in the same breath link experience from in- dustry to theory in higher education. The education system must be relevant to the current eco- nomic situation. WIL will prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of 4IR by closing the existing skills, knowledge, and experience gap. WORKSHOPS AND SEMINARS Another solution to addressing the unemployment crisis is workshops and seminars. There should be workshops to prepare students, unemployed graduates, and employees for the digital technology-driven world as part of mass skills development. In the case of civil engineering, SAICE, through its student societies and SAICE Connect, has and will continue to organise workshops and seminars to empower students, graduates, and professionals with the latest developments in technology. This training will also create networking opportunity for students as well as give participants experience which will set them up for success in the digital, technology-driven world. The Covid-19 pandemic ushered in the use of digital technologies for learning and working online and remotely, and applications such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams can be leveraged to conduct workshops and seminars, as is already being done by SAICE and many other institutions. MENTORSHIP SUPPORT Mentorship support is also critical for reducing unemployment among students and graduates. SAICE Connect is a good example of a platform to connect experienced professionals with junior professionals and unemployed graduates for transfer of knowledge and skills, as well as network and community building. With the era of 4IR there will be a demand for graduates and employees with higher-level skills. Most graduates do not know how to navigate their professional field, and mentorship will go a long way in assisting graduates and students to find jobs. Through mentorship interactions, students and unemployed graduates can develop key interpersonal skills such as communication and collaboration that can make them more employable in the 21 st century. CONCLUSION Rapid technological changes and lockdowns necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic will increase obsolescence and, conse- quently, potentially increase unemployment. Should we change course and prioritise STEAM and innovation, we will create new opportunities. Future employees will adapt by being reskilled and upskilled for the new world. Recent research from the McKinsey Global Institute shows that data-driven organisations are twenty-three times more likely to acquire new customers and six times more likely to retain customers, which is indicative of the opportunity that awaits. No longer can we choose the last mover approach with the hope of becoming competitive in the global workplace. Now is the time that organisations must work towards closing skills gaps as a tossup between remaining sustainable and positioning for future growth. A list of references is available upon request. Vishaal Lutchman SAICE CEO vishaal@saice.org.za Mafule Moswane is passionate about youth activism and development, as well as facilitating access, retention, and success of young people in higher education institutions. He is a social activist and youth leader as well as a writer, researcher and avid reader ( mafule12@gmail.com ) . The future requires employees to work collaboratively, think creatively and have empathy while incorporating digital technologies into everything. Technology must be part of teaching and learning in schools and higher education institutions.