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needs to be done is when decision makers
and stakeholders do their implementation
rollouts and are planning these initiatives.
Typically, what we see is that people assume
that technology changes education; it does
not. People change education, technology
is just a facilitating component to some of
that transformation. Success always starts
with the teacher community. Educators first,
then software and then hardware. Software
is specifically designed for teaching and
learning and hardware solutions are built-for-
purpose designed by and for educators.”
SMART has appointed FVC to distribute
market-leading collaboration solutions across
the region by offering a complete classroom
technology solution.
“Our channel strategy and route-to-market
globally is through value-added channels,”
added Fright. “We were looking at various
ways to expand our channel in the Middle
East and parts of Africa. FVC has a very
strong reputation for driving the value
component. We started the conversation
with FVC earlier this year and recently signed
the partnership to take our brand forward
to markets in which FVC operate and have
strong channel community.
“We believe that FVC will continue to drive
value, conversations and enablement
within the channel. Our objectives are to
expand and improve the quality of our
reseller network, while the ultimate goal is
to add value to our business and growth
continuity. SMART has been in the region
for 18 years and we have strong brand
equity that we are bringing along with
FVC’s value addition to channel partners.
We seek to continue our growth with our
reseller base and channel partners.”
Meanwhile, Lee believes there is a growing
need for open source skills.
“South Africa is a skills-hungry country. In fact,
according to Adzuna, the rarest skills are in the
digital and technology sectors, where demand
TYPICALLY, WHAT WE SEE IS
THAT PEOPLE ASSUME THAT
TECHNOLOGY CHANGES
EDUCATION; IT DOES NOT.
is far outstripping supply; and that is exactly
what the industry is seeing when it comes to
open source skills.
This shortage hampers business
competitiveness as it puts businesses under
additional pressure to attract talent from
what is already considered a small pool.
What’s more, as businesses are moving
towards mission critical enterprise open
source operational models their requirement
for skills has increased substantially,
specifically for open source skills in the cloud,
application development and DevOps in
South Africa.
Matthew Lee, Regional Manager for
SUSE Africa
www.intelligentcio.com
In fact, accordingly to the Linux Open Source
Jobs Report 2017, 89% of hiring managers
say it is difficult to find open source talent.
INDUSTRY WATCH
When you look back on the job market
of the past, it was enough to have an IT
qualification and apply for a job and be
considered by a potential employer.
However, today things have changed. The
digital and technology industry is faced with
new challenges – challenges that require
new skills, critical thinking and problem
solving. As such, qualifications alone cannot
solve real life business problems.
Therefore, it is essential that organisations
look towards skills development, focusing at
grass root level. Creating opportunities where
they invest in training qualified candidates to
meet the demands organisations are faced
with currently.
Such programmes need to be a platform to
upskill the future generation with ‘real-world
knowledge’ and an opportunity to increase
their worth and productivity in the eyes of an
employer. In fact, these programmes need to
go beyond just providing graduates with the
necessary skills, but it should pair companies
with the right talent for their needs, be it
cloud technologies, web technologies, open
source, networking technologies, security etc
to harness much-needed skill in the interest
of the industry as a whole.
Looking at the programme that SUSE
implemented with Axiz and CTU Training
Solutions, we have seen a strong
commitment in the graduates who are eager
to enter the industry and learn real-world
skills. Such commitment and passion has
resulted in a 75% pass rate with three
graduates branching off and becoming
SUSE license specialists; and with a focus
on increasing the number of participants
in the programme across Cape Town and
Johannesburg, there is a strong drive in
skills training and career development to
ensure that future business models can be
supported at adequate levels.
With digital transformation on the rise,
open source is the future and increasing
its footprint in the market is pivotal.
Organisations need to place focus on
upskilling graduates and employees to ensure
they are fully equipped for the challenges of
the current and future workplace.” n
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