Inside Education Reporter
Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Buti Manamela has launched the Indwe 4IR Lab at the Artisan and Skills Development Centre in Ekurhuleni East TVET College.
The establishment of the Indwe 4IR Lab is a direct result of a collaborative Private-Public Partnership involving the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (merSETA), Festo Didactic and the Ekurhuleni East TVET College.
This strategic alliance aims to introduce comprehensive 4IR educational programmes that will significantly boost the employability and productivity of the workforce and enhance capacity-building efforts for TVET college staff.
“It’s quite an honour for me to be part of this launch of the Indwe 4IR Lab. Today is a significant milestone for all accounts. It’s a momentous occasion representing a decisive step in our ongoing efforts to reposition our post-qualification and training sector to be much more agile and build the necessary capacity to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Manamela.
The Deputy Minister said the 4IR resulted from the convergence of the past century’s groundbreaking scientific and technological advances, and it has had a profound impact on the world.
“One of the most obvious of these impacts has been how the advent of the 4IR has challenged our understanding and knowledge and how it can be applied. This is mainly because the 4IR is characterised by unprecedented intersectionality in the convergence of digital, biological, and physical realms, accompanied by the proliferation of groundbreaking technologies based on the fourth industrial revolution.
“So, it has forced us to radically rethink the nature of skills, the nature of jobs, and the nature of the workplaces, including the fact that it has rendered some skills and jobs obsolete. Still, it has also given birth to new and exciting industries, especially artificial intelligence.”
Manamela said the launch of the indoor Fourth Industrial Revolution lab must be viewed as part of the government’s strategic goals in developing the relevant skills to address our pressing socio-economic challenges and help steer the economy from resource-driven to knowledge-driven.
In line with the vision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to harness technological innovation fully to drive economic growth and societal upliftment, Manamela said this has led to the establishment of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Commission, which has laid out crucial recommendations prioritising investments in human capital development and the establishment of critical institutions and platforms to drive these innovations, ensuring that young people are equipped with the relevant skills.
“The other priority that our embrace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution must help us address is youth unemployment, a disturbing phenomenon in which over 2 million young people are not in any form of employment, education, or training,” he said.
He said the new lab on campus would benefit the new entrants and existing students trained in various other trades.
“We have launched these 4IR centres in many of our TVET colleges. Today’s launch is a continuation of these efforts. The lab is also envisioned as a vibrant hub of creativity and innovation, offering opportunities for young people to engage with cutting-edge technologies. It is also imagined to be a space where young people can acquire skills in exciting areas such as robotics, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, and advanced wireless technologies.
“These skills are no longer optional but essential for success and prosperity in the digital age. There is, therefore, no doubt that the establishment of Indwe 4IR Lab will also position the TVET College as a transformative hub for the communities of Ekurhuleni,” he said.
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