Tech college curricula need to be aligned with fourth industrial revolution
Many of the jobs for which TVET students are prepared today will not be there in 50 years, and students, lecturers and colleges risk becoming irrelevant
In recent years there has been a buzz the world over concerning the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). SA has jumped on the bandwagon, with many 4IR advisory structures and strategic partnerships being established. These include the presidential commission on 4IR, the partnership for 4IR in SA (4IRSA) and the ministerial task team on 4IR in higher education and training established by former higher education minister Naledi Pandor. The latter was established to advise the minister on how higher education and training should respond to 4IR.
But what is 4IR and how does technical and vocational education respond and adapt to it? University of Johannesburg (UJ) vice-chancellor Tshilidzi Marwala, a thought leader on the subject, categorises 4IR into three “intelligent technologies”: the physical (intelligent robots, for example), the digital (the internet of things) and the biological (individual genetic make-up). While the first, second and third revolutions were driven by steam...
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