Recently, Glassdoor a globally recognised job site published a list of reputable brands which no longer require university or college degrees to recruit. The brands included heavy weights like Google, Apple, Starbucks, Bank of America and IBM.
According to the World Economic Forum, 65% of kids in school today will end up in jobs that don’t exist. As the fourth industrial revolution ushers in the knowledge economy, the workplace skills are fast changing.
The present educational systems are designed such that it has a slow response to the dynamism of technology and innovations in our everyday life.
These trends will be ushering a paradigm shift in the way people are hired, where people are employed not based on certificate but skills.
According IBM’s Chairman, President, CEO, Ginni Rometty the new white-collar jobs do not need university degrees. She also confirmed that One-third of IBM employees in a number of their US locations do not have University degrees as of the year 2016.
Job seekers from African countries with inefficient educational system now have a new opportunity and challenge to take advantage of; acquiring of new relevant digital skills and the dilemma of not focusing on educational qualifications which are necessary evils in Africa.
One major way Africa could catch up with the fourth industrial revolution is through harnessing of the resource and skills of youths beyond University degrees or conventional formal education.
What sort of reforms and mind-shift will be required in the African public and private sectors for better positioning to take advantage of the technology revolution era especially in terms of people and skills?
We invite readers to join in the is discussions by commenting on this post.