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Photo by Javier Allegue Barros on Unsplash 2024 looks set to be an important year, with a planned UN Summit of the Future to bring world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on safeguarding the future. The Summer Olympics also get underway in Paris later this year. 2024 has also been dubbed the ‘biggest election year in history,” with eight of the 10 most populous nations in the world – including the US – holding elections this year. Closer to home, the SA elections will be another milestone. |
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At the IITPSA, we are also planning big things: more events, exciting networking opportunities and a renewed push to make a long-lasting impact on the ICT sector as a whole. We plan to bring our trusted IT Skills Survey back this year. We are also preparing to convene our first meeting of Women in IT (WIIT) volunteers soon, to plot a way forward for this important chapter. WIIT aims to help close the ICT sector gender gap by encouraging girls to enter the profession, and supporting women working in the profession. We were gratified at the response we received from women in IT when we put out a call for volunteers last year, and we will be in touch with them soon about our next steps. At a youth development level, I’d like to acknowledge the encouraging improvement in the matric pass rate in 2023, and to congratulate all schools, teachers and learner for this marked advancement. |
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Mathematics, which is an important subject for learners aiming to pursue STEM/ICT career pathways showed the most significant improvement from a pass rate of 55% in 2022 to 63.5% in 2023, as highlighted in the 2023 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Exam Results Technical Report. Also impacting youth skills development, the IITPSA youth skills development programme, the Computer Olympiad Talent Search kicks off in March. The Talent Search is available as a pen and paper or online test, and helps identify STEM and ICT aptitude in learners. I would like to urge our members to encourage participation by the schools and young learners in their networks, as we look forward to a wide participation of schools this year. The challenge is free to schools and we invite them to register here. Ahead of a big and busy 2024 – complete with a ‘bonus day’ on February 29 – we wish our members a productive and fulfilling year. Warm regards, |
