– by Noluthando Makhaza
We did it again – our second workshop centered on the 4th Industrial Revolution was a huge success! This time around the workshop was hosted at our PMB offices where students, lecturers and individuals from various corporate companies around the Pietermaritzburg area attended the two-hour session. Sparking relevant topics was Mr. Atul Padalkar, the facilitator, who is the founder of Bizfarm – an unfunded Business Incubator and accelerator based in Durban since 2010. Atul is also a board member of the South African Business and Technology Incubators (SABTIA) and is passionate about empowering SMMEs to prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The audience found the session to be extremely relevant and the topic was part of their research thesis for some of the students. Some of the delegates stated their concerns with the South African education system and the absence of 4IR related subjects at basic education level. As eye opening as the discussions were, a focus group was formed after the session, where a group of individuals took part in discussions in finding solutions for the country’s education curriculum crisis. They suggested that in future, it would be a great advantage to have forum discussions/workshops such as these in the presence of Ministers, MEC’s and other influential members of parliament, so that we can reach consensus and a way forward regarding appropriate skills development for our country’s future.
As part of our CSI initiatives, we like to give back knowledge to our communities as we believe that “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest” – Benjamin Franklin.
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