The organisation says that the failure of a Seta to achieve this is, in many instances, a direct reflection of the level of input and participation by the industry itself.

According to Loraine Vorster, regional director of CompTIA SA, the Setas cannot, and should not, be expected to act alone in the delivery of learnerships. Businesses can and must play a critical role in assisting the Setas to respond to the needs of SA's people through the provision of infrastructure, mentors and structured work placements. In particular, the ICT industrys greatest challenge ahead is to clean up the industry, and rid it of fly-by-nights and create standards comparable to global standards to regulate the industry, says Loraine.

CompTIA says that as the industry association representing both ICT training providers and employers, it has worked closely with the Information Systems, Electronic and Telecommunications Technology (ISETT) Seta to protect both individuals seeking a career in ICT as well as employers looking to employ staff.

The ISETT Education and training quality assurer, (ETQA) has a big role to play in this through the accreditation process. Both the ISETT ETQA and CompTIA have a responsibility to educate individuals and employers on career options and how to avoid pitfalls. In particular, private individuals and employers have been advised to guard against corrupt training providers that have seen the ISETTs decision to award learnerships to training providers as an opportunity to make fast money, and hence disregard the learners' needs, not facilitate employer participation and proper assessments, says Loraine. 

CompTIA says a number of its training provider members - such as Torque-IT and Boston Business College - have taken the lead against this type of action, and are well on their way to producing learners skilled in basic ICT skills equivalent to the internationally recognised ICDL, A+, Network+ and MCSE certifications.

As a result of global and local industry demand and recognition, Comptia says, these training providers have also decided to include international certification as a method of assessment, adding to the practical assessments. CompTIA adds that to ensure employer participation, it and the Black IT Forum (BITF) Foundation joined forces to facilitate workshops where employers and the ISETT Seta meet and frankly discuss challenges and solutions. The first workshop was a major success, CompTIA says, and has resulted in five CompTIA member companies undertaking to participate in a learnership that will result in 50 unemployed individuals not only being skilled at the end of their training, but also placed in permanent work positions. CompTIA says it and the BITF Foundation - with the help of its first accredited Employee Skills Development Agency (ESDA) in the ICT industry - have plans to aggressively drive skills development in the ICT sector, facilitating a platform where the industry and the ISETT Seta can meet and work together.

In conjunction with its members CompTIA says that it has developed vendor-neutral certifications that enjoy global recognition that will soon be recognised by the ISETT Seta and mapped to local standards. Local employers such as Nashua, HP, IBM, Mustek, Telkom, AST, Minolta, Bytes Document Solutions and Gestetner have seen the benefits of certifying staff against a global standard in an industry where global competition is a reality. The standards created in CompTIA's A+ certification are accepted as an entry-level requirement for individuals who wish to enter a technical position in this industry, and, as a result, local standards have been based on the outcomes of the A+. To ensure international comparability and recognition of local standards, international certifications cannot be ignored, but must rather be accepted and incorporated, as has been done successfully in the UK and other countries worldwide, adds Loraine.

She says the ISETT Setas more aggressive approach to speeding up skills development in the ICT sector has been widely welcomed. The latest statistics quoted by the ISETT Seta, according to CompTIA, are 3 100 learners currently participating in at least one of seven registered learnerships.

Provided that serious attention is given to further develop the learners to higher skills levels as well as find employment for them, this is an excellent effort. Another ISETT Seta project that deserves a mention is the ISETT Setas SMME project headed up by Wynand van der Merwe, senior manager of business development at the ISETT Seta. This project aims to accelerate skills development among small, medium and micro enterprises through the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). CompTIA is actively working with its larger members to facilitate participation in this project, adds Loraine.

Another challenge that employers and the ISETT Seta face, according to the organisation, is to ensure that the industry becomes more representative of the country's population. The ISETT Seta learnerships certainly reflect this transformation, and CompTIA has also signed a memorandum of understanding with the BITF Foundation to ensure faster results in skills development of PDIs. Many of our members are desperately seeking to comply with the Employment Equity Act and express a need for skilled individuals that the learnerships can produce for further mentoring by their employers. CompTIA's Trainers Forum has also identified the need for trainers from disadvantaged communities, and has sponsored a pilot programme where 20 individuals will be trained and certified on Certified Technical Trainer (CTT+) certification, including workplace experience at member training providers. Our goal is to present this programme to the ISETT Seta as a possible future learnership for our sector, concludes Loraine.