SA enterprises fast-track advanced digital products and services

South African enterprises are taking a novel, fast-track approach to accelerating business growth through a programme that delivers innovative digital projects. In the race for the advanced digital skills needed to propel South African enterprises into the Industry 4.0 era, a growing number of local corporates are combining project delivery with skills development, for high-impact innovation in digital.

This new approach to digital progress, initiated in South Africa by digital industry-linked higher education and training programme provider Digital Skills Academy, is delivering rapid innovation and skills development among a growing number of Digital Skills Academy Industry Partners. Digital Skills Academy CEO Paul Dunne said that its International BSc Degree programmes include a practical component, in which cross-functional teams of participants complete an advanced digital project for Industry Partners. This challenges participants and enhances their portfolio of work, while at the same time delivering high-impact digital innovation for Industry Partners.

Since the Industry Partner programme was launched in South Africa just over two years ago, several large enterprises have participated, including MultiChoice, MTN South Africa, Standard Bank and KPMG. Among the projects delivered for Industry Partners were a carefully researched, user-centric Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) client subscription platform for MTN; a customisable staff onboarding system expected to improve employee retention and HR performance at MultiChoice; and – internationally – a scalable online platform matching Dell employee skills with the needs of business unit managers to improve staff retention and develop cross-functional capabilities.

Morne Bosch-Serfontein, Group GM: BI, Information & Insights at MultiChoice, initiated MultiChoice’s participation and in fact completed the BSc Honours Degree in Digital Technology, Design and Innovation. He noted, ‘It is very important for us to adapt in order to grow our business. So aligning with a partner that can assist us with world-class digital training solidifies our business growth strategy.’

Dunne said, ‘Combining advanced learning with hands-on project implementation allows both participants and Industry Partners to progress faster and remain competitive in a rapidly-changing digital environment. We expect our Industry Partnerships to grow as businesses see the benefits of getting rapidly-implemented, high-impact digital projects delivered, while at the same time upskilling their employees.’

Projects lending themselves to the Digital Skills Academy Industry Partner programme are typically innovations that can be implemented over a four-month period by a cross-functional team. The projects could include development of apps for mobile or the Internet of Things (IoT); software development; prototype development; process design solutions and; digital marketing campaigns.

Visit Digitalskillsacademy.com to register your interest about becoming a Digital Skills Academy Industry Partner.