employability%20%26%20 innovation%20skills 2014-06-20 2.39mb)

2014-2015 AIMS Career Planning Guide

Employability and Innovation Skills

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 1

What is meant by “employability skills”?.............................................................. 1

Why is employability important?.......................................................................... 2

What are the main types of skills that a person develops over a lifetime?.............. 2

Technical Skills…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3

Personal (Self-management) Skills………………………………………………………………. 3

Transferable Skills………………………………………………………………………………………. 4

The Next Step: Complete the Employability Skills Checklist…………..……………………… 4

Adding Up and Assessing Your Score…………………………………………………………… 11

Results of Employer Surveys: What Are the Skills Employers Want?....................... 11

SAGRA Survey…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 11

Results of NACE Survey………………………………………………………………………………. 12

Results of Institute of Directors Survey in the UK………………………………………… 13

Employability Skills 2000+ Developed by the Conference Board of Canada…………. 15

Summary: The Main Employability Skills that Employers Want……………………………. 18

What Are Hard and Soft Skills?.................................................................................. 19

Emphasize both Hard and Soft Skills…………………………………………………………… 20

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills – Which is more important?..................................... 20

Innovation Skills…………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 21

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………… 21

The Need for Innovation Skills…………………………………………………………………….. 23

Innovation Skills Profile………………………………………………………………………………. 24

African Innovations……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 25

1. Raspberry Pi……………………………………………………………………………………………. 25

2. Kenya on the Innovation Upswing: Geothermal Energy………………………….. 25

3. Innovation Africa Highlights 2013……………………………………………………………. 26

4. The Solar Park in Freetown: Renewable Energy Innovation…………………….. 27

5. The Development of Ubuntu, the Pioneering Computer Operating

System ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

28

6. IDRC Forum - Opportunity calls: Booming innovation in Africa……………….. 29

7. From Kenya to Madagascar: The African Tech-Hub Boom………………………. 30

AIMS Career Planning Guide: Employability and Innovation Skills Page 1 of 33

Employability and Innovation Skills

Introduction:

This unit of the Career Planning Guide will introduce you to employability skills and the importance of acquiring these skills to help you in your future career and to find employment in a competitive job market. Many examples of the employability skills most valued by employers will be presented for you to study as well as examples of “soft” and “hard” skills commonly mentioned by employers in today’s marketplace. This section of the Guide will also include an introduction to the concept of innovation skills and how employees can contribute to an organization’s innovation performance using their innovation skills such as creativity, problem-solving, and inventiveness. Examples of African innovations are also presented in this section.

What is meant by “employability skills”? There are many definitions for employability skills but basically they are the skills that your need to enter, stay in, and progress in the workplace—whether you are self-employed or working for others. Stated simply, they are the workplace skills and personal attributes that you need to gain employment and be successful in todays’ job market. Source: Employability Skills 2000+, Conference Board of Canada

Other definitions provided by the Careers and Employability Service at the University of Kent, UK, are as follows: What is employability? Employability has been defined as the capability of getting work and keeping satisfactory work. What are employability skills? Employability skills have been defined as: "A set of achievements, understandings and personal attributes that make individuals more likely to gain employment and to be successful in their chosen occupations". Peter Knight & Mantz Yorke (HEFCE/DfES ESECT group)

“A set of attributes, skills and knowledge that all labour market participants should possess to ensure they have the capability of being effective in the workplace – to the benefit of themselves, their employer and the wider economy.” CBI (Confederation of British Industry)

Employability skills are often referred to as transferable skills (because skills developed in one area of your life can be transferred to other areas) or personal skills. In the next page, we will explore the different kinds of skills and how we can identify and also develop them including transferable and personal skills. Other factors that help to make people employable include:

• knowledge and abilities relating to a particular job;

• the ability to identify suitable job opportunities;

• self-presentation (on application and during job interviews)

• external factors such as the job market, personal circumstances, and knowing someone who can refer you to an employer and help you land the job Source: Careers and Employability Service, University of Kent


Why is employability important? Employability is not the same as subject knowledge, qualifications or specialist experience. A brilliant first degree, a PhD and a list of published papers on your CV may not be enough to secure a position. You have to be aware of what employers are looking for in any employee. And you have to demonstrate that you are employable as a person, a team member and as a contributing member of the employer organisation. Often, the problem is not that jobseekers don’t have employability skills and capabilities, but with so much emphasis on qualifications, particularly in the academic world, job seekers/applicants often take them for granted, overlook them, or dismiss them as being irrelevant to the employer. Therefore, as a job applicant, you need to identify them in your application and CV. This is the first chance to show your written communication and presentation skills. The personal statement at the beginning of your CV is also about employability. This needs to reflect the personal strengths and transferable skills appropriate to the position you are applying for—problem solving, analytical thinking, initiative, flexibility, co-operation, willingness to learn, etc. During the job interview, you need to conduct yourself in such a way that gives the interviewer an idea of your transferable skills such as enthusiasm, positive attitude, good team player, taking responsibility, honesty and integrity, etc. In a recent survey on employability conducted by the Institute of Directors in the UK, directors who employed recent graduates were asked to rate the importance of employability skills against specific technical or academic knowledge and skills associated with their degree:

Surprisingly, when recruiting, 64% of directors said recent graduates’ employability skills were more important to their organisation as an employer than the specific occupational, technical or academic knowledge/skills associated with the graduate’s degree. More details about this survey are mentioned under Results of Institute of Directors Survey Source: Employability: What are Employers Looking For? By Melanie Allen, jobs.ac.uk; 2012 In conclusion, a degree is not enough to secure a suitable position in the job market and be successful in your career. It may unlock doors for you and make you eligible to apply for jobs that specify “must be a graduate in ____”, but you will also be competing with other graduates with the same degree. To gain an edge, you need to possess good transferable and personal skills (employability skills such as communication, team work, leadership, initiative, problem-solving, flexibility, and enthusiasm) that will make you attractive to an employer and land you the desired position.

What are the main types of skills that a person develops over a lifetime?

Before exploring employability skills in more detail, it is useful first to gain a basic understanding of the different types of skills a person develops over a lifetime. First of all, what is a skill? A skill is a learned ability to do something well. Experts in the field maintain every person has up to 700 different skills in their repertoire. Yet, most of us would have difficulty coming up with more than a dozen skills that we would be able to tell anybody about. It is generally agreed that there are three types of skills: technical, transferable, and personal. Your task is to identify your particular “skill set”, the full range of technical, transferable, and personal skills that you possess and which you can use to find a suitable job and identify a future career. In the next step, you need to identify your transferable skills and personal qualities in your CV, job application letter, and during the job interview. Understanding what skills you possess and make you employable are critical to landing a rewarding job. A summary of these main types of skills is presented below.


1. Technical Skills

• Technical skills are the specific technical abilities and technical areas of knowledge we need in order to perform a particular job. Technical skills are work specific. The lab technician’s ability to conduct blood analyses, the surgeon’s proficient use of surgical tools and knowledge of procedures, the mechanic’s specialized knowledge of Volkswagen engine parts and their repair, the artist’s ability to mix colours to create a palette, and the ability of a data scientist to apply statistical or data mining techniques to solve real problems for the organization, are all examples of technical skills.

• Technical skills are usually learned through some form of training and education in classrooms, labs, workshops, or on the job and through observation and practice. The credits and diplomas and degrees that we receive for various types of education and training certify that we have a certain level of knowledge and skill in a given field of learning.

• Technical skills may be unique to a particular job, company, or industry and must be updated or changed as jobs change, and as new procedures, technologies or processes are introduced on the job site.

• As an example, the technical skills required for the advertised position of Data Scientist/Programmer included:

o Complex data management (including relational, NoSQL, structured: semi-structured and unstructured data)

o Develop scripts/data processing chains to clean, analyse and/or reformat a wide range of data sets)

o Develop visualizations (static and dynamic) of data to provide insight to customers

o Ability to conceptualize data-drive solutions to client needs

2. Personal (Self-Management)

Skills

• Personal (sometimes called self-management) skills are part of our personalities, acquired early in life, and developed as we mature from childhood to adulthood. These skills are transferable because they go where we go. They are really part of our attitude, our personal style, and our approach to life’s circumstances. They describe what you are like as a person and how you do things. They include your attitudes, personality, and work habits.

• As personal skills relate to work, they allow us to cope with and manage our work environments and be effective on the job.

• Personal skills are certainly some of the most important employability skills requested and desired by employers. Personal skills desired by employers are: � Dependability � Punctuality � Pride in performance � Responsible � Initiative � Loyalty � Integrity � Getting along with others � Enthusiasm � Responding well to pressure � Flexibility & adaptability � Tactfulness


� Good grooming � Self-confidence � Highly motivated � Positive attitude � Health and lifestyle-related skills

• At first glance, you might think that these skills are universal and obvious to everyone. But, not everyone is endowed with them and, unlike technical skills, employers rarely include personal skills as part of a company’s training program. As one employer put it, “We can’t teach personality”.

• The person who is well-endowed with many of these personal skills has a decided edge over those who aren’t. You may not get hired on the basis of your personal skills alone but, with everything else being equal, they can become the deciding factor for being hired.

• They also go a long way in getting you recognized, appreciated, and promoted within the company/organization. It’s a routine comment among employers that workers do not get fired because they lack technical skills; they get fired because they lack personal skills.

3. Transferable Skills

• Transferable skills are essential skills that can be transferred from one employer to another, one type of job to another, one occupation to another, and one industry to another. They are those skills developed through many everyday experiences including paid employment, school, university, homemaking, recreation, community activities, and volunteer work.

• There are hundreds of transferable skills that people develop over the years but, because they don’t come attached with a job title or educational credential, we often don’t place much value on them. Often we don’t even know that we have them.

• Some of the more common types of transferable skills include: o Communication skills o Working with people (social) skills/interpersonal skills o Physical skills o Working with machines or tools skills (manual &

mechanical skills) o Sensory skills o Leadership skills o Working with details skills o Creative skills o Working with difficult situations skills o Working with numbers skills o Reasoning (analytical) skills o Knowledge skills (ability to find/access needed information

and use information in decision making and problem solving)

o Computer literacy/IT skills o Organizational skills o Time management skills

Source: Skills are your Passport, Alberta Career Development and Employment

The Next Step: Complete the Employability Skills Checklist To help you identify your transferable and personal skills, go through the following Employability Skills Checklist and select those that you feel you already have and those that you would like to


improve upon or acquire in the future. Keep in mind that employability or transferable skills are vital in every kind of work. They are, in fact, the skills that everyone needs to do almost any job.

Employability Skills Checklist Check off the appropriate box below (�) # Employability Skills I have

this skill I would like to improve

I would like to acquire in future

Transferable Skills

A Communication Skills

1. Reading—getting information from written materials; following written instructions

2. Writing—able to express yourself or explain things clearly in writing,

3. Writing--being able to condense information/produce concise summary notes

4. Speaking—expressing your ideas clearly and confidently in speech

5. Speaking (in pubic)—Delivering a speech in front of an audience

6. Listening—listening carefully to what others are saying and responding appropriately

7. Questioning—asking the right questions to get useful information from others or help them gain insight

8. Explaining—being careful and clear about what you are telling people about things, so that they can understand you quickly and easily

9. Resolving conflicts—bringing a conflict to a successful conclusion

10. Persuading—convincing others to do what you want or buy your product or service

11. Being tactful—using tack and diplomacy to persuade others to agree on something

12. Negotiating—bargaining with others to solve a problem or reach an agreement

13. Teaching—instructing others

14. Chairing meetings—presiding over a group of people who come together for a purpose; listening, speaking, encouraging discussion, following an agenda, and keeping on time

B Organizational Skills

15. Scheduling—setting up time schedules and keeping track of them

16. Coordinating and organizing people and activities in an orderly manner

17. Identifying tasks to be accomplished

18. Pulling elements together in an orderly, functional, and structured whole

19. Facilitating group discussions or brainstorming activities

20. Prioritizing tasks; getting most important work done first

21. Organizing your work site—keeping your work area neat and clean; taking care of tools, materials, and equipment


Check off the appropriate box below (�) # Employability Skills I have



C Creative and Innovative Skills

22. Creating/inventing—coming up with new ideas, innovations, or ways of doing things

23. Designing/displaying—dealing creatively with spaces, products, objects, colours or images

24. Improvising/experimenting/adapting—making changes or modifications to get the job done; finding new, innovative, and creative ways to accomplish tasks

25. Performing/entertaining—using your talents to hold the attention of an audience, either in a live performance or on camera

26. Drawing/sculpting/painting—conveying feelings or thoughts through works of art in a variety of media

27. Writing/playwriting/composing—creating original material to entertain, educate, or amuse people

D Interpersonal Skills

28. Getting along—demonstrating respect and caring about the feelings of others; being considerate

29. Using tact—displaying discretion and diplomacy, particularly in dealing with sensitive issues

30. Supporting—helping others with their problems; supporting others’ decisions and initiatives

31. Accepting authority—being able to work under supervision

32. Advising/counseling—helping others cope with their personal, emotional, educational and work concerns by providing information and helping them deal with their concerns

33. Respecting differences—appreciating diversity; accepting the uniqueness of individuals

34. Teamwork/working on a team—cooperating with and supporting others on a team to accomplish a common goal; completing your team responsibilities on time, giving criticism/feedback to group/team members in a helpful way

35. Accepting feedback—accepting feedback without getting defensive

36. Advocating—advocating on behalf of someone or a group, encouraging and empowering people to accomplish something

37. Stating opinions/being assertive—having the confidence and assertiveness to state your views, give your ideas, etc.

E Leadership Skills

38. Making decisions—choosing a course of action and accepting responsibility for the consequences

39. Directing/supervising—overseeing or managing the work of others, motivating others, and accepting responsibility for their performance

40. Initiating—taking the first step; getting things started





41. Confronting—telling others things that they may not want to hear about their behaviours, habits, etc.

42. Interviewing—questioning people to gather information

43. Planning—developing projects or ideas through systematic preparation, and deciding in which order and at what time events will occur

44. Organizing—coordinating the people and resources necessary to put a plan into effect

45. Coaching—providing one-on-one or small group assistance to help others achieve a goal

46. Giving feedback—providing individuals with accurate descriptions of their work, behaviour, appearance, etc.

F Research, Analytical, and Problem-Solving Skills

47. Problem solving—identifying a problem, determining the root causes of the problem, generating alternative solutions to a problem, and selecting most effective solution

48. Differentiating between practical and impractical solutions to a problem

49. Helping a group to identify solutions to a problem

50. Investigating/researching—collecting, collating, classifying, and summarizing data systematically to establish facts and principles

51. Analyzing—breaking a problem into its parts so that each part can be examined

52. Analyzing the interrelationships of events and ideas from several perspectives

53. Understanding and making logical arguments; recognizing inconsistencies in reasoning

54. Synthesizing—putting facts and ideas together in new and creative ways; finding new ways to look at problems or do things

55. Assessing—accurately estimating or evaluating the nature of a situation or an issue

G Computer Skills

56. Identifying and using appropriate software (word processing, databases, spreadsheets)

57. Identifying, analyzing, and solving hardware or technical difficulties

58. Teaching others to use computer programs

59. Understanding and using different application programs

60. Using HTML and other web design tools

61. Understanding and using different operating systems like UNIX and Windows

H Mathematical Skills

62. Using numerical reasoning—understanding how to work with numbers or statistics; knowing how to read data and interpret statistics

63. Budgeting—planning how you will spend money;





deciding what to buy and how much to spend or how to get the work done at the lowest cost

64. Estimating—judging the cost or size of things; predicting the outcome of an arithmetic problem before it is calculated

65. Measuring—using tools or equipment to determine length, angle, volume or weight

66. Calculating—using basic arithmetic: adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing

67. Understanding and managing financial plans; understanding and controlling operating expenses

68. Creating formulas, formulating equations or algorithms

69. Using precise data-entry techniques; analyzing data

70. Recognizing abnormalities or mistakes in data

I Mechanical and Tool Skills

71. Operating equipment—using a variety of tools (such as hand/power tools), machines and communication devices

72. Maintaining equipment—conducting routine maintenance and adjusting equipment to ensure it is working properly

73. Constructing—using a variety of tools and resources to assemble/build/install something

74. Troubleshooting—assessing and identifying malfunctions; diagnosing problems; making necessary repairs

75. Measuring—using devices to ensure that the exact size or capacity is achieved according to defined standards

76. Able to understand and follow operating manuals and technical diagrams

77. Able to draft and prepare technical drawings (mechanical, electrical, etc.)

J Developing Professionalism

78. Responsible—accepting responsibility for your views and actions

79. Self-directed—showing the ability to work under your own direction and initiative

80. Good judgement—making informed and good decisions/choices based on your own judgement

81. Resilient—overcoming challenges and setbacks, persevering and working well under stress to complete tasks

82. Quality work—paying care and attention to quality in all your work; producing high quality results

83. Continuous learner—taking the opportunity to learn new skills

84. Enthusiastic—developing the drive and enthusiasm to achieve results for an organization

85. Professional--representing an organization





through appropriate dress, language, behaviour, and business ethics

86. Respectful—treating co-workers, superiors, assistants, and customers with respect

87. Compromiser--working toward compromise in situations of disagreement or dispute

88. Loyal—showing loyalty to an organization

Personal Management Skills

K Flexibility and Adaptability

89. Able to adapt successfully to changing situations and environments

90. Keeping calm in the face of difficulties

91. Planning ahead, but having alternative options in case things go wrong

92. Thinking quickly to respond to sudden changes in circumstances

93. Adapting quickly to new ideas and concepts

94. Flexible—able to change gears when required to take on more tasks (able to multitask when required)

95. Able to adapt to new working hours or work location

L Time Management Skills

96. Prioritizing—assessing activities and prioritizing work (doing what is important first); setting realistic goals

97. Scheduling—predicting how much time things will take; setting time frames for activities

98. Recording—using planners, computer-based and paper calendars, and appointment books to keep track of activities

99. Assessing—reviewing how much time has been used and making changes that will increase efficiency

100. Adjusting—revising your schedule to accommodate changes and unexpected events

101. Being timely—completing work on time/meeting project deadlines; arriving at class, meetings, appointments on time; responding to correspondence, messages, etc. in a reasonable amount of time

M Money Management

102. Setting goals—deciding how you want to manage your money (e.g., paying off credit cards at the end of each month)

103. Knowing your financial resources—knowing your financial assets and debts

104. Knowing monthly income and expenses—including the basics, small purchases, and larger long-term purchases

105. Planning—developing a budget tailored to your life and work situation

106. Implementing—following your budget

107. Adjusting—making changes to your budget if





required

108. Anticipating—predicting possible future needs (e.g., low income some months, possible emergencies, special family needs) and saving/investing money accordingly

N Self-as-Business Skills

109. Assessing quality—determining the merit or worth of work you are performing;

110. Adapting—adjusting to life/work changes and being prepared for the unexpected

111. Risk taking—taking chances based on your assessment of the situation; making decisions and taking action when you are not sure what will be the outcome

112. Learning—using a variety of methods and techniques to acquire needed skills, knowledge, and attitudes

113. Building relationships—developing and participating in a variety of associations with others, inside and outside the workplace

114. Collaborating—cooperating with others inside and outside the workplace to achieve shared outcomes

115. Visioning—imagining or forming a mental image of something and determining the steps required to move toward it

116. Personal marketing—presenting your assets in ways that will enhance your work and/or ability to obtain work; developing your personal brand to market to employers

117. Tracking trends—using a number of information sources to follow changes that will affect your life/work

O Health, Religion, and Lifestyle Considerations

118. Managing stress—knowing the causes of personal stress and coping with demands and pressures in your life

119. Exercising—being physically active on a regular basis

120. Maintaining a proper diet—eating nutritional and healthy food and drinking lots of water

121. Balancing—balancing the amount of time you spend on all the roles in your life (e.g., work, leisure, parenting)

122. Balancing—balancing the time for religious practices and duties with other responsibilities in your life

123. Relaxing—spending at least 20 minutes each day relaxing, deep breathing, meditating, etc.

124. Managing addictions—admitting to any addictions you have and getting help or treatment

Adding Up and Assessing Your Score


Skills that you already possess

Skills that you would like to improve upon

Skills that you would like to acquire in the future

Total Number % of total Total Number % of total Total Number % of total

The next step: List five skills that you would most want to improve upon or acquire in the future in the table below. These are the skills that you should continue to develop and practice to improve your employability.

1

2

3

4

5

Results of Employer Surveys: What Are the Skills Employers Want? 1. SAGRA Survey The South African Graduate Recruiters Association (SAGRA) surveyed 80 employers of university graduates to determine those skills that were most important to them (2013 survey). The results of the survey are displayed below in the following chart. % of employers who said that these skills and attributes were “very” or “quite important” for job applicants

84%

83%

81%

80%

80%

74%

66%

64%

60%

53%

53%

50%

39%

36%

34%

33%

31%

6%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Willingness to learn

Problem solving

Team working

Commitment

Proactivity

Interpersonal Skills

Oral Communications

Self awareness

Flexibility

Planning action

Numeracy

Customer orientation

Leadership

Self promotion

Business acumen

Networking

IT/Computer literacy

Foreign language

Very Important Skills of Applicants


The top 10 skills were, in order of descending importance: 1. Willingness to learn (84%) 2. Problem solving skills (83%) 3. Team working skills (81%) 4. Commitment (80%) 5. Proactivity (80%) 6. Interpersonal Skills (74%) 7. Oral Communications (66%) 8. Self-Awareness (64%) 9. Flexibility (60%) 10. Planning action (53%)

Conclusion: Employability skills are considered very important by South African employers looking to hire university graduates. Although it is useful for you to know the employability skills employers are seeking, you also need to be applying and practising them all the time to gain the desired job and be successful in your chosen occupation.

2. Results of NACE Survey In 2013, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) in the USA conducted a survey of 210 employers of college/university graduates to determine the candidate skills and qualities that employers want. The main results of this survey are summarized below. When it comes to the importance of candidate skills and qualities, employers are looking for team

players who can solve problems, organize their work, and communicate effectively, according to results

of a new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“Employers are seeking evidence of the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace in the college

students they’re recruiting,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE’s executive director.

Employers responding to NACE’s Job Outlook 2014 survey rated

• “ability to work in a team structure,”

• “ability to make decisions and solve problems,”

• “ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work,” and

• “ability to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization” as the most

important candidate skills/qualities. (See Figure 1 below.)

• These are followed by candidates’ “ability to obtain and process information” and “ability to

analyze quantitative data.”


About NACE: Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source

of information about the employment of college graduates. For more information, visit www.naceweb.org. NACE

maintains a virtual press room for the media at http://www.naceweb.org/press-releases.aspx.

Note: Technical skills and knowledge are certainly needed to apply for jobs in industry and the

public sector. However, as reported in the NACE survey above, Technical knowledge related to the job was the 7th most important skill/quality rated by employers. This fact emphasizes the need for you to also develop and improve those employability skills rated very highly by employers if you wish to gain a competitive edge. 3. Results of Institute of Directors Survey in the UK In 2007, the Institute of Directors in the UK commissioned a survey to obtain the opinion of 500

directors of various companies and organizations. The survey sought to identify which additional skills and qualities are particularly valued in graduate employees, and how prevalent they are in recent graduate recruits. It also sought members’ views on the preparedness for employment of young people generally. The results are presented below. For the purposes of the survey ‘employability skills’ was taken to mean the skills, attributes and abilities – other than technical competence – that make an employee an asset to their employer.


The Results

The employability skills employers look for in graduates • When recruiting, 64% of directors said recent graduates’ employability skills were more

important to their organisation as an employer than the specific occupational, technical or academic knowledge/skills associated with the graduate’s degree.

Note: This is an important result to take notice of and shows the importance of acquiring essential employability skills. You can’t rely on your degree alone to automatically open doors as you graduate. • The survey invited views on the desirability of 28 different employability skills,

incorporating basic skills, general employment skills, people and social skills, and personal qualities and skills. The ‘top ten’ skills and qualities IoD members rated as being most important for recent graduates to possess were, as follows: �

1. Honesty and integrity; 2. Basic literacy skills; 3. Basic oral communication skills (e.g. telephone skills); 4. Reliability; 5. Being hardworking and having a good work ethic; 6. Numeracy skills; 7. A positive, ‘can do’ attitude; 8. Punctuality; 9. The ability to meet deadlines; and 10. Team working and co-operation skills. • Although these were the top ten, almost all of the 28 skills listed were rated by more

than 70% of directors as being ‘quite important’ or ‘very important’ for recent graduates to possess.

The next top 10 skills rated by the Directors were: 11. Etiquette and good manners 12. Willingness to take on responsibility 13. Problem solving skills 14. Attention to detail 15. Adaptability and flexibility 16. ICT skills 17. Self confidence 18. The ability to work independently 19. Creative and innovative thinking skills 20. Advanced oral communication skills (e.g., presentations) The complete report on the survey can be obtained at this site: http://www.iod.com/influencing/policy-papers/education-and-skills/graduates-employability-skills

The top ten skills & qualities rated

most important


Employability Skills 2000+ Developed by the Conference Board of Canada In 2000, the Conference Board of Canada developed an Employability Skills 2000+ profile of the employability skills, attitudes, and behaviours that one needs to participate and progress in today’s dynamic world of work. This profile has been widely used in Canada by both employers and by post-secondary training institutions and has proven to be an excellent guide for both graduates and employers hiring new applicants. According to the Conference Board, employability skills are the skills that you need to enter, stay in, and progress in the world of work—whether you work on your own or as part of a team. The Employability 2000+ Profile is described below.

Fundamental Skills

The skills needed as a basis for further development

You will be better prepared to progress in the world of work when you can:

COMMUNICATE

• Read and understand information presented in a variety of forms (e.g., words, graphs, charts,

diagrams)

• Write and speak so others pay attention and understand

• Listen and ask questions to understand and appreciate the points of view of others

• Share information using a range of information and communications technologies (e.g., voice, e-

mail, computers)

• Use relevant scientific, technological, and mathematical knowledge and skills to explain or clarify

ideas

MANAGE INFORMATION

• locate, gather, and organize information using appropriate technology and information systems

• access, analyze, and apply knowledge and skills from various disciplines (e.g., the arts, languages,

science, technology, mathematics, social sciences, and the humanities)

USE NUMBERS

• decide what needs to be measured or calculated

• observe and record data using appropriate methods, tools, and technology

• make estimates and verify calculations

THINK AND SOLVE PROBLEMS

• assess situations and identify problems


• seek different points of view and evaluate them based on facts

• recognize the human, interpersonal, technical, scientific, and mathematical dimensions of a problem

• identify the root cause of a problem

• be creative and innovative in exploring possible solutions

• readily use science, technology, and mathematics as ways to think, gain, and share knowledge, solve

problems, and make decisions

• evaluate solutions to make recommendations or decisions

• implement solutions

• check to see if a solution works, and act on opportunities for improvement

Personal Management Skills

The personal skills, attitudes, and behaviours that drive one’s potential

for growth You will be able to offer yourself greater possibilities for achievement when you can:

DEMONSTRATE POSITIVE ATTITUDES AND

BEHAVIOURS

• feel good about yourself and be confident

• deal with people, problems, and situations with honesty, integrity, and personal ethics

• recognize your own and other people’s good efforts

• take care of your personal health

• show interest, initiative, and effort

BE RESPONSIBLE

• set goals and priorities balancing work and personal life

• plan and manage time, money, and other resources to achieve goals

• assess, weigh, and manage risk

• be accountable for your actions and the actions of your group

• be socially responsible and contribute to your community

BE ADAPTABLE

• work independently or as part of a team

• carry out multiple tasks or projects

• be innovative and resourceful: identify and suggest alternative ways to achieve goals and get the job

done

• be open and respond constructively to change


• learn from your mistakes and accept feedback

• cope with uncertainty

LEARN CONTINUOUSLY

• be willing to continuously learn and grow

• assess personal strengths and areas for development

• set your own learning goals

• identify and access learning sources and opportunities

• plan for and achieve your learning goals

WORK SAFELY

• be aware of personal and group health and safety practices and procedures, and act in accordance

with them

Teamwork Skills

The skills and attributes needed to contribute productively

You will be better prepared to add value to the outcomes of a task, project, or team when you

can:

WORK WITH OTHERS

• understand and work within the dynamics of a group

• ensure that a team’s purpose and objectives are clear

• be flexible: respect, and be open to and supportive of the thoughts, opinions, and contributions of

others in a group

• recognize and respect people’s diversity, individual differences, and perspectives

• accept and provide feedback in a constructive and considerate manner

• contribute to a team by sharing information and expertise

• lead or support when appropriate, motivating a group for high performance

• understand the role of conflict in a group to reach solutions

• manage and resolve conflict when appropriate

PARTICIPATE IN PROJECTS AND TASKS

• plan, design, or carry out a project or task from start to finish with well-defined objectives and

outcomes


• develop a plan, seek feedback, test, revise, and implement

• work to agreed-upon quality standards and specifications

• select and use appropriate tools and technology for a task or project

• adapt to changing requirements and information

• continuously monitor the success of a project or task and identify ways to improve

The Employability 2000+ profile can be accessed at this site: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/topics/education/learning-tools/employability-skills.aspx

Summary: The Main Employability Skills that Employers Want

Written Communication Ability to express yourself clearly in writing, to create and/or edit written reports

Verbal Communication Ability to express your ideas clearly and confidently in speech; to verbally communicate with persons inside and outside the organization

Flexibility & Adaptability Ability to adapt successfully to changing situations and environments, to being open to new ideas and concepts

Persuading Ability to convince others, to sell others on your ideas, to influence others and reach agreement

Teamwork Ability to work well with others in a team structure to achieve a common goal, to cooperate with and support others within a group/team

Positive Attitude A “can do” attitude, good work ethic, and willingness to learn

Leadership Ability to motivate and direct others, to take the initiative, to make decisions and see them through

Planning and Organizing Ability to plan, organize, and prioritize work; to set objectives that are achievable, to plan activities and meet deadlines, to

Analysing & Problem Solving Ability to think creatively and critically to solve problems and explore possible solutions; to assess situations and identify problems; to analyze statistical data; to collect, analyze, and summarize data

Numeracy Able to carry out arithmetic operations, read and interpret graphs and tables, use statistics, prepare and manage a budget

Computer Literacy Able to use word processing software, databases, spreadsheets, internet and email; design web pages, and do programming

Developing Professionalism Able to do productive work with positive work ethic; show enthusiasm; take on responsibility; show commitment; be reliable, punctual, and loyal; and demonstrate honesty and integrity

Diversity Sensitivity Ability to build rapport with others in a multicultural environment

Independent Able to work independently and under your own initiative

Resilient Able to accept feedback without getting defensive; to stick with the work and overcome challenges and setbacks, to work under stress


What Are Hard and Soft Skills?

Employers today often use the terms soft and hard skills. When an individual applies for a job

with a company or organization, the employer will look for applicants with two skill

sets: hard and soft skills. Hard skills are teachable abilities or skill sets that are easy to quantify.

Hard skills are the same as technical skills that were discussed earlier in this module. They

include the specific technical knowledge and abilities required to perform a particular job.

Examples of hard skills include:

• Operating a machine

• Mining a large data set

• Developing a mathematical model to analyze data

• Write a computer program

• Prepare a financial statement

• Use a software program such as Excel or Access

• Erect concrete forms and scaffolding (construction worker).

• Record patients' medical information and vital signs.(nurse)

What are soft skills? In contrast, soft skills are not tangible and sometime called employability skills. Employability skills are those transferable and personal skills that were explained in great detail in the previous section. Soft skills are also known as "people skills" or "interpersonal skills”; soft skills relate to the way you relate to and interact with other people. Further, soft skills are personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills relate to a person's ability to interact effectively with coworkers and customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workplace.

Examples of soft skills include:

• Communication

• Problem solving

• Positive attitudes and behaviours

• Adaptability

• Working with others/teamwork

• Creative thinking

• Leadership

• Persuading, selling, and negotiation skills

• Patience

• Time management

• Good work ethic

• Reliable, responsible, and committed

Note: Both hard skills and soft skills should be listed in your cover letter and your

CV/résumé and are easy for an employer or recruiter to recognize.

Skills Employers Look For While certain hard skills are necessary for any position, employers are looking increasingly for job applicants with particular soft skills. This is because, while it is easy for an employer to train


a new employee in a particular hard skill (such as how to use a certain computer program), it is much more difficult to train an employee in a soft skill (such as patience or time management). The hard skills are essential to getting the interview but it's the soft skills that will land the job because employers want someone who won't just perform their job function, but will be a good personality fit for the company and make a good impression on clients. Emphasize both Hard and Soft Skills During the job application process, you should therefore be sure to emphasize both your hard and soft skills. This way, even if you lack a particular hard skill required by the company, you can emphasize a particular soft skill that you know would be valuable in the position. For example, if the job involves working on a number of group projects, be sure to emphasize your experience and skill as a team player and your ability to communicate with team members.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills – What’s the difference and is one more important than the other to your career success? The relative importance of soft and hard skills depends highly on the career you are in or intend to enter in the future. The three key differences between hard and soft skills are as follows:

• To be good at hard skills usually takes smarts or IQ (also known as your left brain-the

logical center). To be good at soft skills usually takes Emotional Intelligence or EQ (also

known as your right brain- the emotional center). Examples of hard skills include math,

physics, accounting, programming, finance, biology, chemistry, statistics, etcQ

• Hard skills are skills where the rules stay the same regardless of which company,

circumstance or people you work with. In contrast, soft skills are self-management skills

and people skills where the rules change depending on the company culture and people

you work with. For example, programming is a hard skill. The rules for how you can be

good at creating the best code to do a function is the same regardless of where you

work. Communication skills are a set of soft skills. The rules for how to be effective at

communication can change and depend on your audience or the content you are

communicating. You may communicate well to fellow programmers about technical details

while struggle significantly to communicate clearly to senior managers about your project

progress and support needed.

• Hard skills can be learned in school/university and from books. For each hard skill (e.g.,

computer programming) there is usually a designated level of proficiency and competency

expected in the job/occupation and a direct path as to how to excel with this skill. For

example, accounting is a hard skill. You can take basic accounting and then advanced

accounting courses. You can then work to get experience and then take an exam and be

certified as a CPA, etc. In contrast, there is no simple path to learn soft skills. Most soft

skills are not taught well in school and have to be learned on the job by trial and error. Soft

skills, however, are also learned for example by sharing experiences with good friends,

learning to work with others on a team at university, volunteering in the community, and by

developing a good work ethic in school and university.

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills – Which is more important?

It depends highly on the career you choose. Here is why.


Careers can be put into 3 kind of categories. It is up to you to figure out which category

your career is in.

1. Careers that need hard skills and little soft skills (example: Physicists, Computer

Programmers); These are careers where you see brilliant people who may not deal well

with people. They can still be very successful in their career however. Look at Albert

Einstein.

2. Careers that need both hard and soft skills – many careers are in this category (example:

Accountants, Lawyers) – Accountants need to know the rules of accounting and lawyers

need to know court procedures and the law but they also depend on selling their services to

clients to build a successful career. Dealing well with clients require excellent soft skills like

communication skills, relationship skills, listening skills, honesty and integrity, etc.)

3. Careers that need mostly soft skills and little hard skills (example: sales). A car salesman

doesn’t really need to know that much about cars, just a little more than the consumer. His

job is more dependent on his ability to read his customers, communicate his sales pitch,

persuasion skills, and skills to close to deal. These are all soft skills.

Final thoughts on the matter

Most of us have spent at least 16 years completing school and university. Your school and

university education focused mainly on building your hard skills full time and a little on your soft

skills through team projects, sports, and social activities. To succeed in and advance your

career, you need to keep working on developing your soft skills for the next 16 years.

Gaining a competitive edge in the job market

Let’s say, there are two candidates who applied for the same position, both of them possess

the same hard skills and relevant work experience in their professional area. But one candidate

has excellent soft skills whereas the other person lacks many important people skills and

interpersonal skills. When the employer meets both of them at the interview who would be

selected? In this case, the employer prefers to hire the candidate who has better soft skills;

excellent interpersonal skills (get along with people easily), good work ethic, well developed

communication skills, good team working, creative thinking and problem solving abilities, etc.

Most employers are looking for a person who can break the ice at workplace and bring dynamic

to their business without any conflicts.

Source: https://bemycareercoach.com/soft-skills/hard-skills-soft-skills.html

Innovation Skills Introduction In a knowledge economy, talent and innovation are creators of competitive advantage and drivers of success. Firms and companies in every country don’t want to be competing on cost for homogeneous, highly standardized goods and services in the global marketplace. Rather, they want to be offering more “unique” goods and services, where price reflects innovative


features, brand elements and fewer competitors, and this requires a capacity to continually innovate. Innovation drives productivity, it drives competitiveness, it drives living standards. Innovation is about turning knowledge and creativity into value. In many countries, there is a real need to support the commercialization of the research work of university scientists and the inventions of individual entrepreneurs and convert their innovations into a profitable venture. The players in the innovation game include: (a) academics, scientists, and individual inventors who conduct research and develop new products, processes, or services; (b) entrepreneurs and business executives who commercialize the research work of university-based scientists and inventions of talented individuals, and (c) government who facilitate the commercialization process. Summarizing, the commercialization process is all about turning innovative ideas into new value-added products and services. It requires collaboration and cooperation between the various players. To produce more innovative goods and services, every country needs to invest in research and development and innovation. In the latest Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014 produced by the World Economic Forum, 148 countries were ranked for innovation To read full report, see (http://reports.weforum.org/the-global-competitiveness-report-2013-2014/#section=tables-gcr_pillar12_2013-14), The top ten countries for innovation were: 1. Finland 2. Switzerland 3. Israel 4. Germany 5. Japan 6. Sweden 7. United States 8. Taiwan (China) 9. Singapore 10. Netherlands All of these countries have the human resources, R&D investment, and overall capacity for innovation. With respect to some African countries, South Africa ranked 39th, Kenya 46th, Zambia 60th, Ghana 64th, Cameroon 80th, Tanzania 89th, Nigeria 100th, Botswana 102nd, and Mozambique 128th. With respect to capacity of companies to innovate in their country, South Africa, Kenya, and Zambia were the top three African countries and Angola, Algeria, and Burundi were the lowest ranked countries. The World Economic Forum report provides recommendations on how countries can develop their capacity for innovation. Innovation can emerge from new technological and non-technological knowledge. Technological innovation and breakthroughs have been at the basis of many of the productivity gains that our economies have historically experienced. These range from the industrial revolution in the 18th century and the invention of the steam engine and the generation of electricity to the more recent digital revolution. The latter is not only transforming the way things are being done, but also opening a wider range of new possibilities in terms of products and services. Although less-advanced countries can still improve their productivity by adopting existing technologies or making incremental improvements in other areas, for those that have reached the innovation stage of development this is no longer sufficient for increasing productivity. Firms in these countries must design and develop cutting-edge products and processes to


maintain a competitive edge and move toward even higher value-added activities. This progression requires

• An environment that is conducive to innovative activity and supported by both the public and the private sectors

• Sufficient investment in research and development (R&D), especially in the private sector

• The presence of high-quality scientific research institutions that can generate the basic knowledge needed to build the new technologies

• Extensive collaboration in research and technological development between universities and industry, and

• The protection of intellectual property. The report also concludes that it is important that public and private sectors resist pressures to cut back on R&D spending that will be so crucial for sustainable growth going into the future. The report gives the results of the 12 pillars of competitiveness separately (Pillar 12 is innovation). It is important to keep in mind that they are not independent: they tend to reinforce each other, and a weakness in one area often has a negative impact in others. For example, a strong innovation capacity (pillar 12) will be difficult to achieve without a healthy, well-educated and trained workforce (pillars 4 and 5) that is adept at absorbing new technologies (pillar 9), and without sufficient financing (pillar 8) for R&D or an efficient goods market that makes it possible to take new innovations to market (pillar 6). The complete report can be viewed at this site: http://www.weforum.org/reports/global-competitiveness-report-2013-2014 The Need for Innovation Skills Any African country wishing to increase its productivity and innovation performance must focus on developing individuals that possess innovation skills. Without this HR development, a given country will underperform its potential. Competitiveness in the knowledge-based economy is not about the lowest cost but the highest creativity, and this applies to all sectors, from agriculture to mining to energy to communications to retail. We need graduates that will have the right set of skills and motivation to seize opportunities in the emerging economies of Africa and create new products and services that consumers are seeking, and do so more quickly than other global competitors. Innovation skills are the skills you need to contribute to an organization’s innovative performance and produce new and improved strategies, capabilities, products, processes, and services. These skills have been presented in the Innovation Skills Profile, prepared by the Conference Board of Canada and the Center for Business Innovation in Canada. A summary is given below.


A. Creativity, Problem-Solving, and Continuous Improvement Skills

The skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to generate ideas

You will be able to offer yourself and your organization greater possibilities for

achievement when you can: • Look for new ways to create value in products, processes, services, strategies, and

capabilities • Identify problems and potential solutions • Rethink the ways things are done—break the mould • Look for surprising connections—be open-minded, seek and apply knowledge from

a wide variety of fields

B. Risk Assessment and Risk-Taking Skills

The skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to take calculated risks and be entrepreneurial

You will be able to offer yourself and your organization greater possibilities for

achievement when you can: • Assess and manage risk—be able to identify, quantify, and qualify a risk

• Envision a future in which your risk-taking has paid off

• Be willing to experiment with new ideas—commit to an action without knowing

every outcome or consequence

• Encourage individuals and teams to bring forward new ideas

• Be resilient in the face of setbacks, mistakes, and potential mistakes

• Recognize and reward the pursuit of new opportunities and calculated risk-taking

C. Relationship-Building and Communication Skills

The skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to develop and maintain interpersonal relationships that support innovation

You will be better prepared to add value to a task, project, or activity when you can: • Engage others to make use of their skills, knowledge, and abilities

• Understand and work within the dynamics of a group

• Respect and support the ideas, approaches, and contributions of others

• Encourage, mentor, and coach others to share ideas and speak freely—foster an

atmosphere of open-mindedness

• Allocate resources for networking and sharing ideas, knowledge, and skills

• Provide constructive feedback, guidance, and honest praise

D. Implementation Skills

The skills, attitudes, and behaviours needed to turn ideas into strategies, capabilities, products, processes, and services

You will be better prepared to carry a task, project, or assignment through to success

when you can: • Set realistic goals and priorities • Exercise ingenuity when devising, planning, and implementing solutions • Use the right tools and technologies to complete a task, project, or assignment • Be tenacious—show initiative, commitment, and persistence to get the job done • Adopt a “can do” attitude • Check to see if a solution works, and act on opportunities for improvement • Make change visible—highlight new and improved products, services, processes,

strategies, and capabilities


The complete Innovation Skills Profile can be accessed at this site: http://www.conferenceboard.ca/Libraries/PUBLIC_PDFS/InnovationSkillsProfile.sflb or http://www.conferenceboard.ca/cbi/innovationskills.aspx

African Innovations Within Africa, there are a number of significant innovations. Some examples are described below.

1. Raspberry Pi

By Nicholas Pescod – AfricanBrains

It’s not a private investigator but even James Bond would be impressed with this little guy.

The highly anticipated credit-card size Raspberry Pi computer is now available in South Africa and

without order issues or backlogs according to a local distributor.

According to TechCentral.co.za the high-tech device, was developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

and is a fully functional computer board, which can be

connected to a TV, computer monitor, and keyboard.

The 45-gram computer functions in a similar fashion to

that of a normal sized computer. The Pi allows users to

play games and watch HD movies. Users can also

operate spreadsheets, word-processing and connect to

the Internet. The computers don’t have their own storage

system and require the use of an SD card.

The Pi was developed, according to reports, to give

information-technology programmers and developers a simple solution to computing. The product

targeted towards education facilities such as schools, resource centres and libraries.

While the Pi’s have been in high demand since debuting in February and since July about 4,000 Pi’s are

being produced daily. The unit will cost about $40 (USD) so you won’t need to be Mr. Bond to own one.

According to a Raspberry Pi Foundation blog, orders were limited to just one per person. However that

has since been lifted, allowing bulk orders from corporations and schools.

The Raspberry Pi isn’t the only tiny computer of its kind out there, according to SlashGear.com a similar

product called the Gooseberry Android board is available in the United Kingdom and can be purchased

online.

See more at: http://africanbrains.net/2012/07/18/welcome-to-south-africa-raspberry-

pi/#sthash.AhVNMYYL.dpuf

2. Kenya on the Innovation Upswing: Geothermal Energy


Geothermal Energy a Priority in 2014

Brookings Director of the Africa Growth Initiative Mwangi S.

Kimenyi and Josephine Kibe, guest scholar with the programme,

markedly stated that for East Africa and the leading geopolitical

stewards within it to achieve a sustainable forward economic

trajectory, Africa requires major investments in three “I’s”:

institutions, integration, and infrastructure.

The East African business of energy innovation is beginning to

turn investor heads with a collective view towards these three “Is”

and dynamically amplify economic confidence while doing so.

The Kenyan market (East Africa’s biggest economy, expected to

expand by 5.9% from the 2013-14 fiscal year), is notably awash

in the speculation of rapid autonomous growth, given the recent

deep-dive oil finds, and is presently seeking stakeholders to develop three power plants in order to utilize

steam energy in the Rift Valley, according to the state-run Geothermal Development Company (GDC).

South Africa’s Business Day has additionally reported that the GDC expect to drill up to 120 wells as but

a first phase of the project.

According to the report, “Ia period of 24-36 months will be provided for power plant construction”.

During this initial period, the report made clear that risks would need to be taken and investors would be

required to provide 60%-80% of the capital autonomously.

Geothermal energy requires a large initial investment and will undoubtedly garner scrutiny from the off-

set, mainly due to the initial expensive drilling of wells, but is more reliable than rain-fed hydropower

generation in periods of drought, ecologically safer and, in tandem with the deep dive finds of 2013 that

have begun to inundate the economy with fervent oil wealth speculation, will amplify the Kenyan and

indeed East African integration opportunity for years to come.

-See more at: http://africanbrains.net/2014/01/10/kenya-innovation-upswing/

3. Innovation Africa Highlights 2013

An Innovation Africa conference was held in Gaborone (Botswana) from October 15-17, 2013

involving education ministers and representatives from private sector companies. The video of

the conference cans be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K6brmV2BSE


4. The Solar Park in Freetown: Renewable Energy Innovation

.MULK OGI – Oasis Gulf Investment, FZC wins Multimillion USD contract in Sierra Leone

The Solar Park in Freetown, with a capacity of 6 MW, will be one of West Africa’s largest solar parks

Mulk OGI – Oasis Gulf Investment, FZC, a company of the Sharjah-based diversified conglomerate

affiliated to Mulk Holdings (http://www.mulkholdings.com), has recently won a multimillion USD contract

to provide Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) expertise for the pioneering USD 18 million

project, based in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and to become one of West Africa’s largest solar parks.

The EPC part of the project will be spear headed by Mr. Khurram Nawab founder of MULK Renewable

Energy and inventor of its broad and innovative patented Solar Technologies portfolio. The Solar PV

panels will be sourced through a partnership with Masdar PV, a 100% subsidiary of Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s

multifaceted initiative for innovative renewable energy technologies, launched and owned by Mubadala

Development Company

The Solar Park in Freetown, with a capacity of 6 MW, has been selected from over 80 competitive project

applications and countries for the first funding cycle of the prestigious International Renewable Energy

(IRENA/ADFD) project facility. All the selected projects contribute towards helping address energy

security, improving energy access as well as creating a broad socio-economic impact. Further, each

project will inspire and enhance the development of renewable energy projects across the globe.

The proposal and implementation of the project in Sierra Leone is going to be carried out by an AED 2

Billion consortium coordinated and initiated by Mr. Bahige Annan – The Consul General of Sierra Leone

in Dubai, UAE and IRENA Focal Point, Mr. Siray Timbo – Special Envoy of The President of the Republic

of Sierra Leone and Mr. Filip Matwin, General Manager of Advanced Science and Innovation Company

(ASIC) LLC, who will also act as the manager of the overall project.

“I feel glad that our effort to get this clean energy project to the forefront has been successful. From the

start, I have been constantly driven to change this thought into reality and now I’m definite that with our

joint technology expertise and support of The Ministry of Energy of Sierra Leone and Advanced Science

and Innovation Company (ASIC), we will be able to successfully deliver this landmark project in the best

possible way” says Mr. Bahige Annan.


The solar park will produce sufficient energy so as to provide electricity to approximately 3000

households on average in Sierra Leone. The overall performance complies with 8.5% of Sierra Leone’s

total energy consumption and ensures the supply of energy on a more renewable, affordable and

sustainable basis in the future. The goal is to achieve 25% of the country’s energy generation from

renewable sources by the year 2015.

Mr. Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk, the Founder and Chairman of Mulk OGI – Oasis Gulf Investment, FZC and

Mulk Holdings says, “This venture is a big step towards helping us strengthen our base further in the

African market and at the same time it has given us a great opportunity to implement our in house

patented solar technology in the PV space.

-See more at: http://africanbrains.net/2014/02/03/solar-park-freetown-capacity-6-mw-will-one-west-

africas-largest-solar-parks/#sthash.bnqwG1nl.dpuf

5. The Development of Ubuntu, the Pioneering Computer Operating System

South Africa is renowned for having a large pool of talented, innovative software developers with first-

world know-how. So much so, that the country is ranked among the top 30 software development

outsourcing destinations in the world, according to information technology research and advisory firm

Gartner.

One of South Africa’s most notable examples of a successful software developer is Mark Shuttleworth,

founder of Ubuntu, the pioneering computer operating system that is distributed as free open source

software. “However, these days in South Africa, there is very little incentive for local software developers

to use their talents and skills locally, since there is no preferential procurement policy that encourages

enterprises to use locally developed products,” says Rick Parry, CEO of local software distributor and

Progress partner, AIGS.

“So while international companies might start to recognise South Africa as a business process offshoring

(BPO) destination for software development, our own government and corporations are still investing in

internationally produced software, which means that all of that valuable software royalties and licensing

fees are rolling out of the country.”

Parry says the other issue is that South Africa still lags behind the United States in terms of incubation

and innovation. “It’s not that the software developers aren’t creative and don’t generate new ideas. It’s

that companies aren’t willing to invest in and fund those new ideas and risk possible failure. When it

comes to software, they would much rather buy something that is internationally known and ‘safe’. The

considerable upfront cost, together with the expensive annual maintenance and licensing fees, makes it

prohibitively expensive to switch to another system later on.”

That very much leaves software developers in limbo, because while South Africa is extremely results-

oriented and entrepreneurial, Parry says, the UK and US markets are far more conservative, only really

taking to products that are local and known to them. “In order for South African software developers to

become successful in those countries, they have to actually be based there – particularly in the US.”

The “Information Economy Report 2012″, which was compiled by the United Nations’ Conference on

Trade and Development, stated that piracy, poor ICT infrastructure and inadequate protection of

intellectual property rights are some of the major challenges hindering ICT software development and


service expansion in developing regions such as Africa. Another issue highlighted in the report is the

limited access that software developers in Africa have to venture capital.

Now that the problems hindering local software development have been identified, something should be

done to address it, Parry says. “As the UN’s report points out, software production can contribute to the

structural transformation of economies by weaning them away from dependence on low-technology

goods. In a country like ours, where software implementation challenges are exacerbated by a fluctuating

exchange rate, software developed locally, by people who understand the local culture and economy,

can provide greater operational efficiencies as well as cost savings

See more at: http://africanbrains.net/2014/01/31/wanted-software-developers-south-

africa/#sthash.N4nObhdH.dpuf

6. IDRC Forum - Opportunity calls: Booming innovation in Africa

11/06/2014, Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, 900 René Lévesque Blvd. W., Montreal, Quebec

The International Economic Forum of the Americas (Conférence de Montréal) IDRC Forum on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 Fairmont Queen Elizabeth 900 René Lévesque Blvd. W. Montreal, Quebec Opportunity calls: Booming innovation in Africa With weak economic outlooks in industrialized economies, the next stage of growth will depend on trade with developing countries. And the next frontier for trade is Africa, whose economic growth has surpassed that of industrialized countries over the past few years. Trade between China and Africa rose from $10 billion to $170 billion over the last decade. While much of Africa’s historic and recent growth has been based on the export of natural resources, opportunities for enhanced collaboration with the continent are growing as Africa increases its investment in science and innovation. For example, Africa is building the world’s largest radio telescope. Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa have recently performed well on innovation indices. Starting a business in Rwanda is easier than in Switzerland, Sweden, or Singapore. In addition, new agencies that fund or catalyze innovation are emerging. For example. iHub in Nairobi, a technology business incubator, has spawned more than 150 companies in three years. It was named one of 2014’s most innovative companies by Fast Company. The African Institute for Mathematical Sciences is providing world-class training to the best students across the continent. The goal: finding the next Einstein in Africa. However, a number of constraints to growth remain, including poor knowledge about local needs, weak science and technology capacity, and lack of collaboration between African countries. Growing opportunities to collaborate The ongoing transformation offers opportunities to universities, granting councils, and the private sector from industrialized countries to collaborate with African countries for mutual benefit. It offers opportunities for industrialized countries to secure their prosperity by helping develop strong partners with whom they can innovate and trade. Collaboration is also a good way to enhance synergies between the development, trade, and diplomacy aspects of foreign policy.


Panelists will describe promising investments in innovation in Africa, how advanced skills training can further propel Africa’s economy, and opportunities for collaboration to enhance innovation, trade, and development. Panelists Prof. Johann Mouton, Director, Centre for Research on Evaluation, Science and Technology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa Thierry Zomahoun, Executive Director, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, South Africa Juliana Rotich, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Ushahidi Inc, Kenya Chair Naser Faruqui, Director, Science and Innovation, International Development Research Centre, Canada Opening Remarks Jean Lebel, President, International Development Research Centre, Canada See: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Misc/Pages/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=280

7. From Kenya to Madagascar: The African Tech-Hub Boom

BBC Business News, 19 July 2012 Viewpoint by Erik Hersman, Technologist, blogger, co-founder of Ushahidi

For further details, see http://www.bbc.com/news/business-18878585

Where the magic happens: iHub in Kenya is just one of several technology centres across Africa

There's a buzz, a palpable energy, running through the corridors of Africa's capitals and urban

areas, and much of it revolves around tech.

What happens when smartphones outsell computers four to one, and 50% of a continent's population is

below the age of 20?


You have a technology-literate mobile generation unlike any that has come before. This week finds me in

Botswana.

I've talked to a couple of start-up entrepreneurs - Pule Mmolotsi, who is testing out an Oyster-like card for

public transportation in the country, and Katy Digovich, who is creating apps for the Ministry of Health.

They represent what I continue to see across the continent - a new generation trying new ideas and

taking to technology.

African governments aren't fast or savvy enough to build the infrastructure needed to support this type of

entrepreneurial tech activity.

Academic institutions are woefully behind in teaching skills for computer science and design.

So where do people like Pule and Katy go? What mechanisms support their start-ups and connect them

to capital, businesses and their peers?

Incubators and accelerators

If you had asked that question two years ago, the answer would have been: "Very little."

But in the past two years there has been an interesting phenomenon in Africa - the proliferation of tech

hubs and incubators.

AfriLabs

AfriLabs connects tech hubs with investors and entrepreneurs. The group so far has 14 members:

• iHub - Kenya

• Hive Colab - Uganda

• ActivSpaces - Cameroon

• BantaLabs - Senegal

• NaiLab - Kenya

• MEST - Ghana

• iceAddis - Ethiopia

• Co-Creation Hub - Nigeria

• iLab - Liberia

• RLabs - South Africa

• BongoHive - Zambia

• Malagasy i-Hub - Madagascar

• m:Lab EA - Kenya

• Wennovation Hub - Nigeria

• All of Africa's tech hubs, mapped

These range from incubation and training spaces like MEST Ghana to co-working environments such as

ActivSpaces in Cameroon, and community spaces like the Co-Creation Hub in Nigeria.

Governments are involved, with places like the Botswana Innovation Hub here in Gaberone, and some

academic institutions are jumping in, like we see with the Strathmore iLab in Nairobi.

There are now more than 50 tech hubs, labs, incubators and accelerators in Africa, covering more than

20 countries. In Nairobi, we have six.


I've had a front-row seat as the founder of the iHub in Nairobi, where four years ago we had an idea and

built a space that now has more than 8,000 members and holds approximately 120 events per year.

We sit at the centre of Kenya's tech community, where our role is to serve as a connection point and

support the phenomenal hi-tech growth in the country.

Last year five of these tech hubs founded AfriLabs, an umbrella body that allows investors and media to

connect more quickly to the tech activity in each of the countries that houses a member lab. There are

now 14 member labs across 10 countries.

T The Kenyan iHub hosts about 120 events a year and has more than 8,000 members

At the iHub, we've built strong relationships with some of Kenya's top companies, including Zuku, Nokia,

Google, Nation Media Group, Safaricom, InMobi, MIH and Samsung.

Suit and tie

We also have a great relationship with the government, through the Kenya ICT Board and the permanent

secretary for information and communication, and we have strong ties with Strathmore and Stanford

Universities.

But if we had waited for the government to create the iHub in Kenya, we would still be waiting today.

The new face of African technology is more than enough to tempt huge companies to take the scene seriously. We often joke that in Nairobi people don't think you have a job unless you wear a suit and tie and head to the city centre each day.


In a world where suits and ties are expected, who provides the space for the next generation to work,

build companies and be taken seriously as start-up coder wearing ripped jeans and a T-shirt?

Innovation comes from the edges, so it comes as no surprise that innovators are found in the

margins. They are the misfits among us, the ones who see and do things differently.

The tech hubs in Africa provide a home for those with new and innovative ideas, create an atmosphere

where they are encouraged to try new things, and most importantly are able to meet like-minded

individuals they can grow with.

Erik Hersman is a technologist and blogger living in Nairobi. As well as being co-founder of the ground-

breaking mapping website Ushahidi, he also founded the iHub, Nairobi's thriving technology centre. You

can follow him on Twitter here

List of Sources

From Kenya to Madagascar: The African Tech-Hub Boom

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-18878585

Hubs in Africa https://africahubs.crowdmap.com/

IDRC Forum - Opportunity calls: Booming innovation in Africa :

http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Misc/Pages/EventDetails.aspx?EventID=280

Careers and Employability Service, University of Kent

Skills are your Passport, Alberta Career Development and Employment, Canada

The South African Graduate Recruiters Association (SAGRA)

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) www.naceweb.org.

The Institute of Directors in the UK, http://www.iod.com/influencing/policy-papers/education-

and-skills/graduates-employability-skills

The Employability 2000+ Profile, The Conference Board of Canada

Hard and Soft Skills, bemycareercoach.com

Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014, World Economic Forum

Innovation Skills Profile, The Conference Board of Canada and the Center for Business

Innovation in Canada

employability%20%26%20 innovation%20skills 2014-06-20 2.39mb)

Documents

soft skills

hard skills

skills employers

main employability skills

innovation skills introduction

employability skills

workplace skills

management skills