Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills and education are a key lever for economic transformation and will form the foundation of the future workforce to support sustainable growth and development on a continent targeted for its investment potential, says engineering services firm WSP in Africa MD Mathieu du Plooy.

With an estimated 20-million young people a year expected to join the African workforce over the next two decades, it is something that must be addressed if the continent is not to miss out on the opportunities for growth and employment provided by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

However, with specialist skill shortages and a constant need to recruit talent, addressing the problem means providing openings for young people as they start their careers, Du Plooy notes.

“Fortunately, pressure on organisations to do more about their environmental, social, and governance responsibilities means initiatives in STEM education can be targeted to not only deliver the skills development needed for young, aspiring professionals, but also to help reach their fiduciary goals.

"This will require organisations across industry sectors to focus beyond short-term needs that show immediate economic benefits and incorporate a longer-term vision of how fundamental change can be applied across the skills development value chain," says Du Plooy.

He notes that companies have, in recent months, been rethinking traditional business practices and approaches, including the skills they require to remain relevant.

This reinvention can also enable improved regional collaboration between countries on the continent. For example, South African skilled professionals could bring their experience to bear on infrastructure development projects across the continent in places where large-scale infrastructure is being newly implemented, he says.

“If more countries look at ways of working with their neighbours to develop regional zones of STEM expertise, the continent will be able to drastically reshape how it goes about skills development, training and even job creation."

Additionally, a concerted effort is needed by stakeholders across basic and higher education.

It is important to provide learners with STEM-related classes when they begin their schooling to manage the process through to postgraduate programmes. Only about 6% of students across Africa enrol in masters degree programmes, with the number dwindling to 1% for PhD programmes, Du Plooy says.