Closing the skills gap in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) has become imperative.

In a bid to tackle youth unemployment and seek innovative solutions to the STEM skills crisis in South Africa, the yearly STEM Conference and Career Expo will be held on October 4 and 5, at the Ticketpro Dome, in Johannesburg.

“South Africa is grappling with a crippling skills shortage in the STEM area and we now find ourselves at a critical juncture in the country’s social and economic trajectory that demands our urgent attention,” says STEM Conference and Career Expo director Amalia Hendricks.

With the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) “upon us”, Hendricks highlights the importance for South Africa to “be ready and equipped to leverage and unlock its opportunities for a prosperous and economically sustainable South Africa”.

The official unemployment rate in South Africa remains high at about 27.6%, while the expanded unemployment rate, which includes those who have given up on finding a job, is much higher and South Africa’s youth account for 63.5% of all unemployed people.

“This is a time of tremendous opportunity for the youth and stakeholders, including corporate [companies] and government agencies, who wish to stake their claim in the future of the country; we have a burning need for STEM skills in both the public and private sectors and we have an abundance of young STEM graduates eager to make their mark in the workforce,” she adds.

The third iteration of the yearly STEM Conference and Career Expo aims to build on previous years’ successes by matching graduates with prospective businesses in this arena.

“Our objective is to make recruiting technical graduates easier and more cost-effective, supporting companies in building talent pipelines that are underpinned by quality and diversity,” remarks Hendricks.