Vodacom has kicked off the second season of its ‘Fast Forward’ business workshops to equip entrepreneurs with the digital skills required to adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Following the success of its first series last year, Fast Forward returned in March and has extended physically into the Western Cape and digitally on Vodacom’s flagship video-streaming platform Videoplay.

In 2019, Vodacom Business launched the Fast Forward Series, which included workshops and interactive sessions, to create a change within the South African business sector by providing leaders and business owners with the appropriate tools, skills and insights to help their businesses succeed, says Vodacom Business managing executive Fatima Hassim.

“This series is designed to promote business growth and strategic decision-making in an ever-changing environment for both C-level executives in large corporates and owners of small businesses.”

This is increasingly important as emerging technologies, such as the Internet of Things, cloud, automation and next-generation networks, are positively transforming the digital workforce and ushering in new ways of working.

“The 4IR has already begun to shift the business landscape. “The challenges faced by businesses have increased at the same pace as their competitors and so our objective is to continue to provide a platform that will address key business challenges while focusing on empowering entrepreneurs to develop strategies to thrive in today’s digital economy,” says Hassim.

Businesses, from small and medium-sized enterprises to large corporates, need to accelerate their connectivity and, digital transformation journey to adapt to the digital workforce requirements of the 4IR and often need digital solutions and resources for their businesses to thrive in the market today.

“With unicorn companies that change the game and disrupt industries, business strategies need to constantly evolve and, as such, there is a definitive need for entrepreneurs to acquire new skills to regain their competitive advantage,” she points out.