Page 34 - EngineerIT September 2022

OPINION

Education at the speed of tech:

Why a paradigm shift is required to

teach software development

By Gareth Hawkey, Non-executive Director of redAcademy and Group CEO of redPanda Software

echnology is evolving rapidly. It seems only fair to expect that the skills being taught
to those entering the workplace also need to change and adapt. However, this is not
Tthe case with tertiary institutions like universities and technical colleges, which are still
stuck in the traditional mindset of only focusing on transferring knowledge. What is needed is
an environment in which aspirant software developers can get trained and move into a good
career as quickly as possible.
If anything, being able to train somebody with the end goal of getting a job and building a
career has become the key differentiator. Just consider how the world’s software requirements
have grown exponentially over the past 20 years. Every organisation needs software to be
successful. Whether it is a retailer looking to open more stores or a brand wanting to expand
on its product range, software is the golden thread tying everything together.
Invariably, this has created a massive need for software developers. But in South Africa,
the number of software developers entering the market is low, mainly because of the reliance
on the ‘old way’ of doing things.

Slow change
For example, a Grade 9 pupil who wants to become a developer still has three years of school Gareth Hawkey
left. Going the degree route adds another three or four years to the process. Then to become
an intern and become job-ready is at least another year. Conservatively, that means we are It boils down to what is going to get
looking at a turnaround time of seven to eight years to build South Africa’s software developer them there the fastest in the most efficient
pool. and most valuable ways possible. Is this
A paradigm shift is therefore needed in the training environment. This requires the ability going to happen when they complete
to train a lot of people quickly and practically - with the right experience - in a short amount of their degree at university? Likely, it is not.
time. It is about helping the youth of the country get into a career with a good salary early on, Instead, a combination of class-based
as opposed to the lengthy process they must go through now. lectures and online skills development
has become crucial. Completing projects
Specialist skills that are designed for a real-world context
As the world moves towards specialisation, the way training is done has become too generic, becomes invaluable.
especially at universities and technical colleges. There, the focus is on teaching software A software development academy in
development along with aspects like marketing, human resources, finances and so on. These which a student learns practical, valuable
are irrelevant and add no value to the career of a software developer. skills with coding in an environment to best
If anything, the need today is around creating specialists and not generalists. To get value replicate a job, while getting experience
from software development, we need to move beyond teaching old programming languages in working with a team then becomes the
because the curriculum has not changed in years, to something more relevant to the demands foundation of life, post-Matric.
of the digital world. A fraction of people in university attain their degrees and even fewer Of course, having students finish school
end up getting jobs. They simply do not have the practical skills and experience that many and get a job requires more than developer
organisations are looking for. Often, you end up with a bunch of twentysomethings walking skills. It is a combination of soft and
around with degrees trying to fit into an organisation. technical skills. For example, students need
At a typical tertiary institute, a learner will do the user interface, logic and coding, to learn how to work and collaborate within
reporting, and database connections themselves. But this is not how life as a developer works. a team, know how to handle themselves
You must work in a team with each member focused on various aspects. This is why graduates in a meeting, and even understand how to
need at least a year as an intern to be taught how to actually code as part of a team. dress for work. These are all things that fall
by the wayside going the traditional route.
Investing in your own career The way software development is
This requires aspirant software developers to figure out what they want once they leave taught must be reinvented for today’s
school. We must get away from education for its own sake, to thinking about what digital world. n
education can do for the individual. People must chart their own careers and understand the
skills they need to get a job. For more information: redacademy.co.za

EngineerIT | September 2022 | 32