Authored by: Muteveri Kandira
Industrial Revolutions
“The First Industrial Revolution was about coal, water and steam, bringing with it the steam engine and innovations that enabled the large-scale manufacturing of goods and products, such as textiles. Its impact on civilisation was immense. No longer centred around villages, farming and the local crafting of goods, people flocked to cities to work in factories under low wages and terrible conditions.
The Second Industrial Revolution came about with the invention of electricity and enabled mass production (think production lines). Dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s, from this phase emerged the internal combustion engine, and thus the automobile. The period was marked with the increased use of steel and eventually petroleum, and the harnessing of electric current. It allowed much of the progress of the first industrial revolution to move beyond cities and achieve scale across countries and continents.
The Third Industrial Revolution was all about computers. From the 1950s onwards, computers and digital systems enabled new ways of processing and sharing information. Transistors, microprocessors, robotics and automation – not to mention the internet and mass communications – would eventually allow for the ultimate in scale: globalisation.” (Gulandam Khan, 2018)
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has an exponential speed of innovation that humans, used to a linear progression of life, find hard to comprehend. We can see the transition from the first industrial revolution that rooted for the technological phenomenon of Industry 4.0 that develops virtual worlds, allowing us to bend the laws of physics. Industry 4.0 started at the beginning of the third millennium as a result of the Internet. With the introduction of the 4IR, gains are being made in the reduction of costs for goods, services, transportation, communication, etc. Business will become smarter and more effective and the economy will benefit. Some jobs will become desolate and new jobs (future jobs) will come into play.
How CTU is aligning itself with the demands of 4IR
The emergence of new technologies accelerated by the effects of 4IR has driven educational institutions to be always on par with the current changes. CTU has been tiptoeing with these changes and through our yearly programme reviews, we have managed to align our content to address future jobs and 4IR concepts. CTU has done that by:
- Introducing Hybrid [VILT] Training
- Offering short courses online
- Introducing course content that addresses future jobs in different categories
IT CLOUD & NETWORKING QUALIFICATIONS
“…companies are not looking for qualifications, they are looking for expertise – which are two mutually exclusive areas.” (Gulandam Khan, 2018) IT Cloud Solutions Engineer goes a long way in addressing this aspect: “Currently the biggest skills gap lies in security-related and data protection skills – a reflection of the heightened awareness among businesses about the increasing threat of cyber-crime.”
“Following closely behind is the demand for cloud computing skills as indicated by 49% of companies. This demand for cloud skills is expected to grow significantly over the next two years, with 68% of companies saying they are likely to need more cloud specialists in future, Microsoft said.” (Gulandam Khan, 2018)
This is why we have introduced the Cloud qualifications.
Networking skills are still in demand. CTU answers this demand with the following networking qualifications and Short Courses:
- Diploma in Network Design and Administration
- IT Technical Support
- IT Cloud Solutions Administrator
- IT Cloud Solutions Engineer
- Cloud & Security Professional: CISCO
- CompTIA Training and Certifications (Link)
- Microsoft Training and Certifications (Link)
- AWS Training Courses(Link)
- Cisco Training Course
- And more…
PROGRAMMING/SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
For the Software Development programmes, CTU has been aligning its qualifications with future jobs and technologies that are in demand. Our current curriculum enables our students to learn top programming languages like C#, Python, Java, JavaScript, HTML, etc., as set out in the prospectus.
We added more specialisation programmes to our offerings that address 4IR technologies. Cyber Security (link), App Development, AI & Machine Learning, Data Analysis and Games Development amongst others. These programmes skill the students to be ready for the demands of the 4IR. Through Learnerships offered by CTU, we offer customised qualifications including Data Science and Linux to our clients.
Bibliography
Gulandam Khan, D. I. (2018). 1,2,3… Here comes the 4th Industrial Revolution. Perth, Australia: PWC.
