Sparks Electrical News September 2019

INDUSTRY 4.0

17

4IR TOP OF MIND AT UPCOMING STEM CONFERENCE & CAREER EXPO

A s South Africa faces a critical shortage of skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and youth unemployment is at an all-time high, closing this gap has become a vital imperative. In a bid to tackle youth unemployment and seek innovative solutions to the STEM skills crisis in South Africa, the 3 rd Annual STEM Conference & Career Expo will be taking place from 4-5 October 2019 at the Ticketpro Dome in Johan- nesburg. While the overall rate of unemployment in South Africa remains high at 27.6% in the first quarter of 2019, more alarming is the rate of unemployment among South Africa’s youth, who account for 63.5% of all unemployed people. This is according to an article posted by Stats SA in May 2019, which also notes that unemployment rates for youth graduates, traditionally a more resilient statistic in the face of unemployment, also showed a sharp increase to 31% in Q1: 2019 as compared with 19% in Q4: 2018. “At the same time, South Africa is grappling with a crippling skills shortage in the STEM arena and we now find ourselves at a critical juncture in the country’s social and economic trajectory that demands our urgent attention. As highlighted by the Presidency, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and we need to be ready and equipped to leverage and unlock its opportunities for a

prosperous and economically sustainable South Africa,” says Amalia Hendricks, STEM Conference & Career Expo Director. “This is a time of tremendous opportunity for the youth and stakeholders, including corporate 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. As a key matchmaker in this realm, STEM Conference & Career Expo brings STEM graduates and business together to erode barriers to riding the 4IR wave,” she adds. The 3 rd Annual STEM Conference & Career Expo aims to build on previous years’ successes by matching STEM 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. The STEM Conference & Career Expo is rooted in a vision for a truly prosperous and resilient South Africa that actively seeks solutions to its challenges. “The STEM Conference & Career Expo is an essential vehicle for driving youth employment and changing the trajectory of young people’s lives through learnerships, bursaries and access to career opportunities. This is a national

STEM arena, including corporates, educational institutions, Government departments and agencies, and private service providers. South Africa is poised to be at the forefront of Africa’s explosion into the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and STEM is our golden ticket,” she concludes.

imperative to drive much-needed positive change,” remarks Hendricks. “For us, the STEM Conference & Career Expo is about effecting change; it’s about turning the tide on South Africa’s STEM skills shortage and high unemployment rates through ethical leadership, connection and collaboration between graduates and the whole spectrum of stakeholders in the

Enquiries: www.stembusiness.org

WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST IN UPSKILLING

CALLS FOR BETTER RISK MANAGEMENT W ith manufacturing focused intensively on innovation combined with a reliance on connected networks and products, it is an industry that is highly vulnerable to cyber attacks. Yet, the manufacturing industry remains fragmented in its approach to

managing cyber-related risks. This is according to Charl Ueckermann, CEO at AVeS Cyber Security; For manufac- turing companies, the focus has always been on production innovation, operational efficien- cies, minimising downtime and keeping the lights on. Therefore, when it comes to technology infrastructures in the manufac- turing industry, the availability of

systems has always taken priority over integrity and confidentiality, which inherently made cyber risk the least of concerns. However, in modern manufacturing, where systems are con- nected to the internet, integrity and confidentiality will start to play a bigger role. In most other industries, such as financial services, confidentiality and integrity of the technology systems are prioritised over availability already, making the management of cyber risks a key focus. “Historically, IT and operational technologies (OT) in manufacturing have also been man- aged separately,within different departments with their own sets of vocabulary and structures. OT departments generally don’t have as much insight into cyber risks as IT departments and this, by default, means that OT tends to lag behind IT in this regard," Ueckermann explains. “Yet nowadays, cyber risks are no less for a manufacturing company to protect its data, in- tellectual property and trade secrets than for a bank to ensure the confidentiality of customer information and other sensitive data. In fact, a cyber breach on an OT system could present a life or death situation for a manufacturing business because the health and safety of workers are at risk, and machinery and processes may become unsafe. “The good news is that there is no need to compromise and sacrifice confidentiality and integrity over availability. In modern manufacturing, cyber risks can be effectively managed with the correct setup of OT networks that continue streamlining their production efficiency and capacity.” Ueckermann advises manufacturing companies to get a firmer grip on the devices used on their OT networks. “You also want to find the best practices around cyber security harden- ing on your Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems and engage with a specialist OT security provider to implement the correct software required to ensure that your manufacturing environment is well protected, without compromising machine uptime. Ideally, due to the potential health and safety risks in the event of a breach, you should obtain the services of an OT Governance organisation to assist with creating or adjusting processes that are globally aligned.” His advice to manufacturing companies is to perform an Industrial Cyber Security (ICS) assessment before making any rash investments in people or technologies. Such an assess- ment comprises a vulnerability assessment and a penetration test of the current infrastruc- ture to get an accurate view of the assets and architecture and understand the cyber risks. “Cyber risk management in modern manufacturing is still new to the industry, and manu- facturing companies need to plan and implement effective strategies and appropriate tools to manage and offset cyber risks in their environments. A team with a deep skill-set and ap- propriate experience is needed to find solutions for specific environments and risk profiles,” he concludes.

T he most important part of a new employee’s induction process is training and development. When a new employee joins, you invest time and energy into teaching them everything they need to know about your business to help them assimilate into the company and become productive. But what hap- pens one, two or five years later? Aside from assigning challenging projects, there is only so much employees can learn and grow if they haven’t undergone formal training for a while. Growth is essential for business success, whether you’re look- ing at your list of clientele or your employees’ skills. Some businesses rely solely on knowledge that em- ployees pick up organically, but to get the best out of an employee – especially in the electrical field with the advent of the IoT and automation – and to get the best for your business, you should consider invest- ing resources to upskill your workforce. Here are some reasons why. Efficiency – If employees need to perform a task they aren’t trained to do, it will take more time and effort to complete it. This drain of resources is unnecessary and poses a long-term loss if it isn’t remedied. Train- ing is an immediate investment that guarantees more efficient production and better-informed employees in the future. Quality – Aside from increased efficiency, employees will also improve the quality of the work they produce with relevant training. Untrained employees turn out work of lesser value, which in turn lowers the value of your business. Training is essential to higher production value. Diversification – Training can be used to hone pre- sent skills and concurrently acquire new ones. Strength-

ening existing skills is admirable in itself, but the right training will enable your employees to diversify and therefore become more valuable to your business. This will make them more versatile employees, opening the door for more (and more varied) responsibilities and career progression. Fewer mistakes – Undertrained or unskilled employ- ees are a mistake waiting to happen, and that can be disastrous when working with electricity. Whether it’s administrative, health and safety or anything in be- tween, if someone is ignorant about a subject, mistakes are bound to occur. The more trained and knowledge- able employees are; the more competent and aware they become. Morale – Employees who lack confidence in their ability suffer and so does the business they work for. Low confidence leads to low morale and, as a conse- quence, underperformance. This can be tackled with more support and training until employees feel secure within themselves. Confidence has a huge impact on productivity and quality, so you can’t underestimate the influence that upskilling has on your business when it creates happier employees. The long-term benefits of upskilling your workforce far outstrips the initial cost that makes some employ- ers wary; training is a beneficial undertaking for your employees that will have a knock-on effect on your business’ output. It improves their confidence, morale, and loyalty; this, as well as actual learnings from their training, will convert into technical benefits. They will be better at their jobs and produce work more efficiently and of a better quality than untrained employee.s In- vesting in your employees is tantamount to investing in your business.

Enquiries: www.aves.co.za

SEPTEMBER 2019 SPARKS ELECTRICAL NEWS