BMW CEO says technical skills are key to South Africa’s future workforce

South Africa has no shortage of graduates. It does, however, have a shortage of technicians, artisans, engineers, coders and other skilled workers. That contradiction lies at the heart of what BMW South Africa chief executive Peter van Binsbergen sees as one of the country’s biggest economic challenges.

“There is a need for technical skills In SA and we need to educate people on what technical skills are needed in order to secure futures”” he said during an interview at Soshanguve School of Specialisation in Soshanguve, north of Pretoria. “There’s no question about it.” At the same time, he added, many graduates continue to struggle to find work. “There’s actually plenty of people with degrees who can’t find jobs.” His remarks speak to a tension that has long troubled South Africa’s labour market.

Employers across sectors continue to report shortages of artisans, technicians, engineers, software developers and other specialised workers while youth unemployment remains among the highest in the world. More than six out of every 10 South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed. For van Binsbergen, addressing that challenge begins long before young people enter the labour market.

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“The youth are the future of our country,” he said. “If they’re unemployed, the question is what happens as they grow up, which direction do they grow in and what does it mean for the future of the country?” Those concerns help explain why BMW has invested heavily in education initiatives around its Rosslyn manufacturing plant, including a long-running partnership with Soshanguve School of Specialisation. The school, which focuses on engineering, mathematics, science and technical subjects, recently hosted the fifth STEM-focused Youth Day by BMW Group South Africa and UNICEF South Africa. For van Binsbergen, the value of programmes such as these lies not only in teaching technical skills but in exposing young people to opportunities they may never otherwise encounter.

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