South African organisations are facing a challenge that recruitment alone can no longer solve.

Technology is evolving. Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries. New roles are emerging, while others are disappearing. Yet many organisations are still asking the same question: Do we have the skills we need to remain competitive?

The reality is that the challenge isn’t simply finding talent, it’s identifying, developing, and retaining the skills that will drive future business success.

What if your Workplace Skills Plan could do more than satisfy compliance requirements? What if it became the roadmap for building a future-ready workforce?

Join our free webinar on Thursday, 9 July 2026, and discover how leading organisations are using strategic workplace skills planning to identify capability gaps, align learning with business objectives, and maximise the return on their training investment.

The Numbers Tell a Powerful Story

South Africa continues to face one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, yet employers across industries consistently report difficulty filling critical roles.

It seems contradictory, but it highlights a growing reality: there isn’t simply a shortage of people. There is a shortage of the right skills.

According to the World Economic Forum, 39% of workers’ core skills are expected to change by 2030, while employers continue to identify skills shortages as one of the biggest barriers to business transformation.

Closer to home, South African organisations continue to experience shortages in digital, technical, leadership, and specialised occupational skills. As industries evolve, these capability gaps become more difficult, and more expensive, to ignore.

The question is no longer whether a skills gap exists.

The real question is: Does your organisation know where its own skills gaps are?

The Hidden Cost of Skills Gaps

Many organisations believe they have a clear understanding of their workforce capabilities. In reality, they’re often relying on assumptions rather than data. Training plans are frequently built around historical requests, while learning programmes are repeated simply because they’ve always been part of the annual plan. Mandatory compliance training continues to receive priority, but emerging, business-critical skills are often overlooked.

As a result, organisations struggle to answer fundamental questions: Which skills are becoming obsolete? Which capabilities will be needed over the next two to five years? Where are the most significant skills gaps? Are current learning investments addressing the right priorities? And which roles are most at risk as technology continues to evolve? Without reliable workforce data to answer these questions, workforce planning becomes reactive rather than strategic, making it increasingly difficult to prepare for the future.

Most Organisations Don’t Know What They’re Missing

A qualification should open doors. That’s why employability remains a key focus. With over 20 years of experience and more than 20,000 graduates, iFundi has built strong industry relationships that support workplace exposure and career opportunities.

The emphasis is clear: education must lead somewhere. Students are guided not only through their academic journey, but toward meaningful employment pathways. The objective is gainful employment not just graduation.

Why Strategic Skills Planning Matters

Forward-thinking organisations are taking a different approach to workplace skills planning. Rather than viewing the Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) as an annual compliance exercise, they’re using it as a strategic tool to support business growth and long-term success.

By identifying future capability requirements before they become recruitment challenges, aligning learning investments with organisational objectives, and preparing employees for changing roles, these organisations are building workforces that can adapt to ongoing transformation.

With a clear understanding of their skills landscape, they can make more informed decisions about recruitment, succession planning, talent development, and learning investment. A strategic Workplace Skills Plan doesn’t just help an organisation remain compliant, it helps it remain competitive in an increasingly dynamic business environment.

Why You Should Attend

During this practical session, we’ll explore:

✔ How to identify meaningful skills gaps within your organisation.

✔ Why many Workplace Skills Plans fail to support long-term business goals.

✔ Practical ways to align your WSP with organisational strategy.

✔ How workforce data can improve planning and training investment decisions.

✔ Strategies for building a future-ready workforce.

Whether you’re an HR professional, Skills Development Facilitator, Learning and Development practitioner, or business leader, you’ll leave with practical insights that you can apply immediately.

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