Skills shortage pushes SA businesses to develop talent from within
By Tarryn-Leigh Solomons
Businesses facing skills shortages may need to spend less time searching for the perfect hire and more time developing the people already on their payroll.
That is the view of Marilize Putter, Chief Academic Officer at Milpark Education, who says many employers still favour “ready-made” candidates over building skills internally. “Recruitment will always have a role, but organisations also need to invest in the people they already have,” Putter says.
For employers, that raises a practical question: when does it make more sense to recruit, and when is it better to develop someone already in the business?
Putter says internal development can also support staff engagement and retention, while giving businesses a way to build skills around their own needs.
AI changes what employers need
Artificial intelligence, automation and data-driven decision-making are changing job requirements across sectors.
Putter says technical ability alone is no longer enough.
“As AI and automation reshape roles, technical knowledge needs to be matched with critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, adaptability and the ability to use technology responsibly,” she says.
Milpark has added more digital content to its programmes, including data analytics, AI and cloud systems.
Its BCom General, for example, includes a Digital Transformation module built around real-world business problems.
Putter says the aim is not simply to teach the technology, but to show how it can be used to solve business problems.
Milpark is also adding digital competencies to its accounting curriculum as automation and data play a bigger role in the profession.
For businesses, the concern is cost. Hiring externally every time a new skill is needed can become expensive, especially when several companies are competing for the same people.
Building skills internally gives employers another option and allows them to retain staff who already understand the organisation.
Training must show a return
Putter says businesses should be clear about what they want training to achieve before spending money on it.
“Organisations can establish a baseline and track indicators such as productivity, quality, customer satisfaction, retention or internal progression,” she says.
“For us, the real measure is whether learning changes how people work and contributes to the organisation’s objectives.”
For employers, that means looking beyond course attendance and certificates.
Training should show up in the business, whether through better output, stronger service, improved retention or people moving into more senior roles.
Qualifications still matter, but Putter says their value increases when employees can apply what they learn.
Milpark’s BCom in Accounting, for example, uses an evolving business scenario that allows students to apply concepts from the start of the degree.
Working students can also take what they learn back into their organisations while they study.
Business needs a say
Putter says education providers need stronger input from employers if courses are to keep pace with changing skills needs. “Industry engagement needs to go beyond consultation; it should help shape what is taught,” she says.
Milpark works with various leading industry bodies for the accreditation of its courses, including the recently announced CIMA accreditation.
Putter says engagement with employers and the insurance sector helped identify an underwriting skills shortage and shape more targeted learning.
For SMEs, the challenge is often time.
Taking an employee out of the business for long periods can affect output, which is why shorter courses, CPD and online study can make more sense.
These options allow staff to build skills while staying in the business and applying what they learn as they go.
Recruitment will still be necessary, but employers may need to be more selective about when they buy skills from the market and when they build them from within.
