Higher education leaders, industry experts and regulators gathered at Emeris University for the Education and Skills Dialogue: Before and Beyond the Degree, as South African youth unemployment reached 47.4% in the second quarter of 2026.

The dialogue explored how education providers can strengthen connections between learning and employment while ensuring students develop necessary digital skills.

Panel members included South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) CEO Nadia Starr, Emeris head of Communications Sarnelia Mandapalli, and The Vega School at Emeris lecturer Anthony Wingfield. International speaker and media entrepreneur Lebo Lion facilitated the conversation.

Embracing AI as an educational tool

A central theme was the changing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and employment. Rather than viewing AI as something to avoid, the panel emphasised understanding how to use the technology responsibly and effectively.

For Wingfield, this means keeping education connected to workplace realities. “Part of my role is to understand what real-life scenarios students are going to be dealing with, not just heavily packed theory,” he said.

He explained that private higher education institutions are moving beyond traditional content delivery towards supporting cognitive development, critical thinking, ethical decision-making and problem-solving. Students also seek learning experiences that reflect real-world environments and connect them with industry professionals.

Technological literacy key to future employment

Wingfield highlighted that technological literacy will increasingly influence employability, noting that someone who knows how to use AI will take the job of someone who does not. “What a time to be alive! We have the opportunity to influence the process of solving the challenges around AI and to see it as an enabler, not a threat,” he said.

Mandapalli noted that Gen Z students, born between 1997 and 2012, expect interactive educational experiences that allow them to engage directly with products, ideas and industries. “They are a generation of students who actually want you to show them your products so they can investigate it. You thus have to make their education experiences tangible,” she said.

Evolving qualifications to match modern industry needs

The discussion also considered whether qualifications can keep pace with technological and economic change. Starr stressed that qualifications need to evolve alongside industry. “Some qualifications have a limited lifespan and must be updated,” she said. “This is important because we are 31 years into democracy, but Gen Z is moving faster than the world of work. We have to keep up.”

At the same time, Starr emphasised that formally recognised qualifications retain an important role in providing a credible record of learning. “AI can intervene, but it will never be able to take your qualification away from you,” she said. “It will always be there, no matter how drastically the world changes.”

She added that SAQA’s role remains vital in overseeing the National Qualifications Framework and supporting the credibility, transferability and recognition of qualifications. As AI becomes embedded across sectors, Starr pointed to the complexity of regulating emerging qualifications and ensuring responsible technology integration.

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