Overview

The Tanzania Digital Skills Framework adopts a self-sustaining skills ecosystem, as proposed by Finegold (1999), to understand the context and dynamics of digital skills demand, supply, deployment, and development within the digital economy. It highlights four interdependent factors—development, supply, demand, and deployment—that constantly evolve to adapt to the changing labor market conditions and work environments.

Key Elements of the Digital Skills Ecosystem

Digital Skills Deployment

This focuses on how digital skills are effectively practiced and utilized within Tanzania. The framework emphasizes the importance of using the expertise, skills, and knowledge of the workforce by adapting job roles to meet multi-skilling demands in the digital economy. According to an ICT Commission study, 87.7% of employers prefer university graduates, and significant demand exists for professional certifications.

Digital Skills Demand

Demand identifies the current and future digital skills needed in the ecosystem, especially those not readily available in the market. Key areas with skills shortages include Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, Cloud Computing, Robotics, and ICT Project Management. These skills are crucial for addressing the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Digital Skills Supply

Supply focuses on how the ecosystem is sustained through a constant influx of skilled individuals. It includes recruitment strategies, retention efforts, and career development pathways. Employers value a combination of hard and soft skills, with technical know-how, communication, and managerial skills being highly sought after. Despite an encouraging number of ICT graduates, the supply must keep pace with growing demands for digital skills in the economy.

Digital Skills Development

Development concerns nurturing expertise, skills, and competencies through various training methods, such as formal education, in-house training, on-the-job learning, and informal learning. A significant proportion of employers (90%) provide ongoing training to keep employees updated with current ICT trends, despite challenges like high training costs and limited access to quality training centers.

Challenges and Opportunities

Challenges: Employers face difficulties such as high costs and insufficient, often irrelevant training programs.

Opportunities: Aligning ICT skill categories with the National Skills Qualification Framework can help improve training and better meet industry demands.

Plan for Digital Skills Development

1. Emphasizes the need for regular retraining and reskilling.

2. Targets emerging technologies such as:

• Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Blockchain, Cloud Computing.
• Cybersecurity, Computer Forensics, Computer Security and Cryptography.
• Digital Arts and Animation, Software Development, Web Development, and more.