daniel chigunwe
Nokuthula Moyo-Muparuri
This fifth article on the start-up ecosystem design elements is about human capital design. Human capital includes the education system and the skill level of the workforce to enable start-up ecosystem development.
The quality and the quantity of the workforce are very important in the design of human capital required for start-ups.
The education system must also ensure specific entrepreneurship training programmes are available.
The quality of these programmes depends on the availability of entrepreneurs and organisations encouraging start-ups. The number of entrepreneurship educators can also assist in increasing human capital in the country.
This article will discuss the following: The current state of human capital in Zimbabwe; the Education 5.0 Human Capital Design; developing and aligning learning programmes; the role of universities in human capital development for the start-up ecosystem and benefits of a vibrant start-up ecosystem at universities.
Most of the information on the national critical skills audit and Education 5.0 was obtained from the specific documents on the subject matter.
The current state of human capital in Zimbabwe
There is need to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the workforce, gaps and opportunities in the skills and competences and alignment of human capital with the national vision of becoming a middle income economy by 2030.
Then come up with a holistic skills development plan aimed at empowering the work force with the necessary skills and knowledge to attain that goal.
To assess the current state of human capital in Zimbabwe the Government carried out the national critical skills audit of 2018.
The objectives of the audit were to; identify the current skills, skills gaps, anticipated skills shortages, redundancies, skills surpluses, future skills and emerging skills trends that Zimbabwe has and requires for industrialisation and modernisation; ascertain causes of skills shortages by sector and by occupational category; identify recent and anticipated sectoral technological changes against their implications on skills development; determine skills available in the diaspora that can be harnessed for Zimbabwe’ industrialisation and modernisation; establish a skills database to assist stakeholders to determine skills availability for major investment projects and; generate and submit an empirical skills audit report.
Summary of the National Critical Skills Audit Results
In order for Zimbabwe to address its infrastructure and technology needs to become an industrialised middle income country, it require skills of engineering in civil, mining, chemical, industrial and manufacturing, electrical and electronic, mechanical and fuels, energy and renewable engineering.
Zimbabwe requires a diversity of disciplines and levels of engineering skills from the engineering scientist to the practising, professional and consulting engineer, engineering technologist, technician and artisan. Zimbabwe has 419 engineers per million inhabitants which leave a gap of about 23 000 engineers per million.
The country’s current stock of registered engineers (6 799) falls way below the OECD level, with an average of about 94 percent skills shortage across all engineering sectors. OECD is the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is a forum where the governments of 37 countries with market-based economies collaborate to develop policy standards to promote sustainable economic growth.
New advances in science and technology bring about technologies that can be exploited substantially in virtually all sectors of the economy. There is need to adopt an innovative approach focusing at obtaining skills in those aspects that are likely to have immediate relevance in addressing challenges in our national development.
Natural and Applied Sciences are the foundations of human advancement in science and technology. For Zimbabwe to advance into a technological giant by 2030, a strong foundation in gaining the necessary pool of skills in the Natural and Applied Sciences must be laid.
In order for Zimbabwe to harness the power of natural and applied sciences for economic development, it requires skills in biological, physical sciences, biochemistry, physics, mathematics and natural sciences.
The skills audit revealed that Zimbabwe currently has an output deficit of natural and applied science skills relative to OECD countries of 96,91 percent.
The business and commerce sectors, are the engines for sustainable economic growth and development and poverty eradication in Zimbabwe.
In order to have a thriving business sector, Zimbabwe requires adequate and high skills in marketing and advertising, management and administration, accounting and taxation, logistics and supply chain, finance, banking and insurance.
The audit report shows that there is a skills surplus of 21 percent in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s vision in the area of agriculture is to be self-sufficient in food production and regain the status of being the regional bread basket.
For Zimbabwe to achieve economic competitiveness in the area of agriculture, it requires skills in crop and livestock, horticulture, fisheries, veterinary, forestry and seed science.
The skills audit revealed that critical skills in agriculture are below the national requirements towards vision 2030.
Zimbabwe’s production of Agricultural skills is below OECD levels with an average deficit of 88 percent.
Zimbabwe needs more skilled medical and health resources to deliver essential health interventions and increase the number of specialised health care professionals.
In order for Zimbabwe to provide world class public medical and health services, it needs medical specialists who are doctors and have completed advanced education and clinical training in a specific area of medicine in general medicine, dentistry, surgery, pathology, anaesthetics, obstetrics, gynaecology, paediatrics, ophthalmology and psychiatry.
The audit revealed that there was an overall 95 percent skills shortage in the medical and health sector in Zimbabwe.
The applied arts and humanities sector should leverage on the multi-dimensional creativity of individuals to create new economic value.
In order for Zimbabwe to have full economic benefit from the arts and humanities it requires skills in visual and performing arts, and law.
The audit revealed a surplus 13 percent in arts and humanities and a deficit of 18 percent in law.
However, the country still lags behind in the average numbers for OECD countries where some careers in this sector are multi-billion industries.
The deficits identified also have a bearing on start-ups in the particular sectors. This implies that there are limited skills to develop start-ups in the stated sectors. Also, there are other skills required for one to start a business.
While resilience, innovation and creative problem solving can provide a head start, other skills require learning and practicing through education, training and experience.
Start-ups require skills in finance, networking, speaking confidently, accepting and acting on feedback, recognising patterns in data, market trends, user behaviour and maintaining a growth mind-set.
In order to develop entrepreneurial skills there is need for a lot of entrepreneurship and innovation courses to be available for the start-ups. There is equally a need for courses for all other members of the start-up ecosystem to capacitate them to be able to perform their roles.
The Education 5.0 Human Capital Design
After the national critical skills audit of 2018, the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education developed the Education 5.0 doctrine to address issues identified in audit. This is the doctrine for the modernisation and industrialisation of Zimbabwe through education, science and technology development to achieve Vision 2030.
Heritage refers to the natural endowment of Zimbabwe; flora, fauna, water, minerals and human resources.
The underlying principle is an education in science and technology system that produces goods and services useful to the economy based on heritage.
Zimbabwe therefore shall use its agricultural, climatological and mineral heritage for national development.
Teaching and learning focuses on the local environment and locally available materials to develop the economy based on such resources.
Zimbabwe is endowed with a good climate, agricultural land, minerals, flora and fauna. Therefore Zimbabwe does not have a shortage of material for orienting the education system, towards the efficient, sustainable exploitation of these resources for national development.
Education 5.0 has five pillars which are teaching, research, community service, innovation and industrialisation. On teaching the pillar emphasises the use of local environment in learning and teaching.
Research is the engine for bringing new ideas and innovation. On community service, there is a need to engage our communities so that they benefit from the educational community.
Innovation is the bridge between knowledge produced in lecture rooms, laboratories and innovation/incubation hubs. On industrialisation, certified prototypes are relayed to the industrial park. The industrial park is the stage for the production of goods and services.
The Education 5.0 philosophy implies that there is need for Zimbabwe to ensure that the majority of goods and services used in the country must be locally produced and manufactured. At the moment Zimbabwe imports the majority of goods and services they use.
There is a need for specific strategies to ensure that the Heritage 5.0 doctrine is effectively implemented.
As a country we are known to be designing good strategies on paper but when it comes to implementation we are found wanting. Stories are sometimes told that other African countries usually take our strategies and implement them and do well at our expense.
Developing and aligning learning programmes
There is need to develop learning programmes which address the needs and expectations of the human capital needs.
Learning programmes need to be relevant, engaging and adaptable to the changing needs and demands of the business environment. Learning programmes must be aligned with the clusters that were done in the critical skills audit so as to address the gaps identified.
The clusters are; engineering and technology, natural and applied sciences, business and commerce, agriculture, medical and health sciences, arts and humanities and last but not least skills required for all members of the start-up ecosystem to capacitate them to be able to play their roles effectively.
There is also need to align the primary and secondary school education human capital design to ensure that it feeds into the higher and tertiary education human capital design.
The skills required must be cultivated at the primary and secondary level to ensure that they are adequate when they get to the higher and tertiary education level.
There is need for the two ministries to collaborate in the development of a comprehensive human capital design. A short term strategy to solve the skills deficit challenge can be the development of bridging programmes for the different clusters.
Role of universities in the human capital development for the start-up ecosystem
Universities play a crucial role in developing a start-up ecosystem by providing entrepreneurial education, creating a supportive environment and facilitating knowledge sharing.
They train students in entrepreneurial skills and foster a culture of innovation and problem-solving. Universities also act as a bridge between businesses and start-ups, collaborating to create and share cutting-edge knowledge.
They can support start-ups through mentoring, training programmes, and start-up competitions. By adapting their traditional role and focusing on knowledge sharing, universities can contribute to sustainable growth and resilience within the ecosystem.
Additionally, universities can facilitate the commercialisation of innovations and provide resources for start-ups to access new markets.
Overall, universities play a vital role in nurturing and supporting start-ups, driving innovation and contributing to the growth of the start-up ecosystem.
College universities are an ideal location to cultivate a start-up ecosystem giving students the resources and freedom to create and follow new ventures.
The traditional role of universities is to provide education and research, but in recent years, there has been a shift towards developing start-up ecosystems within universities.
Modern-day college campuses have created a rich environment for aspiring entrepreneurs with a wide array of entrepreneurship courses, strong support systems, advanced technologies and extensive resources.
The objective is to create an environment that fosters innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity thereby empowering students to develop their entrepreneurial skills and create successful start-ups.
Universities should be feeders, rather than leaders in their start-up ecosystem. This means, they should supply talent and provide support for local start-ups, by positioning themselves at the centre of entrepreneurial activity.
A way of stimulating entrepreneurship is through student clubs, consulting organisations, investment groups.
Universities can engage in various activities to connect start-ups such as; opening up facilities by allowing entrepreneurs to host events and invite students as well as faculty to attend; offering short courses; hosting start-up networking events by inviting start-ups to give short pitch presentation about their companies and networks to students; organising internship programmes by giving the opportunity to work for start-ups; including the community in pitch competitions by inviting local entrepreneurs and investors to judge the competitions and also contribute the prize money and getting involved with entrepreneurship festivals by actively participating as a university.
Festival organisers should incentivise student participation by offering discounts or free admission if students volunteer and; Inviting alumni to engage by making them guest lecturers, mentors or sit in panels for judging competitions.
Universities can also establish accelerator programmes. Accelerators are designed to help entrepreneurs find product-market fit, acquire outside capital and scale up.
They can be publicly or privately funded and under most circumstances, anyone can apply. Accelerator programmes always provide education, along with mentorship and they often make seed-stage investments in exchange for equity stakes in cohorts.
University accelerators are good as universities provide housing, food and work space. They must have strong relationships with mentors and service providers in their local start-up ecosystems.
However, to ensure accelerator programmes succeed, universities can start pilot projects with student-run companies before opening the floor to everyone.
A university tends to be a melting pot of ideas. Research has shown that diversity of ideas leads to innovation and there is no better place to see diversity than at a university.
It is not just the diversity in race or nationality, but also in background, value systems and priorities. These ‘frictional’ interactions between individuals that have competing values who are trying to work together are the prime source of ideas and innovation.
Benefits of a vibrant start-up ecosystem at universities
A vibrant start-up ecosystem at universities is crucial for several reasons. It provides students with a platform to transform their innovative ideas into successful start-ups by providing students with the resources, mentorship, and support they need.
Universities can help bridge the gap between innovation and commercialisation which not only benefits the students but also contributes to the overall economic growth and development of the region.
Starting a business is a challenging process that requires a diverse range of skills.
Creating a vibrant start-up ecosystem within universities allows students to gain valuable practical experience where they can refine their entrepreneurial skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and communication.
A vibrant start-up ecosystem can help attract and retain talent. Universities that create a supportive environment with an innovative and entrepreneurial culture are more likely to attract students who are keen on developing the required skill set to create their start-ups.
Creating a start-up ecosystem encourages creativity and risk-taking which helps retain talented students who might otherwise leave the region in search of better opportunities.
Creating a vibrant start-up ecosystem can allow students to access a wide range of resources and support which may include mentorship, funding, office space, and networking opportunities. By providing students with the resources they require to start their businesses, universities can help reduce the barriers to entry and increase the chances of success.
To start a business, practical experience is equally important. The creation of a start-up ecosystem within universities can allow students to develop diverse skills ranging from entrepreneurial skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, leadership, and communication.
These practical experiences are important, not only in terms of starting a business but also in terms of future employment opportunities.
A vibrant start-up ecosystem can provide students with an array of networking opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts.
This allows students to expand their network and gain valuable insights that help them build a successful business and advance their career in the future.
A start-up ecosystem at universities helps increase job opportunities for students. By fostering an innovative and entrepreneurial culture, universities can help create new businesses and industries, thereby increasing the demand for skilled workers.
This can help reduce unemployment rates and provide students with a wider range of job opportunities.
Creating a vibrant start-up ecosystem in universities can contribute to the overall economic development of the region. Successful Start-Ups can create jobs to generate revenue and contribute to the growth of the region’s economic development attracting new businesses and investments.
Cultivating the entrepreneurial culture and providing support to Start-Ups forms the foundation for a progressive economy.
Nokuthula G Moyo-Muparuri is a lecturer at the Midlands State University in the Faculty of Business Sciences. She is also the Founder of the Institute of Applied Entrepreneurship. The mission of the Institute is Business Skills Development and Start-Up Ecosystem Development. The Institute has started an initiative called Start-Up Zim which is meant to provide all vital information and assistance to help Start-Ups. The Institute is inviting organisations and individuals willing to support Start-Ups to collaborate in assisting Start-Ups. Those interested can contact the Institute on +263718747621.
Bongani Ndlovu