SkillsBoost 2026: Towards a Digitally Ready Western Cape
Overview
The Western Cape SkillsBoost 2026 Report is a comprehensive assessment of the Western Cape’s digital skills ecosystem, commissioned by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and conducted by the University of Pretoria. The report brings together evidence from the SkillsBoost Refresh programme, combining current-state diagnostics, future-focused foresight and a practical implementation roadmap to support a digitally ready and economically competitive province. The report examines how digital transformation and artificial intelligence are reshaping workforce requirements across key sectors, identifies critical capability gaps, and proposes coordinated actions to strengthen skills development, employability, productivity and inclusive growth. This report serves as a strategic guide for government, industry, education institutions and ecosystem partners seeking to prepare the Western Cape workforce for a rapidly evolving digital economy.
The report was developed to:
- Assess the current state of digital skills readiness across priority sectors in the Western Cape.
- Identify emerging digital and AI-related skills requirements and future workforce trends.
- Highlight barriers preventing digital capability from translating into employment, productivity and growth.
- Provide a practical, evidence-based roadmap for coordinated action across the digital skills ecosystem.
It supports the Western Cape Government’s broader vision of building a digitally capable workforce that can participate meaningfully in the economy while enabling innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable job creation.
Executive Consolidated Report
The Executive Consolidated Report provides a comprehensive overview of the SkillsBoost Refresh 2026 study and brings together the key findings from all five priority sectors: Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Tourism and Hospitality, Manufacturing, and Technical Trades. It presents a province-wide view of the current digital skills landscape, highlighting where digital capability strengths exist, where critical gaps remain, and how digital transformation is reshaping workforce requirements across the Western Cape economy.
Explore the SkillsBoost Report Suite
Access the complete SkillsBoost Refresh 2026 report suite, comprising the Executive Consolidated Report and five sector-specific reports. Together, these reports provide an evidence-based assessment of current and future digital skills requirements across the Western Cape, highlighting key trends, emerging opportunities, sector challenges, and the impact of digital transformation and artificial intelligence on the workforce.
Download the reports below to explore the findings, recommendations, and implementation roadmap that will help shape the Western Cape's digital future.
Tourism & Hospitality Report
This report explores the increasing role of digital technologies, online platforms, data-driven customer engagement and AI-enabled marketing within the tourism and hospitality sector. The report identifies workforce readiness challenges and practical interventions to improve competitiveness, particularly among SMMEs.
BPO Report
This report examines the evolution of the BPO and Global Business Services sector as it transitions from traditional call-centre operations towards digitally enabled, AI-supported service delivery models. It highlights future workforce requirements, emerging occupations and opportunities for sector growth.
ICT Report
This report provides an in-depth assessment of the province's core digital economy sector, covering areas such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, software development, data science and digital infrastructure. The report identifies critical talent shortages and priority actions needed to strengthen the ICT talent pipeline.
Manufacturing Report
This report investigates the impact of Industry 4.0 technologies, automation, data-driven operations and advanced manufacturing practices on workforce demand. The report outlines the digital capabilities required to support productivity, competitiveness and future industrial growth.
Technical Trades Report
This report focuses on the digital transformation of traditional technical occupations and artisan trades. It highlights the growing importance of digital diagnostics, smart systems, AI-assisted troubleshooting and modern workplace technologies, while providing recommendations to modernise skills development pathways.
SkillsBoost 2026 Report Launch Webinar Recording
The SkillsBoost 2026 Report provides a comprehensive assessment of the Western Cape's digital skills ecosystem, identifying future workforce needs, sector readiness, and strategic priorities for growth. View the webinar recording to learn more about the report's key findings and the collaborative actions required to strengthen digital skills and support economic development across the province.
View the webinar recording below:
Who Will Benefit from This Report
This report is designed to support a wide range of stakeholders involved in skills development, workforce planning and economic growth:
- Government departments and policymakers – to support evidence-based policy development, skills planning and investment decisions.
- Industry bodies and employers – to better understand emerging workforce requirements and future talent needs.
- Education and training providers – to align programmes, curricula and learning pathways with changing labour market demand.
- TVET colleges, universities and SETAs – to strengthen work-integrated learning, digital capability development and workforce readiness.
- Technology partners and ecosystem organisations – to identify opportunities for collaboration, innovation and skills interventions.
- Entrepreneurs, job seekers and workers – to understand evolving digital skills requirements and emerging career opportunities.
Each stakeholder group will find practical insights and recommendations that support the development of a more inclusive, agile and future-ready digital workforce in the Western Cape.
Visit the SkillsBoost Portal
The SkillsBoost Portal provides easy access to the latest research, insights, and data on digital skills, emerging technologies, future workforce trends, and priority occupations in the Western Cape. Explore the findings in an interactive and user-friendly format and discover how we can work together to build a future-ready workforce.