Virtual Reality Bridging the Gap between Job Skills Required and University Curriculum Competency in South Africa

Pervasive technologies such as Virtual Reality are disrupting and transforming the way we work and learn, necessitating the development of new ways of education to allow future employees to flexibly react to the future world of work and meet the demands of such a digitised working environment. By way of futures methodology, the aim of the research was to identify the present forces, trends and drivers of change that impact the future of education and the future of work. The Six Pillars of Futures Studies approach to research by Inayatullah was applied throughout the study. The mapping (environmental scanning) of Virtual Reality technologies as a driver of change was done, highlighting the impact of such technology on tertiary education and on the world of work. The purpose of the environmental scanning was to uncover existing and driving forces that will influence the future of tertiary education and the future of work. The Causal Layer Analysis (CLA) was the primary futures methodology applied in this research. CLA was used to investigate deeper causal issues from various viewpoints in order to formulate scenarios for the future. The study developed four different future scenarios and the most favourable scenario was used to formulate the recommended vision, "Future Vision of Education and Work in South Africa towards 2030" which incorporates a realistic, attainable and desirable future that could foreground the improvement of the skills gap in the South African context. This preferred future envisages an education system that broadens access to opportunities and provides the skills and competences that people need to thrive in a new sustainable economy. Keywords: Virtual Reality, Future of Education, Future workforce, Job Skills Requirements, Fourth Industrial Revolution, Futures Studies.