Economic Modelling Academy - EMA

The skills gap is already costing the economy.

South Africa’s skills crisis isn’t just a workforce issue.
It’s an economic one.

Skills shortages are already costing billions in lost productivity, delayed projects, and missed growth opportunities.

Yet most workforce planning still relies on historical data and reactive hiring - not forward-looking insight.

The reality is simple:

You can’t solve unemployment without fixing skills forecasting.

The ability to link education pipelines, labour market demand, and economic growth is no longer optional - it’s essential.

The Skills Demand & Supply Modelling Programme equips institutions to:

• Forecast future occupational demand
• Align training investments with real economic needs
• Identify skills gaps before they impact performance
• Support evidence-based workforce and policy planning

Because closing the skills gap starts with understanding it.

Applications are closing soon.

Secure your place in the upcoming intake:
academyema.com

Economic decisions are rarely isolated.

A shift in energy policy affects industrial output.
Changes in fiscal strategy impact employment.
Sector performance influences long-term growth.

Yet many decisions are still made without fully understanding how these systems interact.

That’s the gap macroeconomic modelling is designed to solve.

The Multi-Sector Macroeconomic Modelling Programme equips professionals with the ability to:

• Understand how economic systems are interconnected
• Test policy and industry scenarios before implementation
• Analyse impacts on growth, employment, and sectors
• Strengthen evidence-based planning and decision-making

Because in complex environments, better decisions come from better visibility.

Learn how to apply macroeconomic modelling to real-world decisions.

Explore the programme and upcoming intake:
academyema.com

Following the recent State of the Province Address (SOPA), a critical question arises: Do we have the internal capability to model the economic outcomes of our policies and plans?

Across South Africa, provincial governments face growing pressure to:
 Align provincial strategies with national economic assumptions
 Quantify employment, growth and sector performance at sub-provincial level
 Strengthen workforce and skills planning
 Align education with labour demand
 Improve grant allocation efficiency
 Deliver measurable socio-economic outcomes

Yet many institutions still rely on fragmented datasets and consultant-driven reports, making it difficult to test policy scenarios, evaluate trade-offs, or align provincial and municipal strategies.

The Economic Modelling Academy - EMA Executive Course in Modelling Provincial–District–Municipal Economies is designed specifically for:

 Office of the Premier
 Provincial Treasury
 Department of Economic Development (GDED)
 DCoG and Municipal Planning Units
 HR & Capacity Building Programmes

The course equips provincial teams with the tools to:
 Model economic growth, employment sector performance
 Forecast skills and labour market demand
 Quantify provincial and district development strategies
 Test policy and investment scenarios before implementation
 Align funding with future labour needs
 Move from reactive planning to strategic foresight

Most importantly, it helps institutions move from outsourced analysis to internally owned economic modelling capability.

With May registrations now opening, this is the time moment for provincial institutions to strengthen their internal analytical capability as they move from policy commitments to budgeted implementation and planning for the next cycle.

Secure your seat in the May intake before places are filled.
Capacity building is not a compliance exercise. It’s economic leadership.

Provincial leaders involved in economic planning, budgeting, workforce strategy and monitoring & evaluation are invited to connect with us to discuss the May intake and explore institutional capacity

academyema.com

Most professionals learn macroeconomics.

Few learn how to use it.

The Multi-Sector Macroeconomic Modelling course bridges the gap between economic theory and real-world policy application.

You will:

• Explore mainstream and heterodox macroeconomic debates
• Understand how growth, employment and instability are generated
• Learn how macro models are structured and built
• Work directly with applied macroeconomic modelling tools
• Design industry and macro policy scenarios
• Conduct measurable impact assessments

This is where theory becomes actionable strategy.

For departments, agencies and institutions responsible for economic planning, industrial policy, fiscal coordination or labour market strategy - modelling capability is no longer optional.

April 2026 intake is approaching. - and seats are running out.

Build the capacity to move from economic interpretation to economic design.

Secure your seat for the April 2026 Macro cohort.

academyema.com

South Africa has reached a fiscal turning point.

Debt is stabilising at 78.9% of GDP.
The budget deficit is narrowing to 4.5%.
A primary surplus is expanding.
Over R1 trillion is committed to infrastructure over the medium term.

The 2026 Budget Speech makes it clear:
Macroeconomic stability, infrastructure investment, structural reform, and fiscal discipline are now central to national strategy

But stability is only the foundation.

The real question is:

➡️ Are we modelling the long-term impact of these policy shifts?
➡️ Are departments stress-testing infrastructure plans under different growth scenarios?
➡️ Are institutions equipped to simulate fiscal anchors, revenue reforms, and sectoral spillovers?

Budget speeches announce direction.
Economic models test sustainability.

Economic Modelling Academy - EMA equips policymakers, economists, and institutions with the tools to:

• Build and adapt macroeconomic models
• Simulate fiscal and infrastructure scenarios
• Conduct sector-level impact analysis
• Integrate projections into medium- and long-term M&E frameworks

Fiscal credibility requires modelling capacity.

If your institution works in public finance, infrastructure, planning, or economic policy - now is the time to strengthen your modelling capability.

academyema.com

Macroeconomic policy decisions shape employment, growth, fiscal stability and sector development.

Yet many institutions still rely on static analysis when designing long-term strategy.

The Multi-Sector Macroeconomic Modelling Course equips professionals to:

• Understand competing schools of economic thought
• Build and interpret macro models
• Design policy and industry scenarios
• Conduct impact assessments
• Integrate projections into medium- and long-term M&E

Participants gain hands-on access to state-of-the-art macroeconomic models and learn how to move from theory to real policy application.

April 2026 intake is almost full.
Limited seats remaining.

If you are within DTI, SARS, Parliament, SETAs, Provincial Departments, NEDLAC or major industry bodies - this is the time to begin internal approval processes.

Strategic modelling capacity cannot wait until the next fiscal cycle.

Secure your seat before approvals close.

academyema.com

Mining Indaba 2026 shows Africa’s mining future is about partnership, value creation and data-driven strategy.

This week’s Investing in African Mining Indaba 2026 convened thousands of industry leaders, policymakers, investors, government officials, and communities under the theme “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships.” The event highlighted that future growth in mining will be shaped by collaboration, infrastructure development, sustainability, and strategic planning - not just capital flows.

Africa holds a central role in the critical minerals supply chain, driving energy transition, industrialisation, and global competitiveness. Leaders emphasised moving beyond raw extraction toward value creation, downstream development, and inclusive economic impact for communities and nations alike.

But transforming mining’s potential into real impact requires credible, evidence-based modelling - for workforce planning, economic foresight, and policy alignment.

That’s where Economic Modelling Academy - EMA modelling programmes deliver real value:

✔ Scenario analysis for sector strategy
✔ Workforce and skills projection tools
✔ Data-driven policy impact forecasting
✔ Evidence that connects investment to labour, education, and economic outcomes

As mining positions itself for a sustainable, equitable future, organisations need modelling capability that turns today’s conversations into tomorrow’s strategy.

👉 Discover how economic modelling can strengthen your sector and workforce strategy.
Contact us to explore custom capability pathways.

academyema.com

The Skills Shortage Is a Modelling Problem.

Across mining, manufacturing and services, corporates are feeling the pressure:

• Data scientists in short supply
• Automation technicians unavailable
• Engineering skills misaligned with industry demand
• Training budgets spent without long-term visibility

The issue isn’t just talent availability.
It’s the absence of forward-looking workforce modelling.

At Economic Modelling Academy - EMA, we develop occupation-level projections per sector, enabling corporates to:

✔ Forecast workforce demand across 4IR occupations
✔ Align recruitment with future economic shifts
✔ Structure training pipelines around real demand
✔ Reduce long-term talent risk

Future workforce strategy requires evidence, scenario modelling, and sector-specific forecasting.

Planning today determines competitiveness tomorrow.

If your organisation is planning for 2027–2035 workforce requirements, let’s talk.

Mining Investment Without Workforce Modelling Is a Risk.

Fixing SA’s Skills Pipeline - Data, Not Guesswork.

Mining Indaba 2026 showcases billions in potential investment across African mining.

But capital investment alone does not deliver growth.

Sustainable mining development depends on:

• Reliable labour supply forecasts
• Education system alignment
• Sector-specific occupational modelling
• Long-term infrastructure and skills coordination

Government departments often operate in silos - economic planning separate from education, education separate from labour.

The GEM programme by Economic Modelling Academy - EMA develops macro-education modelling capability that integrates:

Economic projections → Sector growth → Education output → Labour demand.

For mining-dependent economies, this integration is no longer optional.

It is strategic risk management.

If you are in government, a SETA, DHET, or sector planning role - connect with EMA to explore how modelling can strengthen your sector strategy.

Let’s align mining growth with workforce readiness.

Using Modelling to Strengthen Your SETA Skills Plan.

As Mining Indaba 2026 brings together investors, ministers and mining leaders, one question remains critical:

👉 Is our skills pipeline aligned with where mining investment is heading?

Too often, SETA grants are allocated based on historical demand rather than forward-looking projections.
Yet mining is evolving - automation, beneficiation, ESG compliance, energy transition skills - all require scenario-based planning.

The SKILLS Executive Course by Economic Modelling Academy - EMA equips professionals to:

• Model future occupational demand under different economic scenarios
• Align SETA grant allocation with projected sector growth
• Quantify replacement demand and emerging skills gaps
• Integrate labour, education and sector data into one planning framework

If mining investment is accelerating, skills planning must accelerate too.

⏳ Two weeks remaining to secure your seat.
Programme starts 09 March 2026.

👉 Apply and strengthen your sector skills strategy before the next funding cycle.
Let’s move from reactive grant allocation to evidence-based planning.

👉 Learn more & apply via academyema.com

South Africa’s skills challenge isn’t a shortage of effort.
It’s a shortage of alignment.

Economic plans are developed in one space.
Education pipelines in another.
Labour market outcomes are reviewed only after gaps appear.

The result?
Training budgets that respond too late, qualifications that miss demand, and skills pipelines that struggle to deliver impact.

Macro-education modelling changes this.

By linking economic scenarios, education output, and labour demand, decision-makers gain foresight into:
• Which occupations are emerging or declining
• Where education supply is misaligned
• How skills investments can support growth before gaps widen

At Economic Modelling Academy - EMA, we work across silos - bridging data, planning, and policy to support evidence-based workforce decisions.

Fixing the skills pipeline starts with seeing it as one system.

Learn how integrated skills forecasting supports smarter planning

👉 Learn more & apply via academyema.com

Workforce planning works best when it looks forward - not backward.

Many organisations still plan skills based on current vacancies, historical trends, or annual headcount reviews. The challenge?
By the time shortages show up, the opportunity to act strategically has already passed.

Skills forecasting changes the conversation.

By linking economic scenarios, sector growth, education outputs, and occupational demand, organisations gain visibility into:
• Roles likely to grow or decline
• Future replacement demand
• Where retraining and reskilling deliver the highest return
• How workforce strategy aligns with national and sector priorities

This is the capability at the heart of the Skills Demand & Supply Modelling Executive Course, delivered by the Economic Modelling Academy - EMA at GIBS.

📌 With one month remaining before the March 2026 programme begins, this is the window to build evidence-based workforce foresight into your 2026/27 planning cycle.

👉 Learn more & apply via academyema.com