ISBS aims to bridge national skills gap through corporate training programmes
As industries around the globe undergo rapid transformation, Botswana’s workforce faces growing pressure to meet international efficiency standards and adapt to evolving competency requirements. The Imperial School of Business and Science (ISBS) is establishing itself as a key force in bridging the national skills gap through its corporate training programmes, which are designed to equip professionals with industry-relevant knowledge that aligns with global benchmarks.
With Botswana’s economic diversification strategy emphasising skills development as a pillar for growth, ISBS has ramped up its corporate training initiatives to ensure that Batswana professionals can compete at home and in global markets. Analysts say that as industries shift towards automation, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making, there will be a demand for career enhancements on traditional skills and a need for continuous upgrade of skills, competencies, and career assets.
“ISBS Corporate Training Programmes equip professionals, blue-chip enterprises, SMEs, NGOs, and civil bodies amongst various institutes with sharpening and enhancing their career assets and arsenal to meet current and future human capital demands. Programmes are diverse, with over 50 on offer, tailored to Botswana’s needs. These range from Executive Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Human Resources, Financial Literacy, Digital Marketing, Project Management, Corporate Governance, Safety and Health, Online Essential Skills and many more,” says the Managing Director Nidheesh Sharma.
Government officials and education experts have stressed that Botswana must accelerate its workforce development efforts to maintain relevance in a competitive global economy. ISBS’s corporate training programmes focus on building technical, financial, and leadership expertise that can be applied in both local and international contexts. Notably, the Institute is registered with the Business Botswana, and organisations can seek reimbursements for training from the HRDC.
Economists point out that for Botswana to transition from a resource-dependent economy to a knowledge-driven one, workforce agility and specialized expertise are critical. Training institutions such as ISBS are playing a key role in aligning professional skills with global standards, a necessity for industries operating in highly competitive sectors such as finance, healthcare, technology, and business management.
Experts argue that professionals in Botswana must now be able to compete in diverse global markets, including in cities such as New York, London, Singapore, Sydney, São Paulo, and Toronto, where efficiency and performance benchmarks continue to rise. ISBS’s corporate training programmes offer courses in executive leadership, financial management, data analytics, and digital transformation, areas that are increasingly becoming non-negotiable competencies in the modern job market.
Commenting on economic and employment challenges, Sharma notes, “Data from international labour reports indicate that economies with a skilled workforce experience higher levels of productivity and economic resilience. Botswana has identified skills enhancement as a key priority under Vision 2036, and we are responding with tailored corporate training solutions aimed at ensuring that local professionals do not fall behind in global rankings.”
“The demand for high-level competencies is no longer confined to developed economies,” said a labour market analyst Ngozi Bakwena. “Countries that fail to invest in continuous corporate training will struggle to maintain economic relevance, and Botswana must ensure its workforce is globally competitive”
Industry stakeholders have cautioned that without sustained investment in human capital development, Botswana’s goal of becoming a knowledge-based economy may be delayed.
Reports indicate that organizations investing in employee upskilling experience stronger financial performance and operational efficiency, reinforcing the need for structured training programs such as those offered by ISBS. “As Botswana seeks to expand its regional and global footprint, institutions such as ISBS will be expected to play a central role in equipping professionals with the expertise necessary to thrive in a changing economic landscape,” concludes Sharma.