Dr Jan Mentz, the new Head of School for Information Technology at STADIO, advocates for a transformative approach to IT education.
Dr Jan Mentz says future IT professionals will need creativity, empathy and independent thinking as much as technical skill
“Information technology is closer to social science than pure engineering,” says Dr Jan Mentz, newly appointed Head of School for Information Technology at STADIO Higher Education, who believes the future of IT education lies not only in technical proficiency, but in understanding people, systems, and human behaviour.
Mentz’s career spans nearly three decades in higher education, including leadership and academic roles at Belgium Campus iTversity, UNISA and Tshwane University of Technology.
As institutions around the world grapple with how to prepare graduates (particularly in information technology) for a rapidly changing digital economy, Mentz believes the answer lies in rethinking what IT education is really for.
