Bridging the digital divide: Evaluating maritime education curricula against Fourth Industrial Revolution competency demands in South Africa

Background: The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is transforming maritime industries, creating demand for new technological competencies that traditional educational frameworks may not address. South Africa’s maritime education system requires evaluation against evolving industry requirements to ensure graduate employability and sector competitiveness. Objectives: This article benchmarks South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) maritime-related course offerings against 4IR skill requirements, identifying curriculum gaps and alignment issues between educational provision and industry needs. Method: This study employed an exploratory curriculum benchmarking methodology, analysing 11 SAQA-registered maritime qualifications through systematic content analysis. Reflexive content analysis (RCA) was used to evaluate the presence and integration of emerging technological competencies within existing course structures, cross-referenced against the DHL Logistics Trend Radar (LTR) Framework. Results: The analysis revealed significant gaps between current maritime curricula and 4IR industry requirements. The 11 SAQA maritime-related qualifications demonstrated minimal inclusion of essential 4IR technologies and associated skills within their module structures, creating potential employability challenges for graduates entering technologically advanced maritime environments. Conclusion: This article provides the first systematic evaluation of South African maritime education alignment with 4IR requirements. Contribution: This article contributes practical benchmarking tools for curriculum evaluation and offers specific recommendations for integrating emerging technologies into maritime education frameworks, supporting both educational institutions and industry stakeholders in addressing skills misalignment.