Prof JT Janse van Rensburg is an AI Strategist at iqbusiness and an Extraordinary Professor at the Optentia Research Unit at North-West University. Her career has been defined by a single question: how do we prepare Computer Science graduates for successful professional practice?
JT spent more than a decade in academia teaching Computer Science, supervising postgraduate research, and completing a PhD that developed practical guidelines for bridging the gap between IT theory and industry practice. Her research focused on graduate capability, project-based learning, reflective practice, and strengthening collaboration between universities and industry.
Seeking to test those ideas beyond the classroom, JT transitioned into industry, where she worked in consulting, agile delivery, programme management, and graduate development before moving into AI strategy and organisational capability enablement. She has since designed and led graduate programmes, advised organisations on AI adoption, and helped teams navigate the changing relationship between technology, learning, and work.
Having worked on both sides of the university-industry divide, JT brings a rare perspective to the future of Computer Science education. Her keynote draws on more than fifteen years of research and practice to explore what has changed, what has remained constant, and what that means for preparing the next generation of computing professionals.
Computer Science has never evolved as rapidly as it is today. New technologies emerge almost daily, AI is reshaping how software is developed, and universities face increasing pressure to produce graduates who are “future ready.” But amidst all this change, one question has become increasingly difficult to answer:
What are we really preparing students for?
After spending more than a decade teaching Computer Science, researching the gap between university and industry, and then crossing into industry to design graduate programmes and AI capability initiatives, Prof. JT Janse van Rensburg has had the unusual opportunity to observe the same challenge from both sides of the classroom.
This keynote is a reflection on that journey. Rather than focusing on the latest technologies, it invites the audience to step back and reconsider the enduring purpose of Computer Science education. In a profession where the tools change constantly, what should never change?
Perhaps the most important lessons for preparing graduates for the future are not the newest ones at all.
