Nkondo, L. G.Ramavhona, N. G.Ndlovu, Hluli2026-08-132026-08-132026-05-19Ndlovu, H. 2026. Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality. . .https://univendspace.univen.ac.za/handle/11602/3414M. Com in Business ManagementDepartment of Business ManagementFood and beverage manufacturing is one of the most significant sectors of the South African economy, exerting a substantial influence on the employment rate and food security. However, the lack of technical, managerial, and digital skills remains unresolved, which hinders the sector's development. The rapid development of Industry 4.0 technologies, the lack of coordination between stakeholders, and the fragmented form of training systems in Limpopo Province have contributed to the skills gap. This study explored the potential of inter-organizational collaboration (IOC) to streamline the sectoral priorities in the food and beverage manufacturing supply chain of the Thulamela Local Municipality and to curb such shortfalls. The study aimed to determine the extent to which collaboration amongst industry participants, government organizations, and academic institutions can improve the competency of the workforce. With an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative exploratory research design, data were collected using semi-structured interviews with the manufacturers and suppliers of food and beverages. Through purposive sampling, the participants had pertinent expertise. The thematic analysis of the data was performed using ATLAS.ti., which provided systematic identification of the most important themes. The results revealed that the existing joint projects, such as those of the FoodBev SETA and the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), are disjointed and do not align with industry skills demands. Significant discrepancies were found in the areas of food safety, automation and digital supply chain management. Collaboration barriers were also identified, including bureaucratic inflexibility, resource imbalance, breakdowns in communication, and the prevalence of distrust amongst stakeholders. The advancement in technology has further transformed the nature of skills, necessitating the need for hybrid skills that combine digital literacy, technical skills, and adaptive soft skills. In practice, it can provide a model on how policymakers and leaders in industries can institutionalize a multi-stakeholder collaboration to transform the workforce. Significant limitations include the geographic focus of the study on Limpopo Province, the relatively qualitative nature of the study, which hinders generalizability, and time constraints that prevented longitudinal observation. The prospective study employs mixed-methods and longitudinal designs to determine the lasting effects of collaborative partnerships and to analyse them in other sectors of the industry.1 online resource (xii, 104 leaves)enUniversity of VendaSkills gapsUCTDSupply ChainInter organizational collaborationThesisNdlovu H. Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality. []. , 2026 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from:Ndlovu, H. (2026). <i>Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality</i>. (). . Retrieved fromNdlovu, Hluli. <i>"Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality."</i> ., , 2026.TY - Thesis AU - Ndlovu, Hluli AB - Food and beverage manufacturing is one of the most significant sectors of the South African economy, exerting a substantial influence on the employment rate and food security. However, the lack of technical, managerial, and digital skills remains unresolved, which hinders the sector's development. The rapid development of Industry 4.0 technologies, the lack of coordination between stakeholders, and the fragmented form of training systems in Limpopo Province have contributed to the skills gap. This study explored the potential of inter-organizational collaboration (IOC) to streamline the sectoral priorities in the food and beverage manufacturing supply chain of the Thulamela Local Municipality and to curb such shortfalls. The study aimed to determine the extent to which collaboration amongst industry participants, government organizations, and academic institutions can improve the competency of the workforce. With an interpretivist paradigm and a qualitative exploratory research design, data were collected using semi-structured interviews with the manufacturers and suppliers of food and beverages. Through purposive sampling, the participants had pertinent expertise. The thematic analysis of the data was performed using ATLAS.ti., which provided systematic identification of the most important themes. The results revealed that the existing joint projects, such as those of the FoodBev SETA and the Limpopo Economic Development Agency (LEDA), are disjointed and do not align with industry skills demands. Significant discrepancies were found in the areas of food safety, automation and digital supply chain management. Collaboration barriers were also identified, including bureaucratic inflexibility, resource imbalance, breakdowns in communication, and the prevalence of distrust amongst stakeholders. The advancement in technology has further transformed the nature of skills, necessitating the need for hybrid skills that combine digital literacy, technical skills, and adaptive soft skills. In practice, it can provide a model on how policymakers and leaders in industries can institutionalize a multi-stakeholder collaboration to transform the workforce. Significant limitations include the geographic focus of the study on Limpopo Province, the relatively qualitative nature of the study, which hinders generalizability, and time constraints that prevented longitudinal observation. The prospective study employs mixed-methods and longitudinal designs to determine the lasting effects of collaborative partnerships and to analyse them in other sectors of the industry. DA - 2026-05-19 DB - ResearchSpace DP - Univen KW - Skills gaps KW - Supply Chain KW - Inter organizational collaboration LK - https://univendspace.univen.ac.za PY - 2026 T1 - Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality TI - Optimizing Inter-Organizational Collaboration to Address Critical Skill Gaps and Sectoral Priorities in the Food and Beverage Manufacturing Supply Chain in Thulamela Local Municipality UR - ER -