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A new name and a new era for colleges

28th November 2014

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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By: Dr Blade Nzimande

Our new technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges will replace further education and training colleges, which have served the country for the past 20 years.

The buildings will be the same and most of the staff will be the same but, as the name implies, we have embarked on a new era of vocational training, where employers and government will work together and play their respective parts in the development of a skilled and capable workforce.

Developed-world countries like Germany and Switzerland have for centuries been able to develop the world’s best artisans and craftsmen. Their success has been based on a sound partnership between government and industry, where employers lead in the development of artisans. This is the model that we are seeking to build today in South Africa and which will, over time, increase the number of artisans trained each year to over 30 000.

As the Department of Higher Education and Training, we want to enter a new era where government will do its part to deliver fit-for-purpose educational solutions, a curriculum that is up to date, workshops that are well equipped and lecturers that are well trained. However, it will be employers, in both the public and private sectors, who will provide workplaces and provide learners with workplace experience – where formal learning can be applied and real skills built. It is the integration of theoretical, practical and workplace training that is the key to developing high-quality artisans.

Recent studies show that learners are 80% more likely to find employment if they have work experience. The challenge is to enable young people to obtain that experience. Only by opening up thousands of new workplaces as training spaces can we give young people the experience they need.

There are many in industry today who remember their humble beginnings in the college sector. This is where our State-owned enterprises (SOEs), such as Eskom, Iscor and South African Airways, typically trained their artisans. Many of the artisans went on to become technicians and engineers, and many are business leaders today.

It is a sad reality that those who remember this time are generally white and now approaching the age of 60. It is well known that apprentice training during the 1970s and 1980s was reserved for mostly white South Africans and mainly driven by SOEs.

Over many years – and for many reasons, which I will not delve into now – this type of artisan development disappeared and the average age of artisans in the country today is around 60 years. We are producing only about 13 000 artisans a year – a far cry from what a vibrant economy may need.
What we must all realise, though, is that artisans are not developed in colleges. They may learn some valuable theory there but real artisans are developed in workplaces.

As a department, we are engaging with SOEs and are working to increase their intake of apprentices. It is, however, clear that, given the postapartheid population of learners requiring placement, SOEs alone will not be able to develop the skills we need.

Unlike Germany and Switzerland, where all companies – large, medium-sized and small – take on learners, this culture does not exist in South Africa and never has. The number of private businesses that actively developed artisans even prior to 1994 was very small.

We are, therefore, at a point in history that we have to change the way we do things. The department has started the change and is leading the way and, hopefully, opening up opportunities for employers to participate actively in the development of skills for our country.

The ‘T’ in TVET requires that companies be involved in training our youth. We are not abdicating responsibility – nor are we disowning the problem. Quite to the contrary, we are owning this problem, but believe the only enduring solution for the new era in TVET colleges will come when employers take our outstretched hands.

 

Dr Nzimande is Minister of Higher Education and Training

Edited by Martin Zhuwakinyu
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

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