Transcript National Skills Development Conference

National Skills Development
Conference Reflection
“Reflection on a decade of skills
development in preparing for the
future”
15 – 17 October 2008
General observations
• We are building an evolving and maturing skills development system
• Over the last ten years we have accumulated a wealth of experience
and expertise across all social sectors and institutions
• There is a need to consolidate the gains made and draw lessons to
map a way forward.
• Find success and market them.
• Institutional capacity across all institutions involved in the
conceptualization of strategy and the delivery of skill remains a
major obstacle
• Millions of youth still remain outside the formal learning system and
continue to be trapped in the vicious cycle of unemployment and
poverty.
• The first years were about compliance, we must now move towards
performance and innovation
Coherence and integration of skills
development/1
Integration
• The absence of integration of education and training by the Department of Education
and Labour remains a hindrance
• No integration of education and training with other government departments and
policies
• Integration of frameworks, plans and policies
• The planning framework should be informed by a medium to long term perspective
• Align the work of SETAs with industrial policies
• Government should provide signal for future growth sectors.
• Skills development should be informed by “Drivers of Global Competitiveness” i.e.
metal beneficiation, automotive, ICT and aerospace
• Labour market information are critical in informing the system on the countries skills
needs
Learning
• We are starting from a low education and skills base
• Lifelong learning is a social insurance for workers and youth
• The output of targets particularly among artisans still low
• We are experiencing an avalanche of curriculum reform policy which in turn impacts
negatively on the quality of learning
• Long and drawn out process of bringing people into Learnerships
Coherence and integration of skills
development/2
Delivery mechanisms
• Redefine the mandate of SETAs and their
relationship with DoL through public discourse
• Greater oversight of SETAs
• SETAs should be give the opportunity to
amalgamate to maximize synergies and
resources
• Strengthen institutions of delivery
• Greater participation of unions and community
constituencies
Coherence and integration of skills
development/2
Resourcing and Funding of training
institutions
• Unblock resources of funding and find
efficient ways to enable a speedy flow of
resources where they are most needed
• SETA funds should be used to build
training capacity
Mass skills development delivery for
productivity, employment, growth and
development/1
General observations
• Training does not necessarily lead to
employment
• Training is a necessary but not a sufficient
condition for productivity
• An agenda of mass employment should drive
the massification of skills development
• Mass participation is a precondition for mass
skills development
Mass skills development delivery for
productivity, employment, growth and
development/2
Necessary conditions for success
• The schooling system must produce learners
with basic skills for learning: proficiency in the
language(s) of learning and computation
(mathematical) skills
• School leavers should leave with core skill to
engage in employment
• Systems flow. Improve throughput and
completion rates across GET, FET and HE.
• Universal retention, completion and achievement
• A uniform perception on quality in the institutions
Mass skills development delivery for
productivity, employment, growth and
development/3
Differentiated strategy
• “One size fits all” approach is not helpful
• Differentiated skills development strategy for each sector
and for the employed and the unemployed
• Differentiated programme: general; vocational and
occupational programmes
• Differentiated institutions of delivery “ Don’t try and do
what others are doing”
• A combination of different modes of programme delivery:
face-to-face; distance; online etc, to maximize access to
educations and training opportunities
• Career guidance appropriate to learner and students
with the system and for unemployed youth and adults
Mass skills development delivery for
productivity, employment, growth and
development/4
Strengthening institution of delivery
• “Where will this massification going to take place”
• There are no HE institution in the N Cape and
Mpumalanga
• Long term and effective forecasting with each sector as
opposed to pursue a tight match of every training to
every skill immediately required in the economy
• Forecast planning creates the framework for planning in
sectors as well as assisting to determine implication for
companies and communities
• Revival of the apprenticeship system
Quality and relevance of skills
interventions
Current challenges
• Lack of standards across sectors
• Variations across sites
• Limited to education and training processes
Solutions
• Partnerships
• QA to permeate the whole system
• Monitoring and evaluation, impact
• Build past experience and good practices
Qualification Assessment
Specification
• External assessment
• Good in principle
– How will it be implemented
• Costs?
• Could go horribly wrong
– Unintended consequences
– Complexity
Recognition
• How will the new qualifications, quality
assurance allow for RPL?
• Could become more expensive
• What if employers don’t recognise
qualifications based on RPL?
Workplace learning
• Needs to be emphasised but little
understood
• Is there a theoretical basis
– What is nature and content of workplace
learning?
– How do we get more workplaces to open up
to experiential learning?
Building blocks for the NSDS 2021
to 2015
• There is general consensus that the five (5)
objectives remain for NSDS 3 with some
changes in wording
• Indicators linked to the objectives must be more
clearly formulated
• The lever for each indicators must specify
impact assessment and communication
• Must be aligned to growth and development
strategies, ASGI-SA (JIPSA) and Industrial
Policy Framework and coherent with national
HRD strategy
Building blocks for the NSDS 2010
to 2015
Regulatory changes to ensure inclusion of
all employers without additional
administrative burden
• SMEs and government departments
• Way forward
– NSDS 3 to be announced October 2009
– Tools and mechanisms ready for
implementation April 2010