Workshop for South African Trade Unions on Green and Decent Jobs

1. Workshop for South African Trade Unions on Green and Decent Jobs 20 November 2012, Johannesburg (South Africa) Parktonian Hotel, Johannesburg

2. WHY DHET EXISTS???? 1. Our aim is achieving far-reaching outcomes and bringing about changes to improve the provision of post-school opportunities, especially for the youth, but also for adults. 2. There is a window of opportunity for us to craft a system that provides a myriad of opportunities and to have a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals, the economy and society. 3. Our broad mandate is clear: • On the demand side, the system must ensure that the skills needed to drive our country’s economic growth and social development are delivered at an increasing rate, because available, quality skills will enhance both investment and service delivery

3. WHY DHET EXISTS???? • On the supply side, the system must serve a growing number of both young people and adults; it must provide different entry points into, and pathways through the learning system; it must provide quality learning wherever learning takes place – be it at a college, a university or in the workplace; and, importantly, it must provide easy pathways across the different learning sites. • Mandate of DHET is creating a post-school education and training system – NOT equivalent to post-matric • Increase opportunities • Improve access and articulation in a differentiated system • Improve skills production pipeline in intermediate and high level skills • Critically, change the shape and size of the system- more VET versus university graduates

4. THE POST-SCHOOL EDUCATION AND TRAINING SYSTEM SKILLS PLANNING QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ADVISORY BODIES, QUALIFICATIONS FRAMEWORKS UNIVERSITIES, UNIVERSITIES OF TECHNOLOGY AND COMPREHENSIVES Workplace learning governed by SETA’s COLLEGES NSDS DIRECTING ROLE OF SETA’S AND NSF WITHIN COMMITMENTS OF HRDSA, NGP, IPAP, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, OTHER GOVT PRIORITIES

5. 2007 CS: Not Employed, Not in Education Not severely disabled18 – 24 age cohort

6. PRIORITIES OF GOVERNMENT 4. Key Priorities Education is one of the 5 key priorities of government Cabinet has adopted A Skilled and Capable Workforce to Support an Inclusive Growth Path as a priority outcome for this government – OUTCOME 5 A skilled and capable workforce is critical for decent work; an inclusive economy; labour absorption; rural development; the reduction of inequalities and the need for a more diversified and knowledge intensive economy Outcome 5 has 5 interlinked outputs which responds largely to the following challenge

7. 5 Interlinked Outputs of Outcome 5

8. POLICY MANDATE 5. Other key policy consideration The Higher Education Act, 1997 (Act No. 101 of 1997), (HEA), provides for a unified and nationally planned system of higher education. Higher Education Act and Education White Paper 3: A Programme for the Transformation of Higher Education (1999), formed the basis for the transformation of the higher education sector The National Student Financial Aid Scheme Act, 1999 (Act No. 56 of 1999), (NSFAS), provides for the granting of loans and bursaries to eligible students attending public higher educational institutions, as well as for the administration of such loans and bursaries. Support and monitor QCTO to become operational (established through SDA)

9. POLICY MANDATE ( CONT’D) The Adult Education and Training Act, 2000 (Act No. 52 of 2000), (AET), provides for the establishment of public and private adult learning centres, funding for AET, the governance of public centres, as well as for quality assurance mechanisms for the sector. The National Qualifications Framework Act, 2008 (Act No. 67 of 2008), (NQF), provides for the National Qualifications Framework, the South African Qualifications Authority and the Quality Councils. The National Qualifications Framework is the principal instrument through which national education and training qualifications are recognised and quality assured.

10. POLICY MANDATE – CONT’D 2 The Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No. 97 of 1998), (SDA), provides for - an institutional framework to devise and implement national, sector and workplace strategies - development and improvement of the skills of the South African workforce, - integration of those strategies within the National Skills Framework contemplated in the South African Qualifications Authority Act - for learnerships that lead to the recognition of occupational qualifications - the availing of the financing of skills development by means of a levy-financing skill and the National Skills Fund. The Green Paper process provide an enabling and overarching conceptual framework for the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and provide the required guidance for the development of the system of post-school education and training in the country.

11. INITIATIVES 6. Key initiatives in response to the policy mandate: Understanding and communicating skills needs Pivotal programmes are those ‘Professional, Vocational, Technical and Academic Learning’ programmes that meet the critical needs for economic growth and social development. Improved quality and relevance of workplace learning Adopt and implement a national policy on the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): Differentiation: Articulation between sub-frameworks of the NQF will be enhanced: Reviewing the national Norms and Standards for Funding FET Colleges to create more access to skills programmes for the South African communities through the FET Colleges. At NEDLAC, Government signed a National Skills Accord with all the social partners in which business and state owned enterprises have made concrete, numerical commitments to significantly increase numbers of apprenticeships and to take on learners and interns for practical workplace experience

12. FROM POLICY TO IMPLEMENTATION 7. Key Milestones • Tackle the high number of unemployed youth who are not at school and are without skills, we committed ourselves to increasing ABET level 1-4 entrants to 300 000 by 2014 • Increase the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) pass rate to 50% • To meet the skills requirement of a changing economy we committed ourselves to increasing the number of learnerships to 20 000 per annum • the number of those passing trade tests to 10 000 per annum with a pass rate of 60% by 2014. • At tertiary level we committed ourselves to producing 51 460 engineering, 51 747 animal and human health, and 40 607 teacher graduates for the period 2011-2014. • To support knowledge development in the country we committed ourselves to increasing the numbers of honours graduates to 76 545, masters graduates to 17 241, and doctoral graduates to 5 356. • To reduce finance as a barrier to accessing post school training, allocations for loans and bursaries increased from R 3.3 billion in 2010/11 to R 5.5 billion in 2011/12

13. FROM POLICY TO IMPLEMENTATION( CONT’D) • To that end, the DHET, through the NSF, has funded various initiatives to advance training in the area of green skills: • Through the partnership with Dept of Public Works, R200m for initiatives that include: • Working for water projects • Fire prevention projects • Cooperatives in farming • Partnership with CPUT to establish a national centre for renewable energy

14. FROM POLICY TO IMPLEMENTATION( CONT’D) A DHET sponsored South African Renewable Energy Training Centre at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology Objectives of the project • to establish a national accredited training centre of excellence for all renewable related energy training • To provide qualified trainers for the renewable energy industry • To develop curricula for renewable industries • To provide access for learners to fully equipped laboratories/workshops for training related to: • Wind Turbine technology – service technicians. Apprentices and High Voltage operators • Solar industries - PV installation technicians • Facilitate an intimate a value-driven academic-industry partnership in the development of renewable energies. • Increase the employability of university of technology graduates

15. Key issues for consideration by Labour Leadership • What kind of partnerships should we build that can advance our objectives and priorities and how can you help as the Labour Unions • How does labour view its role in SETA Boards, particularly in terms of advances quality training for its members and potential member, in order to achieve decent and well paying jobs • What lessons can we learn from your experiences in skills development that will advance our objectives and priorities as a department • How do we collectively harness our strengths and resources to put training at the forefront of our agendas, such that we prevent future Marikanas.

16. THANK YOUClive Mtshisa ADDG: SKILLS DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND TRAINING 123 FRANCIS BAARD STREET PRETORIA Tel: 012 312 5222 Fax2mail: 086 298 9951 e-mail: Mtshisa.C@dhet,gov.za