The skills revolution is under way

The ideal is for the integration of education and training to become a reality, writes Alf James

The third National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS III) follows the integration of higher and further education and skills development into a single Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

According to the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande, in his foreword to the DHET's NSDS III Briefing Notes, partnerships between employers, public education institutions (FET colleges, universities and universities of technology), private training providers and Setas will be promoted so that the integration of education and training becomes a reality.

"Priority will be given to strengthening the relationship between public colleges and universities and the Setas, as well as with employers," he says.

"NSDS III must ensure increased access to training and skills development opportunities, and achieve the fundamental transformation of inequities linked to class, race, gender, age and disability in our society.

"We must also address the challenges - of skills shortages and mismatches - we face as a country and improve productivity in the economy."

Nzimande's expectation is that from April 1, 2011, when the new phase was entered into, Setas will be making several fundamental changes to leadership, governance and strategy in order to meet the objectives of NSDSIII, and improve their functioning and performance.

"We also intend to set up a comprehensive performance-monitoring, evaluation and support system for all our education, training and skills development institutions, with a particular focus on the Setas and public FET colleges.

"The real value added by Setas is their understanding of labour-market issues in their respective industrial and economic sectors.

"Setas must ensure that they are backed by employers and workers, are acknowledged as a credible and authoritative voice on skills, create interventions and shape solutions that address skills needs within their sectors," says Nzimande.

He adds that Setas must become recognised experts in relation to skills demand within their sector.

Their role in helping monitor quality on the supply side remains, but will reduce as other institutions, such as the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, are established.

The minister says the new strategy intends to achieve significant increases in qualifications and skills to support priorities and initiatives such as the new growth path, the industrial policy action plan, the human resource development strategy and, in particular, sector development plans.

He emphasised this point recently in his address to the Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Education and Training Authority's (ETDP Seta) fourth biennial conference on March 24 and 25, when he said that he would soon be signing performance agreements with the Setas.

He pointed out that NSDS III was to be executed in a new environment bringing education and training and skills development under the DHET, which meant the work of skills development, with its Setas and National Skills Fund (NSF), could now more easily complement that of public institutions such as the FET colleges, universities of technology, comprehensive universities and universities.

"It is also a great opportunity for ensuring that workplace learning becomes the visible supplement to institutional learning," said Nzimande.

"This principle underpins the NSDS III. There is greater potential for these partnerships to deliver more than the sum of their historical parts; therefore it must be realised in the interests of all South Africans."

According to the DHET's NSDS III Briefing Notes, central to the objectives of the NSDS III is improved placement of students and graduates, especially from the FET colleges and universities of technology.

In addition, NSDS will place particular emphasis on skills development to support government's goals for rural development.

Nzimande says the economy remains constrained by a severe lack of skills, and so the system as a whole has not yet achieved what was expected.

"This strategy therefore draws on lessons learnt from NSDS I and II, and is aimed at ensuring improved access to quality learning programmes, increased relevance of skills development interventions, and building strong partnerships between stakeholders and social partners," he says.