Alignment of HRD & NGP

HRDC Summit

March 2014

Initial Process Involved Research

• Understand the challenges experienced with respect to the alignment between skills development and economic growth and development

• Consider ways in which demand and supply can be considered and what this analysis may suggest re misalignment between demand/supply

Initial Process Involved Research (Cont)

• Extrapolate from international literature about ways in which planning is understood and the models that are emerging: where possible consider lessons about how this planning can be improved

• Provide an overview of possible options to improve planning as well as institutional linkages and critically institutional performance

Identified key challenges in SA (1)

o Weak overall planning and measurement

o Poor learner selection processes (coupled with limited information and guidance)

o Weakness in delivery capacity (for example quality of lecturers, poor management of curriculum process, limited academic support, etcetera)

Identified key challenges in SA (1 Cont)

o Lack of clarity about the purpose of different programmes, coupled with a weak alignment or articulation across the subsystems

o Distance between institutional training and the workplace

Key Challenges in SA (2)

– The manner in which demand is determined;

– Whether quantifiable targets add value – and in particular for the medium and longer term;

– The limited linkages that appear to be in place between economy wide demand and specific sector requirements (eg the current disjuncture between NGP/IPAP and SSP Planning)

Key Challenges in SA (2 Cont)

– Concerns about whether demand is too short term in its focus instead of providing a lens to understand medium and longer term trends

– Available and current data sources not sufficiently utilised and integrated & there are areas in which there is not appropriate data available:

– Challenges with Organising Framework for Occupations

Key Challenges in SA: Shaping Supply

• On-going debate about ways in which demand should inform supply with the following issues being raised:

– How to ensure that demand is prioritised (rather than a

shopping list of needs)

– Are there ways in which supply planning against demand should differ for short term versus long term

– Should certain programmes focus on specific jobs/ occupations (which may change) and others on broader vocational trends

Key Challenges in SA: Shaping Supply (Cont)

– How should the planning take into account provincial and regional differences and contexts

– How to ensure providers have capacity to meet demand

– Ways in which quality and funding mechanisms should drive longer term imperatives and be responsive to short term priorities

Learning from international

• Countries should take a long-term strategic view of NHRD,

• This is invariably off-set by short-term developments such as changes in government, technological change and fluctuations in the economy. (Mankin 2009)

Learning from international (Cont)

• The extent to which countries can ensure a balance between long term and medium and short term needs depends on the particular context of the country concerned:

• the emphasis should remain on change within a long term strategy rather than having strategy that is constantly changing.

Alignment of HRD & NGP strategies: The core challenges

Why?Economic stakeholders do not engage sufficiently with demand-side forecasting/planningDemand planning

Focused too narrowly on “shortages” rather than needs for growth/equity in longer termDoes not think ahead of the market to identify medium/long-term skills demand Technological and policy impacts are hard to forecastSETA planning Does not build on SETA functions or strengthsLargely shaped by broader national priorities and concern for the unemployed rather than the critical need for core industries to contribute to growth, employment creation and equality through life-long learning

Implications: Economic stakeholders must come to the party – Skills and Education Accords provide a basisShort term focus on scaling up training & managing higher imports Medium & longer term focus on identifying what economy needs from basic education, expanding access to post-school options and life-long learning Increasingly ensure that qualifications permit adaptation to changing conditions.

The problem: Despite new institutions and planning exercises, skill shortages still underpin inequalities (high pay, lack of career mobility for ordinary workers) as well as constraining economic growth

What planning can and cannot do

It can:• Provide better data for

stakeholders to make decisions

• Assist in making assumptions about the future explicit and transparent

• Assist in enforcing systematic and logical thinking

• Act as a focus for intelligent, critical debate

It cannot:• Accurately predict the

number of individuals needed with a particular qualification

• Define what many occupations will look like even in the medium term (hence the focus on qualifications that are not narrow)

• Translate automatically into increased provision of skills

Some considerations

Long, medium and short term planning • How to align? What is

realistic and what kind of signals would guide skills supply?

• What are the roles of demand/supply institutions in the planning process, and how should they interact?

• What are the appropriate institutional structures given assigned functions?

The role of SETAsWhat is the core objective and role of SETAs in their industries?How can we help them fulfill that role better?How can we better manage government demands beyond that role?

Supplementing planning:• Improve overall provision of

education and skills (capacity and reach)

• Lifelong learning to adapt to economic changes and support workplace equity and mobility

• Attract qualified immigrants in general and discourage emigration of skilled people

• Improve counselling and guidance for learners and workers

Proposal: Demand-side planning with stronger input from economics stakeholders

• Emphasis on foresighting over medium to long term, not just immediate shortages

• Aim to reduce inequalities as well as drive growth – not shortages alone, but also high costs

• Steering Committee convened by DHET with strong involvement of new Productive Sectors Forum – supported by a secretariat within DHET/ an agency

– Determine effective methodologies for foresighting and requisite, useful, realistic outputs

– Guide/align related research already being done and may require additional research

– Ensure demand-side planning affects supply at all levels

• SETA role: – Provide data through stakeholder engagement at sector

level and WSPs– Use the national framework to inform priorities for the sector

and shape supply– Focus on growth and equity in their sector

• NSF to fund broader national socio-economic imperatives, including skills programmes for emerging industries

Other options

Option Two: Status quo with role clarity• DHET completes NSDS based on

research that provides an indication of national needs (to be funded by the NSF)

• Indicates implications for the types of programmes to be supported in the sectors

• SETAs undertake SSPs based on stakeholder inputs

• SETAs ensure grants support economic development and substantially improved career mobility in their industry (with tight limits on national demands beyond that)

Option Three: Productive Sectors Forum takes on demand-side foresighting• Productive Sectors Forum

establishes skills planning agency

• Communicates demand-side needs consistently to DHET and other supply-side planners/skills providers

• SETAs provide data relating to the workplace and engage with stakeholders about sector priorities

Concluding Process

• Proposal was based on research and consultation with key stakeholders and in multiple forums (and further workshops planned by and HRDC, DHET and economic sector departments)

• HRDC accepted proposal and DHET has taken responsibility for taking the SC forward – SC is seeking to establish national planning approach –

outcomes, outputs and methods – SC also includes SETAs and DHET branch responsible for higher

education and further education to plan that supply can meet emerging needs

• Economic departments are actively engaging with this methodology and process and are exploring what capacity is required to enable this Follow the summit@

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