Technical & Vocational Education and Training Technical Task Team (TVET TTT)

15 August 2014

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Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Problem Statement Importance of TVET colleges as seen in key government plans

and strategies.

The central role of TVET colleges in addressing skills shortages to advance economic growth has been recognised

Need for focused attention on the TVET college sector to increase access and improve quality of provision.

TVET TTT Objectives Identify measures for strengthening and supporting TVET

colleges in order to;

expand access; and

improve the quality of provision.

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Technical & Vocational Education and TrainingMethodology

• TVET TTT Indaba in March 2013 that involved sector stakeholders, experts and policy makers in the identification of blockages.

• Three work streams established to further engage with themes identified at the Indaba which were:– Partnerships– Positive Learning Experience– Pathways

• Research commissioned which conducted a desktop review of the sector. Five reports produced.

• There was continuous engagement with stakeholders and experts through task team meetings and e-mail comments and inputs.

• A roundtable of sector specialists held in January 2014 where the draft reports were discussed.

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Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Notions of Access and Quality Key words in TTT’s mandate are expanding access and improving

quality of provision, need to unpack access.

3 categories of access that should be understood and used as a basis for fulfilling mandate:

o Access into colleges (increased enrolments)

o Access inside colleges (outcomes and efficiencies)

o Access out (into labour market, further education, self-employment)

Recognising that quality can (only) be achieved through, and by means of open and unfettered institutional access and that access cannot be achieved without attention being paid to quality.

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Technical & Vocational Education and TrainingChallenges

• Close on 2 million students enrolled in public and private PSET programmes in 2012.

• 54% in HEIs • 32% in TVET Colleges (DHET, 2013)

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South Africa,2012 (DHET, 2013)

FET Colleges 320 679

Universities 761 000

FET Colleges 509 643

Universities 953 373

South Africa,2007 (DHET, 2008)

TVET Colleges 2.5 million

Universities 1.6 million

2030 Vision (White Paper)

Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Challenges (Cont.)

Not enough lectures have the capacity to take charge of their learning environments, most don’t have the necessary competences (the combination of a teaching qualification and a trade in programmes that industry is mostly interested in).

With the envisaged expansion of student enrolments, not enough lecturers in the system to cope with the expansion.

Colleges cater mainly for those who have left school – should ideally provide education and training to members of their own and nearby communities and develop skills for local industry, commerce and public-sector institutions. In this regard, need to revisit their purpose.

Colleges have become central part of government strategy in the provision of PSET, targeted for the greatest expansion and diversification (White Paper, 2013). Need to ensure they are properly resourced, led and managed to fulfill this role.

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Technical & Vocational Education and Training

A range of interventions since democracy

• Very key: the DHET Turnaround Strategy 2012

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FET Act 1998 New Institutional Landscape 2001

Recapitalisation 2005

Introduction of NCV & Bursary

Scheme 2006 -2007

Establishment of New Funding

Norms 2008-2009

Transfer to DHET 2012

302 550 students 356 049 students 377 584 students 320 679 students 420 475 students 509 643 students

152 technical colleges

50 FET Colleges

R780m budget (1.7% of National Education Budget)

R793 budget (1.3% of National Education Budget)

R1.35b budget (1.6% of National Education Budget)

R2.7b budget (2.5% of National Education Budget)

R3.77b budget (2.7% of National Education Budget)

R4.95b Budget (2.4% of National Education Budget)

R66million NSFAS Allocation

R299million NSFAS Allocation

R1.7billion NSFAS Allocation

Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Conceptual Framework: The Notion of a Developmental State

• Major policies issued by the post-apartheid government since1994 revolve around the notion of a developmental state.

• Most of these policies make explicit reference of the catalyst role the TVET college sector should play within the post-school education and training (PSET) system towards addressing the challenges faced by a developmental state.

• The central question contained in the White Paper (DHET: 2013) is the following: how can skills development support the creation of a developmental state?

• A response to this requires an understanding of the developmental role of TVET colleges and a re-conceptualisation of their purpose in a developmental state.

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Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Blockage 1: Purpose

• Current Purpose limited, too oriented towards supply-side with its main focus on employment in the formal labour market

Recommendation

• Get the longer-term purpose right: should also speak to overall long-term Mission and Vision for the sector.

• Purpose should reflect TVET for economic and broader societal and developmental objectives (with the involvement of the DTI, EDD, NPC, national business formations, national labour formations).

• TVET for local economy (local businesses, provincial and local government, informal sector) as well as responding to national imperatives.

• Immediate focus should be on occupations and the acquisition of mid-level skills.

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Purpose of TVET SectorPurpose Immediate Term Medium Term Long Term

Focus • Labour market (formal and informal labour market)

• Labour market (formal and informal labour market)

• Community/local needs• (CETC and TVET

Colleges)

Expanded, comprehensive and differentiated colleges

Target Group • Pre-employed• Employed • Unemployed/ Post-

employed

Youths and Adults (both pre-employed and employed and un/post employed)

Alignment with DTI (Industrial Policies)EDD (National Dept)Local Labour marketsSBD (entrepreneurship)

Economic and Community Responsiveness to the learner (in broadest sense)

Purpose The main purpose of these colleges is to train young post-school leavers, providing them with the skills (incorporating knowledge and attitudes) necessary for employment (formal)

Youths and adults “building skills for work and life”Main purpose to provide labour market needs and community development

Economic, equity and transformation

Learning Mode F/T, with P/T provision (WIL crucial)

F/T, with P/T provision (WIL crucial)- Community engagement

Multiple modes – online, e-learning, blended learning

Occupational routes

Technical & Vocational Education and TrainingBlockage 2: Institutional Effectiveness

Recommendation: Build Capacity of College Management

• The capacity of the DHET (in its oversight role) and colleges (as implementers) needs continuous strengthening – that this should not simply be a case of DHET determining a game plan and colleges implementing – need a sense of mutual capacity building, leading to more effective accountability of the main actors.

• Appropriate centralisation/decentralisation needs to be accompanied by clearly defined role awareness and the necessary capacity that accompanies this approach.

• Office of college principal to be enabled to perform its primary role of institutional vision and mission management and leadership as well as institutional co-ordination and accountability management. Again, the issue of capacity building and ensuring that the necessary resources needed are in place.

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Technical & Vocational Education and TrainingBlockage 2: Institutional Effectiveness

Recommendation: Development of College Lecturers

The task team sees this as a critical issue and its recommendations stand with a plea that this should be accelerated to enable colleges to cope with the envisaged growth in enrollments, particularly the development of a strategy to recruit and train college lecturers to allow the sector to cope with the expansion programme and to also address the current student-lecturer ratio.

Develop a holistic CPD model that includes professional qualifications, coaching, mentoring, peer observation and feedback.

Review the remuneration of college lecturers so that the sector can attract the required talent that will take the sector forward.

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Technical & Vocational Education and TrainingBlockage 3: Inadequate Partnerships

Recommendation: Build and Strengthen College Partnerships with Stakeholders

• Partnerships must be an institutional responsibility. However, key for government is to develop a framework and incentive schemes to promote the formation of partnerships.

• Define and develop a very clear perspective of what a partnership is and for what purpose it has been devised.

• The partnership framework should address the following:o tasks and responsibilities of key organisations;o mechanisms of coordination;o mechanisms for stakeholder participation; ando the structure of the system.

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Technical & Vocational Education and Training

Role of the Private Sector

• Consulting with TVET colleges about skills requirements.

• Advising colleges and the DHET about the quality of training and

assessment approaches.

• Participating in curriculum development with colleges.

• Providing work-based training opportunities for college students.

• Participating in national, provincial and local TVET structures.

• Provide opportunities for TVET lecturers to regularly update their

workplace experience.

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What the TVET TTT would like the HRD Council to do

• Approve recommendations made in the presentation and final report to

be implemented by the DHET and its agencies.

• Establish an Inter-Ministerial Committee (Economic Departments and

Ministry of Small Business Development, Rural/Agriculture, Basic

Education etc.) to establish synergy for the TVET system.

• Put in place the necessary structure/s to look into the review of the

remuneration of college lecturers.

• This Committee should also serve a Monitoring and Evaluation role and

function.

• Facilitate the streamlining of the functions of the various role-players in

the TVET system, particularly those of the DHET, SAIVCET, AoCSA and

the QCTO.

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THANK YOU

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