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EDWIN NAIDU
IN a strong rallying call for the Black Business Council and the private sector to join South Africa’s skills revolution, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, has reiterated the government’s commitment to creating opportunities for the country’s youth.
A sum of R1,7 billion was disbursed by the National Skills Fund towards its bursaries programme in 2021/22, benefitting students enrolled in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in scarce and critical skills.
“The central mandate of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) is to develop a skilled and capable workforce whilst broadening the skills base of our country to support an inclusive growth path,” he said on Friday in Kempton Park at the Black Business Council summit.
Addressing guests at the black-tie affair, including President of BBC Elias Monage and the Leadership Collective of the BBC; BBC Chief Executive Officer Kganki Matabane; the Minister said he was delighted to have joined the gathering under the theme: “20 years of the Broad-Based Black Empowerment Act – Accelerating Implementation, Creating Jobs and Growing the Economy”.
In his address on the topic: “Skills Development and the Fourth Industrial Revolution – Their Roles in Economic Transformation- Skills for the Future”, Nzimande said a variety of strategic interventions to support the college sector to remain relevant to the country’s economic needs had been undertaken.
This includes the establishment of thirty-four (34) Centres of Specialisation at twenty (20) TVET Colleges with an investment of R68 million, and sixteen (16) Colleges have thirty-three (33) Trade Test Centres.
The Centres of Specialisation are well positioned to prepare students for the workplace, or self-employment, by maintaining close working relationships with employers in their areas of study.
“I must indicate that through these centres, we now can conduct trade tests in all thirteen (13) of our priority trades at TVET Colleges. These trade test Centres have already trade tested over 500 people that have qualified as artisans,” he said.
When the department was established in 2009, Nzimande said there was only one trade test centre for the country at Indlela, which presented an obstacle in the pipeline of producing more artisans.
Entrepreneurship is an excellent priority following the entrepreneurship hubs at TVET Colleges to support students to move into self-employment after completing their programmes.
In collaboration with Universities South Africa (USAF), Nzimande said a national program called Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) Programme that aims to build an entrepreneurship system in universities focused on developing student entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship in academia, and entrepreneurial universities has been introduced.
Concerning the 4IR in skills development, Nzimande has established the Ministerial Task Team to look into the implications of the 4th Industrial Revolution in the post-school education and training system.
Ten (10) colleges have introduced a new programme in Robotics as part of the curriculum transformation strategy for the TVET sector to ensure that colleges remain responsive to the needs of a changing economy.
“One of my priorities is to continue to work closely with the private sector, including the BBC, in a partnership for skills development and innovation,” he said.
Nzimande added that the department is also involved in the development of critical skills for the economy, which includes the Hydrogen Economy within the context of the Hydrogen Society Roadmap for South Africa, the Agriculture, Health and Energy sectors and the development of skills for both the public and the private sector.
As part of implementing this mandate, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) will oversee an institutional landscape comprising twenty-six (26) universities, fifty (50) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, nine (9) Community Education and Training (CET) colleges, twenty-one (21) Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), National Skills Fund (NSF), Quality Councils as well as Private Providers.
“Our key outcomes, in this drive, include, amongst others, expanding access to post-school opportunities and improving the quality of provision and the responsiveness of the post-school system,” he said.
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