This is in large part due to governments’ continued financial investment in the education sector.

A recent Statistics South Africa Community Survey revealed that the number of people, who indicated that they had no schooling, has declined from 3.7 million in 1996 to 2.3 million in 2016.

There had also been increases in the number of people who completed a bachelor’s degree over the same period, from 410 686 in 1996 to 1.2 million in 2016.

Yet despite these improvements the Department of Higher Education and Training acknowledged its responsibility to do even more to bridge the gap between skills development and employment.

The National Skills Authority (NSA) chairperson, Lulama Nare stated that the role of the private sector in this regard was also critical.

“The private sector needs to step up a bit and open up their spaces because government is also subsidising what these youths do in the private sector. This evening, we will be awarding the companies that are playing their role to train and retain young people in the workplace.”

The conference was held under the theme, ‘Skills Development for an Integrated and Differentiated Post-School Education and Training System: Past, Present and Future’.

Director-General at the Department of Higher Education and Training, Gwebinkundla Qonde said in the next five years, the department envisages to substantially expand access to education and training for youth and adults, regardless of whether they have completed school or not.

The following are the outcomes and proposals of the commissions during the conference:

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Statistics South Africa recently released a quarterly labour force survey, which shows that the unemployment rate rose to 27.2% from 26.7% in the first three months of this financial year. Commenting on these statistics Magapatona-Sangaret said:

“Economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation are immense challenges that the government cannot meet alone. Public-private partnerships serve as one of the viable solutions in addressing this challenge as they are a catalyst for economic growth in South Africa”.

“Our country’s strong capital markets, vibrant economic policies, stable political climate, a competitive private sector, proud democracy and a robust economic outlook, put us in the ultimate position to enhance effective partnerships between public and private sectors for employment creation.”

Following President Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation address, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel defined the four key areas which are addressed and inspired by PPPs; transfer of skills, exposure to work, job creation and entrepreneurial activity.

In 2015, the World Bank commissioned a benchmarking study ‘The 2015 Infrascope’ carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit that evaluated the capacity of African countries to implement sustainable and efficient PPPs. South Africa scored highest overall in all. Factors favouring South Africa, versus its peers on the African continent, is that it has PPP-specific laws and policies, sufficient financial market depth to fully enable PPP financing and National Treasury as an established central unit coordinating and approving PPPs.

The unemployment rate was reported to have jumped 0.5% to 27.2% in the second quarter of 2018, which equates to 6.1 million unemployed South Africans who are looking for work. The jobless rate had remained unchanged at 26.7% in the first three months of the year and the end of 2017.

“We are all collectively responsible for doing our part when it comes to job creation in South Africa; the everyday citizen needs to prepare themselves with the appropriate education and direction to succeed when opportunity arises, the business owner needs check out the struggles of the people around him/her and be open to new business ideas, and the government and private sector need to strengthen collaborative efforts for the best interests of the South African people. We need to create an honest assessment of where we are and also where we want to be as a country.  From there, we can envision genuine economic progress for the future,” concluded Magapatona-Sangaret.

Credit: Brand South Africa

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Compiled by Priya Pitamber

A survey of South African chief executive officers found that 36% were extremely concerned about the availability of key skills, compared to a global average of 17%, stated a recent report on vocational education and training in four countries: South Africa, the UK, India and the USA.

The report, from the global skills development company, City and Guilds Group, highlighted how vocational education and training (VET) could have a substantial influence on global economies.

Vocational training is generally for a career in the technical or practical fields and includes a diverse range of careers, such as carpentry, plumbing, and beauty therapy. VET could significantly benefit individuals and businesses, but it was not getting the traction and recognition it needed to attract a large number of students, the report found.

In South Africa in particular, VET could help the country to reach its National Development goal of decent employment, as well as help to develop the skills necessary to create a capable workforce to support inclusive growth.

“The report indicates that vocational education can help to fill skills gaps, boost productivity, enhance industries and increase employment – all of which have a significant impact on individuals, businesses and the economy as a whole,” said Mike Dawe, the director of international at the City and Guilds Group.

Read the full story on: Brand South Africa

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