Nzimande: colleges key to closing SA skills gap

Unveiling the Green Paper for Post-School Education and Training, the higher education and training minister stressed the role that colleges should play in developing and delivering the skills that were in "extremely short" supply.

"Colleges, working together with employers, both public and private, will be our spearhead in tackling this [skills] problem," Nzimande said. The Green Paper proposes that the quality of education at FET colleges receives attention while management, qualification mix, the capacity of the teaching staff and student support are strengthened. The paper also proposes pathways to ensure that college students could move on to universities after completing their vocational qualifications.

"Vocational education at the FET colleges must not be a dead-end," Nzimande said. The Minister also announced the establishment of a South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education and Training as part of a long-term strategy to build institutional capacity.

The institute's main focus would be to strengthen the vocational and continuing education sector by playing a supporting role to existing institutions, such as FET colleges and the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas). To help students gain practical experience and build the country's skills base, Nzimande said that all government infrastructure programmes would have to take on trainees. Government departments, agencies and municipalities would also be required to increase their intake of various types of trainees. The Green Paper, which was approved by Cabinet in November and released for comment recently, also outlined a plan to improve research and innovation in the post-school education sector.

Read the full article on www.engineeringnews.co.za.