By Thebe Mabanga
Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) have assisted three million young people to access skills and enter the job market since being operationalised.
This was revealed by Zamokwakhe Khuzwayo, the Executive Officer of the National Skills Authority (NSA), who spoke on the sidelines of the board induction for the NSA.
The message from the induction ceremony by Higher Education and Training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane was that the Post-School Education and Skills Training (PSET) sector was set for a shake up, and that started with the newly installed board becoming solutions driven.
Nkabane sought to infuse a sense of urgency into the challenges faced by the boards and the Setas they oversaw.
“In my budget vote speech at the National Assembly last year, I reported that I have listened attentively to the voices agitating for transformation,” Nkabane said. “South Africans are no longer patient with us. They have been raising their voices with limited actions from our side, we ought to act and act now.”
Nkabane called on Setas to be innovative in their approach to developing for a changed workplace and skills landscape than when they were formed.
“The Setas must respond and exploit the dynamics of technology and its evolution in their innovative approaches towards addressing skills deficit and training,” the minister said.
“Given the pace and changes in industry innovation, our youths are best placed to benefit from continuous development and refinement of skills necessary to effectively navigate and utilise digital technologies.”
She noted that skills such as digital marketing, e-commerce, the Internet of Things, cloud computing and cybersecurity presented opportunities for job creation for young people.
The new chairperson of the NSA is Asanda Luwaca, who is also the executive chairperson of the National Youth Development Agency.
She described her experience and that of her peers as “shaped by protest, refined by policy and training”. However, she was cognisant that most of South Africa’s youth still “wait on the periphery of opportunity”.
Luwaca said she wanted the NSA to be the “centre of gravity” for the PSET sector and be a data driven co-ordinating body that bridged the gap between government and the private sector.
Nkabane also addressed the issue of young people who were not in education, employment or training.
“A national cause for concern is the estimate of 3.5 million young people between the ages of 15-24 who are not in formal education, employment or training. There is no doubt that more could be done to alleviate the plight of our youth…,’ the minister said.
She noted that there was a need to harness the collective efforts by both government and the private sector to reduce South Africa’s high unemployment rate, including youth unemployment.
“It is my commitment to review and ensure that all SETAs focus on their mandate to skill South Africans – particularly the youth.” the minister said.
Busani Ngcaweni, the principal of the National School of Government, urged the board members to be “fearless and courageous” and to lead “with ideas and foresight”.
The NSA will now oversee the appointment of boards and chairperson of the 21 Setas.
INSIDE EDUCATION
