South Africa has invested a lot of its skills levy fund on short courses of “dubious value” amid a backlog of artisans, accountants and engineers, higher education Minister Blade Nzimande said on Tuesday.
Nzimande said he did not advocate the scrapping of short courses, but said there was a need to strike a balance.
“We can’t have a training system that is 75%, 80% short course … We invest a lot of skills levy money into short courses, some of which have no value.
“We need to begin to be more biased towards a structured occupational trade and professional programmes, because that is where we are short,” he said in Pretoria after addressing a meeting attended by representatives of the country’s major professional bodies.
Nzimande said an unintended consequence of the establishment of a Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas) system was an industry of short courses, which were “easy money” for consultants.
“As a country, we have to think bigger than that and as government we have a bigger responsibility to say we need more artisans. Artisans require structured learning for a particular period.”
While there was at shortage of professionals in information and communications technology, engineering, finance and artisans, the greatest backlog was with technicians, with a shortfall of just over 432 000.
Disjuncture between the requirements
A study conducted by the South African Institute for Chartered Accountants in 2008 indicated the country needed 5 000 more chartered accountants and 17 000 accountants of technical grades.
Nzimande said there was a disjuncture between the requirements of professional councils and the economy’s needs.
There was a need for the formal education systems, employers, Setas, professional bodies and other players, including government departments, to work together.
Nzimande said standards set by professional bodies restricted graduates from entering the workplace, with some being refused professional registration because of “racial attitudes”.
“We are getting information that black interns are not getting adequate time of experience in the workplace.”
He further questioned why aspirant chartered accounts had to repeat all four modules during their fourth year of study should they fail one.
“Has that really got to do with quality or is it some form of gatekeeping? Some of the things being set as requirements have nothing to do with quality, but they keep on making skills scarce,” he said.
He emphasised the need to produce more black and women professionals in the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Labour Court ruled that Nzimande exceeded his powers in changing the governance structure of the billion-rand Services Seta.
Judge AC Basson ruled that Nzimande “does not have the power to impose unilaterally a new constitution on the Seta — his powers are limited to approving a constitution”.
The country’s second-largest trade union grouping, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, was a co-applicant in the Labour Court action with the Services Seta and chief executive Ivor Blumenthal, as were the Association of Personnel Service Organisations of South Africa and the Confederation of Associations in the Private Employment Sector. — Sapa & M&G Reporter