Despite massive curriculum modernisation plans, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges are struggling to meet the expectations of the country’s youth, with most students failing or dropping out.
Plans have been afoot for the past two years to revamp and modernise curriculums to make TVET colleges the preferred choice for matriculants. The national development plan sought to see 2.5-million students at TVET colleges by 2030, compared with about 800,000 now enrolled in the 50 colleges nationwide.
This week higher education minister Buti Manamela appealed to industry to support its modernisation plans which include replacing previous qualifications with occupational qualifications.
In a bid to improve its woeful 11% throughput, the department is trying to emulate the highly successful German model of work-based training as the country re-industrialises. The model is believed to have been successfully replicated in countries such as China.
Deputy DG hails ‘huge transformation’
Sam Zungu, deputy director-general responsible for TVET colleges in the department, says TVETs are enrolling pupils who are largely weak academically.
“The stigma in our community is that ’if my child is not doing well in school let me refer him to a TVET college’ and that’s one of the causes of this low throughput,” Zungu said. “Part of the low throughput rate is the nature of how our programmes are structured in a 70% practical and 30% theoretical split but when the students are assessed the focus is on the 30%.”
New occupational qualifications to be accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) seek to arm students with critical skills which are more relevant to the economy’s needs. Many TVET colleges had moved towards the QCTO qualifications as they had phased out N1-N3 artisanal courses, Zungu said.
This is how the German model works. They have people who have gone to TVET colleges who are artisans and, after graduating as master artisans, they start businesses and train new artisans,” he said, adding that the department is encouraging start-ups by TVET graduates
— Sam Zungu, deputy DG responsible for TVET colleges
“This is a huge transformation from those legacy programmes as they focus more on practical components.”
In the past TVET students would spend 18 months learning theory before moving towards practical workplace training.
Zungu said a gazette was expected tomorrow by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) which will outline the qualifications that have already been phased out.
“We have started now with the occupational qualifications intake and are phasing out N4-N6. Most colleges are now registered for the occupational qualifications graded by the QCTO.”
They are now encouraging partnerships between local feeder high schools to get pupils to be better academically prepared for college programmes.
Zungu believes industry should come on board with the modernisation plans.
“This is how the German model works. They have people who have gone to TVET colleges who are artisans and, after graduating as master artisans, they start businesses and train new artisans,” he said, adding that the department is encouraging start-ups by TVET graduates.
Capacity remains a problem: Metcalfe
But education expert Prof Mary Metcalfe believes TVET colleges may need to “shrink before they expand” in order to provide students with job opportunities in their communities.
Metcalfe said the new TVET occupational qualifications seemed better suited for colleges in urban areas which had various industries, as opposed to those in rural areas.
“TVET colleges should be where we get the level of technical expert support that is required in the economy. They have just become massification exercises,” Metcalfe said.
“The problem is capacity, which leads to no TVETs of quality. With TVET plans not being properly resourced, we don’t have a compelling vision with credible plans. They may have to shrink before they expand by carefully choosing the courses they offer.”
Students weigh in
Several students told the Sunday Times this week that TVET education was not their first choice, as they preferred university.
Monde Maqubela, 21, a first-year engineering student from Mahikeng in the North West, is a student at the Tshwane South TVET college.
“The home background of many students is the reason they don’t compete. And there are other pressures, especially when you come from a poor background,” Maqubela said.
This was a plan B for me and I am enjoying it, despite challenges with maths
— Hans Monene, third-year civil engineering student at Tshwane South College
Hans Monene, 26, a third-year civil engineering student also studying at Tshwane South College in Atteridgeville, said his matric results were not good enough for university.
“This was a plan B for me and I am enjoying it, despite challenges with maths,” Monene said.
He said he is due to complete his plumbing course in the next six months. “With the skills I have learnt here, I will be able to start my own business.”
Employment chances ‘worrying’: Letsie
Tebogo Letsie, chair of parliament’s portfolio committee on higher education, said they are unhappy with the state of many TVET colleges, which lack strategic leadership.
Letsie said they recently visited a TVET college in Uitenhage which was strategically situated near the VW and Isuzu factories but which did not focus on automobile component manufacturing.
“They are teaching the kids office admin. I’m not saying it’s not important but they should teach what is most needed in the immediate area,” he said.
More worrying is that the employment success of TVET graduates is 20% less that that of university graduates, he said.
Letsie said even though the committee was encouraged by the new plan, it was concerned that it needed funding, as teachers needed to be retrained. He suggested funds be repurposed from the R13bn reserves of the National Skills Fund.
“It’s criminal that there’s R13bn in NSF while we have 4-million young people unemployed.”
Letsie said the committee had asked the department to devise a comprehensive plan to reverse the 11% throughput rate.
“One of the excuses they gave us was that some of these kids just go to TVET colleges to get the NSFAS monthly allowance, meaning they study only because of hunger.”
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