Presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and

Training

10 October 2012

South Africa/German Co-operation on Higher Education and Training

Co-operation on higher education and training between the South African government and the German Federal government is governed by overarching collaboration agreements. These are implemented within various fora.

Official German development support to South Africa dates back to 1994 where technical support was given in a number of areas. There are two other particular programmes that form part of the most recent German development and co-operation programme that will be highlighted.

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Multi-Fora Engagement• Given the federal nature of the German government against the South

Africa unitary system, there are a number of platforms addressing various strands of the relationship

• For example:– BMZ: German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development– GIZ is an agency commissioned by BMZ to foster international cooperation

for sustainable development on a wide range of areas including economic development, employment creation and basic education

– DAAD: is a publicly-funded independent organization of higher education institutions in Germany that advances resources for institutional cooperation including providing grants for research and scholarships

– BMBF: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research– BiBB: is a BMBF institution dealing with policy, research and practice in the

field of initial and continuing vocational education and training in Germany– I-Move: a service agency of the BMBF that internationally markets vocational

education and training together with the BiBB

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The BESD Programme (1) • Emanating out of the Basic Employment Skills Training (BEST) project

held between the then GTZ in partnership with the Department of Labour, the Basic Entrepreneurial Skills Development (BESD) Programme, which forms part of a joint initiative of the Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda), the Department of Higher Education and Training’s National Skills Fund (NSF), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Government was initiated with the aim of utilising youths and unemployed people to train emerging entrepreneurs

• The National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) III, which guides the use of the skills levy received by the NSF and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), makes a point that skills development is not just about training people for employment, but must also empower people to create opportunities to make a living for themselves.

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The BESD Programme (2) • In that spirit, the NSF funds the programme while Seda provides

quality assurance for the programme through its Accredited Learning Academy. The programme also receives technical assistance (like advice and support via long and short term expertise) provided by GIZ.

• The youths will be recruited and trained for seven-and-a-half months in the different selected implementation sites. Once certified as competent Entrepreneurial Development Practitioners (EDPs) they will be employed by training providers and each EDP will train ten budding entrepreneurs on basic entrepreneurial skills for eighteen months.

• The Programme is expected to train 200 unemployed youths as EDPs and provide entrepreneurial skills support to 2 000 emerging entrepreneurs over four years.

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South African Renewable Energy Training Centre (1)

• Earlier this year, The Green Cape approached the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) with a proposal to establish a South African renewable Energy Training Centre in the Western Cape and requested funding for the project.

• Land had already been identified at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) for this facility.

• The DHET showed commitment for funding through the NSF this project. The governance, funding and academic structures needed further work.

• The DHET required that the Facility be established as a National Training centre that will serve all institutions, especially those universities , SETAs and Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges in the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape.

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South African Renewable Energy Training Centre (2)

• DHET has requested CPUT to be the custodian of this facility and funding from the NSF will be accounted for by the CPUT. DHET has not supported the establishment of a Not for profit Company. The governance and operations will be managed by the CPUT.

• A application for funding from the CPUT to the NSF is currently under consideration.

• Three DHET’s representatives and other stakeholders were invited by GIZ to attend a study tour from 17-21 September in Germany. Other representatives were from the universities, Green Cape, FET Colleges, Provincial Skills Offices, ESCOM, and SANEDI.

• This was a very insightful study tour to observe some of the best practices wind energy field, including training centres, manufacturing of wind turbines and setting up of wind farms. 7

South African Renewable Energy Training Centre (3)

• Most of the expertise required for the operation and maintenance of such wind farms and the wind turbines are qualified mechanical and electrical artisans who will undergo further training as wind turbine service technicians.

• Funding and support from other stakeholders are required to ensure the success of this National Training Centre.

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Institutional Linkages (1)• There are ongoing institutional linkages through Higher Education South

Africa (HESA). • A number of South African higher education institutions have entered

into co-operation agreements with their German counterparts. • For example:

– The DHET’s database reflects a total of 123 institutional collaborations between South African and German universities

– These are mainly with the University of Cape Town, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal, University of Western Cape, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and Stellenbosch University which happens to be the one institution with the most collaboration areas

• Several South African academics have visited their counterparts in Germany at different times and all are in agreement that more research collaborations need to be done particularly at postgraduate level.

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Institutional Linkages (2)• The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) advances international

academic exchange and promote the German system of higher education by granting organizational and financial support to universities as well as awarding scholarships and grants directly to institutions.

• A number of scholarships, student and academic exchanges have taken place as part of the DAAD initiative on academic and scientific co-operation

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Ministry-to-Ministry Co-operation• As part of strengthening Ministry-to Ministry co-operation, Minister

Nzimande visited Germany in 2010 and met with Dr Annette Schavan, the German Federal Minister for Education and Research in Berlin.

• It was agreed that both countries would undertake study visits of each country’s education system and a senior German delegation undertook a study visit to South Africa in 2010. However, the DHET reciprocal study visit was postponed due to financial constraints.

• In December 2011, the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training also undertook a study tour to Germany to obtain in-depth knowledge of the German post school education system with special focus on Vocational Education and Training (VET) and skills development.

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Outcomes of Visits• Following the Minister’s visit, it was noted that the various initiatives

by German government agencies in the higher education and training sector in South Africa need to be determined and systematically documented to clearly reflect the nature of the existing relations.

• The German Embassy indicated that a study is being commissioned and the results of that study would be shared with DHET.

• Under the German/South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) forum the Joint Committee on Vocational Education and Training was established and it was agreed that both parties would convene a joint seminar with the aim of developing an action plan

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Vocational Education and Training Note: The term ‘vocational’ is used in this presentation to include both

vocational and occupational education and training, although inside of the SA qualifications, distinctions exist between the two

INSTITUTIONAL TYPES• Universities of Technology (6)• Further Education and Training (FET) Colleges (50)• Adult Education and Training Centres (> 3 000)• Private and Public Training Centres• Private Providers

Programmes Available within the VET System

• Higher Certificates and Advanced Certificates (HE)• Diplomas (HE)• National Certificates (Vocational)• National Certificates (N1-N6)• Learnerships / Internships• Apprenticeships (Artisanal Training)• Skills Programmes

Quality Assurance across the Education and Training System

• SAQA is the apex authority for all qualifications regulated by a National Qualifications Framework (NQF) comprising of 3 sub-frameworks (pending finalisation):

– Council on Higher Education – Council on General and Further Education and Training– Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)

Snapshot of the Vocational Landscape in SA

Level and Type of Vocational

Training on Offer

Institutional Type Where

Currently Offered

Quality Assurance of

QualificationsHigher CertificatesNational Diplomas

Universities of Technology Higher education quality council

Senior Secondary Certificates:National Certificates (Vocational)Report 191 (N1-N3)

FET Colleges Umalusi

Post- Secondary Certificates:Report 191 (N4-N6)

FET Colleges Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)

Occupational certificates across all levels of the education system (including learnerships, apprenticeships, internships)

Public and private providers across the education system

Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO)

Funding System for Vocational Training

• Conditional Grants through the National Treasury (formula-based funding)

• Institutional Fees• SETA Skills Development Levy Grant (1% Employer Levy)• National Skills Fund• Student Financial Aid (Bursaries, Loans and Incentive Funding Support)• Earmarked Capital Funding• Earmarked Recurrent Funding• Fee-for-service Income (Cost Recovery Basis)

Educator Qualifications and Development

• Historically there has been an absence of professional qualifications for VET educators – recent developments address this gap

• Consequently the quality of teaching and learning in FET colleges adversely impacted by poorly and under-qualified teaching staff with many lacking baseline theoretical knowledge

• Gaps in the workplace experiential knowledge of educators hinder preparation of students for the world of work

• Poor alignment of practical assessments with workplace demands

Systemic Challenges• Systemic structural distortions in which the traditional university

system is bigger than the vocational college system• Mismatch between VET curricula and labour market• Limited spaces for intake of vast numbers of post grade 12 students

into the VET system • Unclear articulation between the 3 qualifications sub-frameworks

from and into vocational and occupational qualifications• Limited workplaces for practical and experiential training for

vocationally qualified graduates • Limited work spaces for to register learners on learnership/

apprenticeship/ artisanal training • Poor Language, Maths and Science capabilities of learners coming

from the basic schooling system into the VET system• Under and poorly qualified professional staff in the VET system

Projected Size of the College VET System within the PSET system

• 1 million learners by 2014 (from a current baseline of just under 500 000)

• 4 million learners by 2030 (Green Paper)

• Expansion of the VET system to include Community Education Training Colleges (CETCs)

Thank you