Johannesburg- While studies show that university access is increasing yearly and likely to meet the target set in the National Development Plan (NDP) of 1.6-million enrolments by 2030, the target set for enrolment at technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges of 2.5-million by 2030 remains a pipe dream.
In addition, the rate of absorption of TVET graduates in the labour market is also very low at a mere 40.5%.
TVET colleges, which have been identified by President Cyril Ramaphosa as critical to the growth of businesses and the further development of the economy, and institutions that will produce the employees of tomorrow, are not producing the results they have been touted to.
Figures obtained by Sunday World this week from the Department of Higher Education and Training on admissions for this period of the year at TVET colleges show that 210 319 students are registered for entry courses.
There are 55 518 students registered for Level 2 of National Certificate Vocational NC(V); 41 135 for N1 and 113 666 for N4. There are 50 public TVET colleges with 253 registered campuses.
According to the report, Statistics on Post-School Education and Training in South Africa, the total enrolment in TVET colleges reached 673 490 in 2019.
Though this number is up from 358 393 in 2010, the report – Post-School Education and Training Monitor: the Macro-Indicator Trends, published in March last year by the Department of Higher Education and Training – notes that the enrolments need to double a year for the NDP enrolment target to be realised. The Post-School Education and Training Monitor also quotes research that found that many TVET college graduates do not get absorbed into the labour market.
“The labour market absorption rate, which is a measure of the graduates who became self-employed, were employed by another person or were participating in work-based learning programmes, was 40.5%,” says the report.
It also highlights “the mismatches between the supply of skills and the demand in the labour market remain a challenge.
“The Covid-19 crisis is having a profound impact on the South African labour market, with certain sectors and occupations being worse hit by the pandemic than others and some likely to face long-lasting impacts.
“Mismatches are, therefore, likely to become an even bigger problem. Tackling the issue of mismatch is key for the recovery of the South African economy.”
According to the report, almost 30% of NC(V) students who graduated in 2019 did so in office administration, followed by tourism (8.3%) and engineering and related design (7.6%).
“Given the dramatically negative impact of Covid-19 on the tourism sector in 2020, it would perhaps be prudent for TVET colleges to revisit their enrolment plans for the tourism programme. Furthermore, given that many of the OIHD [occupations in high demand] pertain to SET [science, engineering and technology] fields of study, it may be necessary to shift the focus of TVET college enrolments to
related programmes.
Interestingly, the admission figures for the current period, provided by higher education spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi to Sunday World this week, show tourism studies still feature strongly. The report also shows great concern that in the 2019/20 period “no learners qualified as joiners, carpenters, or pipe
fitters”, skills which are reflected as occupations in high demand (OIHD).
“This lack of graduates is a matter of concern given the government’s economic focus on infrastructure development, as well as its strategy to grow the furniture industry. These three occupations are also reflected in the OIHD list, suggesting the need for the improved responsiveness of artisanal programmes to the needs of the labour market,” says the report.
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