Research outputs

In this section, we focus on the nature of skills development offered in formal public institutions. We draw from a separate project commissioned by the Department of Higher Education and Training, that is, an audit of Further Education and Training colleges. The first article highlights the current 'size and shape' of enrolments in this sector, which is expected to grow dramatically over the n...

The further education and training (FET) college audit, conducted by the Education and Skills Development research programme in all 50 FET colleges in 2010, provided some fascinating insights into size, shape, and success in the sector. MICHAEL COSSER reports.

This case study which is part of a larger project, the Science and Indigenous Knowledge Systems Project (SIKSP) at the University of the Western Cape reports on findings of two cohorts of grade 10 science learners whose conceptions of fermentation as well as their Skills, Knowledge, Attitudes and values (SKAVs) on fermentation processes was assessed. One group was taught using Dialogical Argume...

International studies on the impact of training for the unemployed have reported mixed results; some found that training has increased employment possibilities, while others have found that public job-training programmes did not help people finding jobs. Closer to home, ReNETTE DU TOIT analysed the success of placements following training opportunities afforded by the National Skills Fund (NSF)...

The general approach to the study was to conduct a statistical overview of the information on training opportunities contained in the National Skills Fund Disbursement Information System (NSFDIS), complemented by five provincial case studies focusing on best practice projects, in order to deepen the perspective on the dynamics of training. A number of pertinent issues had an impact on the desig...

The broad aim of this study is to evaluate how information on scarce skills is disseminated by SETAs to various roleplayers in the economy, and (if possible) the impact of this dissemination on study/training choices of students, learners and workers. Section 1 of the study provides an introduction. Prior to analyzing dissemination strategies, Section 2 considers the magnitudes and types of sca...

Nearly four years have passed since countrywide xenophobic violence resulted in 62 deaths and the forced displacement of tens of thousands of people. In the aftermath of the May 2008 attacks, the South African government and civil society pledged to fight xenophobia. STEVEN GORDON, BEN ROBERTS and JARE STRUWIG present findings on public attitudes towards foreign migrants and the extent to which...

A recent study by Glenda Kruss, Angelique Wildschut, Dean Janse van Rensburg, Mariette Visser, Genevieve Haupt and Joan Roodt evaluating the impact of learnerships and apprenticeships revealed important trends about the potential significance of such a revived apprenticeship system.

The learnership and apprenticeship systems are in their infancy, but evidence suggests that participation in these pathways has created access to employment at least for some individuals and groups. But who gains from these systems in terms of qualifications certification and employment, and where did they qualify and find jobs? DEAN JANSE VAN RENSBURG has some answers.

This technical report contributes to address such critical questions, albeit in a limited manner, in that it is the first step and but one component - in a larger study of the impact of learnerships and apprenticeships. It specifically focuses on describing the vocational education and training supply side, the patterns of registration and completion of the population of learnerships and appren...

The promotion of university-industry linkages in developing countries is contested, given high levels of poverty, inequality and human development needs. A recent research trend offers new insights that can shift the terms of debate and inform differentiated policy approaches in a more contextually appropriate way. The focus is a framework to analyse the benefits and risks associated with diff...

At the end of the five-year period of the National Skills Development Strategy II (2005 to 2010), the Department of Labour (DoL) sought to assess the impact of its mechanisms to promote the goals of skills development in South Africa. The DoL commissioned the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to conduct a suite of research projects to evaluate the impact of key skills development programme...

'Improving skills planning' is the very last sub-section of the Department of Higher Education and Training's (DHET) Green Paper for Post-School Education and Training, released for public comment in January 2012. The state of data management in parts of the post-school sector suggests it should have been the first. To illustrate the point, BONGIWE MNCWANGO, XOLANI NGAZIMBI and THEMBINKOSI TWAL...

The case studies analyse the extent to which learnerships and apprenticeships facilitate the development of the skills and capabilities required in the workplace in diverse sectoral contexts. Equipping young people for the workplace, or employability, is both relative and absolute (Brown et al, 2003). An individual may be employable because of their absolute skills, abilities and qualities whe...

Work experience grants within the National Skills Development Strategy Phase II represent one type of intervention that aims to promote the employability of members of the labour force by providing individuals with access to work experience without imposing requirements of permanent employment on employers. Potential benefits are available to both individual learners and employers. Learners are...

The HIV prevalence rate among adults aged 15-49 in Lesotho was estimated at 23.2% in 2008 (Khobotle et al, 2009), making it the third highest in the world. It is estimated that there are around 270,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in the country, with 60 people dying every day from AIDS complications. Evidence suggests that Multiple Concurrent Partnerships (MCP) constitute a significant driver ...

In this section, we consider the challenges of skills upgrading at firm level, both public and private sector. Pundy Pillay, Andrea Juan and Thembinkosi Twalo present new data to show the scale and nature of investment in training in the public sector. Bongiwe Mncwango, Xolani Ngazimbi and Thembinkosi Twalo show the importance of a standardised system of SETA (Sector Education and Training Auth...

The terms of reference for this study called for the following three reports: 1. An international literature review on the relationship between training and its impact on public service delivery, especially in post-transition and developing economies. 2. A desktop analysis of data on the size and nature of trends in expenditure by government departments (1% of payroll) for the last five y...

This is the appendices to the full report and should be used with output 7229.

Low educational achievements limit access to the labour market and reduce the chances of school leavers to break out of the cycle of poverty. A key concern of schools, society and the government is to find ways to manage and reduce leave taking by educators so that the loss of teaching and learning time for students is reduced.

We analysed the pathways and performances in mathematics of high (secondary) school students in South Africa using a panel-like data set of Grade 8 students who participated in the 2002 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and who were tracked to Grade 12 examination data sets. We examined the relationship between TIMSS mathematics performance and reaching Grade 12, the...

The shortage of artisanal skills in South Africa is alarming. Amidst inconsistencies in ascertaining the scale of demand, it is generally accepted that the country needs to drastically improve its production of artisans. But there is great concern over the quality of training and the match between training and assessment, particularly in key industries JOAN ROODT and ANGELIQUE WILDSCHUT report.

How can we measure whether the government has met the set targets for training more people? In this article MARIETTE VISSER and GLENDA KRUSS outline a new technique that could identify the directions and paths individual participants follow during learnership and apprenticeship training, how to plot those individuals' journeys through the system to be able to improve it, and the implications th...

An analysis focusing on the journey and progress of individuals through the learnership system over the period of NSDS II shows the overall positive impact of participation in the system, while also highlighting continued structural inequalities. ANGELIQUE WILDSCHUT explains

The overall objective of this project is to measure the impact of the South African learnership and apprenticeship systems as they support employed and unemployed learners in the acquisition of skills to enter employment. The research investigates the extent to which the learnership and apprenticeship pathway systems develop the right numbers, levels and kinds of basic, intermediate and high-le...