WeeklySA_AdminSTRATEGY: In his speech before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) yesterday, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande says a Master Skills Plan is currently being crafted to create a more effective mechanism for nationwide skills planning…
The master skills plan will draw on the information available in existing plans, such as the National Skills Development Plan, Human Resource Development Strategy, Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, ERRP Skills Strategy, National Plan for Post School Education and Training, SETA Skills Sector Skills Plan, Master Economic Sector Plans, and National, Provincial and Local Government Skills Plans.
Through the National Skills Fund (NSF) we supported 304 skills development projects across South Africa in 2020/21. Furthermore, 34 994 South Africans benefited directly from the NSF support during the 2020/21 financial year. Eastern Cape accounted for the majority of beneficiaries (7 127 or 20.4%), followed by Gauteng (6 881 or 19.7%) and KwaZulu-Natal 6 374 or 18.2%).
In the same period, the number of beneficiaries who reported to have a disability was 704 (2.0% of the overall number of beneficiaries).
During the 2020/21 financial year, the NSF funds were mainly disbursed for TVET colleges (29.2% or R493.1 million) and Rural Development projects (29.0% or R490.5 million), while 22.6% (R381.3 million) was allocated for the bursaries and 18.6% (R313.4 million) for “other national priorities”.
For this current financial year, the National Skills Fund (NSF) in partnership with the Presidency has allocated R100million towards the Presidential Youth Employment Initiative which will benefit 4500 learners in the digital learning space to get training in digital technologies.
The NSF has committed R200million to employment creation initiative between the Department of Higher Education and Training and the Department of Employment and Labour through the UIF. This project will benefit more than 5000 unemployed youth to acquire skills in a variety of fields. In my response to the SONA, through our SETAs, we have increased our targets for Workplace-Based Learning for the financial year commencing on 1 April 2022, with our annual target to 107 000. We have also committed to have 15 000 TVET college graduates to be placed for Workplace-Based Learning. This is 5000 more than SONA commitments.
We are also targeting 20 500 opportunities for apprentices, 22 500 for artisanal trades; 31 300 for those completing learnerships and 148 000 for learners entering into various other skills development programmes, such as digital skills, crop production and plant production.
Our artisanal learning programme includes an apprenticeship, learnership, skills programme undertaken at the workplace conclude with a trade test which is undertaken for an occupation. The number of learners entering artisanal learning programmes stands at 10 302.
About 12 613 of our learners who completed our artisanal learning programmes participated in the government Special Infrastructure Projects (SIPs) scarce skills programme in the 2020/21 financial years. They include artisanal skills in automotive mechanics, electrician, plumber, diesel mechanic, boilermaker, millwright and welder.
Government has already spent vast amounts of money to support our youth through the TVET system, and therefore it is important that we assist them to transition to workplace through appropriate placements.
To this extent, we have established partnerships with: Japan/Toyota on automotive industry training; Germans on the dual system; UK to address youth unemployment; Huawei on ICT skills academies in 22 TVET colleges; and SAMDRA on repair and maintenance of mobile devices.
These agreements include the provision of training for both TVET college students as well as to give workplace exposure to TVET college lecturers, so that they teach and train in what is currently needed by industry.
I intend to take forward building of partnerships with industry for work placement, and I will be holding a stakeholder Summit, including the NEDLAC social partners, to discuss and agree on further concrete actions to strengthen work placement of our students and learners.
The total amount currently available for investment in infrastructure projects across the 26 universities during the 2022/23 to 2023/24 MTEF period is R7.584 billion with R2.953 billion going towards student housing for the delivery of 16 858 beds across 11 universities (15 898 new beds and 960 refurbished beds). Much as this signifies further progress, but it is clearly not enough, and will therefore seek partnerships with the private sector.
We have started with feasibility studies of the two new universities of Science and Innovation and a new Crime Detection University through the Infrastructure and Efficiency Grant (IEG) to the value of R6 million. For the current MTEF, an allocation of R182.11 million has been recommended. The next precinct to be established will be in Giyani in Limpopo, where will be setting up a university campus as well. We are also expanding and planning to relocate the University of Zululand teacher training faculty to Ulundi.
We have invested about R146,9-million, through our Wholesale and Retail SETA (W&R SETA), in collaboration with the Sekhukhune TVET college to construct the Sekhukhune Skills Development Centre. The W&R SETA is also establishing a skills centre at Reitz in Bethlehem in the Free State, in collaboration with the Municipality and Local Business.
The FP&M SETA has established a Skills Centre at Endaleni in Richmond in KZN in collaboration with uMngungundlovu TVET College to offer the following occupational qualifications: garment construction, furniture making, IT with free Wifi for students, the shoe making centre of excellence and a newly established innovation hub.
The Health and Welfare SETA has a partnership with the UKZN to train lay counsellors for psychosocial services in support of those negatively impacted upon by the Covid 19 pandemic. We are also in the process of establishing 54 ICT laboratories for web design, end user computing in the designated 54 pilot community learning centres nationally, with funding support from the W&R SETA.
There is also important work we are doing upgrading of qualifications for CET lecturers, by offering an Advanced Diploma in Adult and Community Education and Training-Teaching, through the Durban University of Technology.
In partnership with the South African Local Government Association, through the DSI, we have expanded the number of municipalities participating in the Municipal Innovation Maturity Index (MIMI), which is a digitalised tool that provides critical information on the innovation capabilities and readiness of local government to adopt new technologies. As part of the first phase of the Platinum Valley initiative, a feasibility study on the Hydrogen Valley was launched in partnership with Anglo American Platinum, Bambili Energy and ENGIE in October, 2021.
The Hydrogen Valley Corridor covers three hubs with a high concentration of hydrogen demand and access to green hydrogen, one in Johannesburg Hub, one in Mogalakwena/Limpopo and one in Durban/Richards Bay.
The study identified nine catalytic projects across the mobility, industrial and buildings sectors to kick-start the hydrogen economy. These projects will cost approximately $1,2 billion to implement.
The implementation of the South African Hydrogen Valley corridor could create 14 000 to 30 000 direct and indirect jobs per year by 2030, and by 2050, potentially contribute $3,9-$8,8 billion to GDP (direct and indirect contributions). In terms of platinum contribution, the study has projected a contribution of up to $70 million to the platinum industry in South Africa by 2030. This is an abridged version of speech delivered by Dr Nzimande during the National Council of Province (NCOP) 2022 Policy Debate Vote yesterday
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