German example for Setas, colleges

GERMANY’s success in funding higher education and maintaining one of the world’s lowest unemployment rates can be attributed in part to the country’s vocational education system.

A vocational education with on-the-job training in Germany provides a good salary. In some regions, salaries can match the incomes of occupations that require higher education.

Jens Jungblut, a postdoctoral researcher at the International Centre for Higher Education Research in Germany, said the combination of a “wellfunctioning dual vocational education and training system, with a functioning higher education system, produces less youth unemployment and less social inequality”.

This could explain the country’s low unemployment rate, which last month dropped to 6% — its lowest levels in 25 years.

Perhaps, with a little more support and economic growth, South Africa could duplicate this model.

A report in 2015 on the economic benefits of vocational education and training in South Africa by the City & Guilds Group found that those who earned a certificate or diploma qualification could expect to earn about twice as much as someone with a matric.

Apart from government input, big and small businesses have a role to play in reducing the skills shortage through Sector Education and Training Authority programmes.

According to the City & Guilds report, titled “In South Africa”, about one million students are enrolled in vocational programmes in public and private institutions. However, in 2012 — the latest data — about 65% were unable to secure work experience.

“There are a lot of young people who train through our Setas and then they find themselves not having a place to go for internships,” said Gugu Mjadu, marketing executive general manager at Business Partners.

Mjadu said small business did not believe it could afford or retain such people.

A survey by Business Partners in the last quarter of 2015 that tracked small and medium enterprises found that only 45% were confident they could hire and retain skills.

“They forget that there are people who come from technical colleges who can be absorbed in their businesses. They just need to offer them workplace skills training,” said Mjadu.

Ola! Films, a small business, takes part in the Seta 12-month internship programme. It sees these programmes as an opportunity to help students get into the film industry.

CEO Olivia Leitch said broad-based BEE played a crucial role in developing young talent. “We believe that it’s an effective tool to combat inequality.”

Leitch said small businesses could do more to help reduce unemployment by participating in Seta programmes. It gave young people a leg up by helping them to make connections in their respective industries. This would pay off for business and the economy in the long run, she said.

A government body, the South African Institute for Vocational and Continuing Education Training, was set up in 2014 to support the Seta and Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges.

Its main role is to strengthen the thread between the colleges, Setas and potential employers.

That still left a gap for the uneducated and unskilled. For this, community education and training centres have been proposed in an effort to reach those who do not have access to education.

Sound fiscal policy and investment from public, private and foreign investors could also contribute to an economy that was conducive to job creation, said Ahmed Essop, a research associate in higher education policy and planning at the University of Johannesburg.

“Having educated labour in itself doesn’t mean that there’s going to be economic growth.”

Essop said that while the country needed more people to enrol in technical colleges, the technical colleges were not of a high quality.

Colleges needed to offer programmes that were needed in the labour market in order to produce skilled and employable workers.

“What we need to do successfully is to create a post-school but pre-higher education qualification that people want to do because it leads to jobs and further career opportunities,” said Essop.

Educated labour doesn’t mean there will be economic growth