Check qualification claims

THE latest figures recently released by Stats SA profiling educational attainment of the South Africa population paint a positive picture about the literacy level of the country. It is good news that the number of people who attained at least a secondary education, since the dawn of democracy, has sharply increased.

The unemployment level has stubbornly increased too. The chilling effect of the status quo is that the unemployment level has a direct bearing on the poverty level in South Africa.

The South African labour market is saturated in such a way that it is even difficult to find employment for persons with the necessary qualification(s). The situation is even worse for people without at least matric.

This has led to people acquiring qualifications fraudulently. The recent worrying trend is the number of people who claim to have qualifications they do not possess.

This practice is not only limited to unemployed people. The artisan qualifications like boilermakers, electricians and plumbers are the main victims of qualification fraud.

One may acknowledge that people are desperate for jobs, but resorting to unconventional means of obtaining qualifications or claiming to have qualifications they do not have is completely unacceptable. Employers and institutions of learning should verify qualification credentials with the relevant body.

All trades and occupational qualifications must be verified with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). The QCTO has a dedicated unit which verifies all certificates that it has issued and those issued by the Department of Manpower/Labour and the Department of Higher Education and Training, and by the former homelands.