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SSACI:
A Public-Private
Partnership in Skills
Development
in
South Africa
Some characteristics of SA education
• High levels of enrolment:
o 93% of all children enrol for Gr 1; 68% of all children reach Gr 9
(first official exit-point)
o Equal enrolment of boys and girls in all grades
• High level of public spending:
o 20% of total state expenditure (OECD average = 13%)
o 7% of GDP (OECD average = 5.8%)
o 70% of all pupils (Gr 0-12) pay no fees
• Low through-put and quality
o After Gr 9, pass-rates fall steeply
o 2012 World Competitiveness Index rated SA 84th out of 142
countries on HE and training, and 132nd on primary education
The national skills training system
General education (up to Gr 9)
Apprenticeships
&
LearnershipsTVET Colleges,
(Up to NQF Level 4)
Academic High Schools
(up to Gr 12)
Universities of
Technology
(formerly technikons)
Universities
A cluttered institutional landscape
21 x Sector Education & Training Authorities
(SETAs)
DHET
VCET SkillsHigher
Education
SACPO
50 x public TVET
Colleges
CET Colleges
17 x Universities
6 x UTs
SAQA NSA
Umalusi
CHE
QCTO
NAMB
NSF
NBFET HRDCSA
SAAoC
SAIVCET?
6 x Ministerial
Task Teams
9 x Task Teams
System throughput Of 1’240’000 learners who
started Grade 1 in public
schools in 1999:
• 40% (496’000) wrote ‘matric’
(Gr12) exams in 2011
• 28% (348’000) passed
• 10% (121’000) qualified for
higher education
Of students who start the 3-
year national vocational
certificate in public FET
colleges:
• 4% passed in 2009
• 8% passed in 2010
• 12% passed in 2011
• 25% passed in 2012
The average throughput
rate in higher education is
50%
The average throughput
rate in apprenticeships and
occupational training
courses is 50%
Systemic challenges
Confused objectives
Incoherent policies
Dismantled
systemsWeak
administration
What’s government doing?
• National Skills Development Strategy, 2011-2016:
o Overhaul of processes within VET system
o Strong emphasis on TVET colleges & SETAs
• National Skills Accord (July 2011):
o Agreement by govmt & private sector on joint action
towards specific targets for apprenticeships & other
workplace-based training
• Green Paper on Post-School Education &
Training (January 2012)
o Systemic overhaul of DHET structures & functions
Youth unemployment problem
Lack of marketable skillsToo few job
opportuntities
being created
Large numbers entering job market
Education & the labour market
Of vacant jobs in the country in 2011:
• 48% required a HE qualification
• 20% required a vocational qualification
• 15% required a Grade 12 certificate
There is therefore a strong correlation
between education and employment:
• completing secondary school almost doubles
the likelihood of finding a job
• completing tertiary qualification more than
trebles it
Unemployment Rates Compared
[Figures represent averages for 2011 & 2012
from EuroStat & ILOStat websites]
The SSACI Partnership
Founded in 2001 by
SDC & Swiss
corporates in SA
Tackles
unemployment
by improving
skills training
system
Works
through
partnerships
between
public &
private sector
Funded by
corporate
donors, SDC
& SA govmt
Focus on
intermediate-level
technical skills
Initiates &
manages
projects that
“prime the
pump”
SSACI as a "system enabler":
Inform policy
development
Current interventions Student work
experience (including integrated
assessment)
Lecturer workplace exposure
Internships for college graduates
s
TVET College System
Accelerated Apprenticeships
Dual-System apprenticeships
Engineering Trade Skills for Employment
Apprenticeship System
SwissCham“College(s) of Excellence”
Who we work with:
Specialised Agencies
SETAs
GovmtDepts
Institutions
Public programmes
“The system”SSACI
Co- implementors
Service-providers
Funders
WIL is central to SSACI projects
Integration of formal
learning into workplace
activities…
incorporating:
• Incremental, productive
tasks
• Within normal company
processes
• Under “real-life”
conditions
• To profitable ends
Current Project: workplace experience for
college students & lecturers
New national
policy
written by
SSACI
SSACI
programme
mandatory
for all public
colleges
Current Project: Internships for college graduates
New national
programme
developed by
SSACI adopted
by MerSETA
Current Project: New models of artisan apprenticeships
New ‘fast-
track’
programme
for SMEs
Pilot of Swiss
‘Dual system’
Key Features of SSACI projects
• Clustered around main elements of national public skills
training system: colleges & apprenticeship system
• Close alignment with national priorities as listed by
National Skills Development Strategy 2011-2015 and
National Skills Accord
• Co-implemented & co-funded by government
• SSACI ‘primes the pump’: all projects aim to improve
public skills system and must be financially sustainable
beyond the period of SSACI funding
National Skills Accord refers to 6 types:
1. Apprenticeships
2. Learnerships
3. Skills programmes
4. Internships*
5. Workplace experience for university and FET
college students*
6. Workplace exposure for FET college lecturers*
[*Non-standardised types]
How companies can promote WIL
What’s in it for employers?
Potential source of future trainees, apprentices
& employees
SETA grants
Tax breaks
Points on BBBEE scorecard
PR value
Expresses good corporate citizenship for “triple
bottom line” sustainability reporting
What are the problems with CIPs?
Traditional college-industry relationships
declined with apprenticeships, so:
Few college staff have industry experience
Company managers know little about colleges or
their curricula
Curricula insufficiently aligned with industry
Complex college administrations (multi-
campuses & departments)
Cultural differences between colleges &
industry (e.g. calendar, work-day, management)
No central DHET support for partnerships
Learners crave practical experience & rise
to opportunities
WBE very demanding of time, organisation
& resources
WBE needs to be structured & integrated
into core curriculum (timetabling, tasks,
assessment)
Need to make business case to companies
College staff need to be more informed
about demands of industry, flexible in
delivery & attuned to business culture
Lessons for Colleges
Address core business and core curriculum
Have clearly-defined objectives
Start small but grow annually
Be long-term (>3yrs)
Be developed at management and workshop
level
Involve exchanges of information, personnel &
capacity (not just transfer of money or equipment)
Be documented, for institutional memory &
learning
Partnerships with colleges should:
Colleges need help (manual/training?) to
initiate & manage partnerships with industry,
esp. regarding objectives, roles,
responsibilities & expectations
Legal liability needs to be resolved urgently
College staff require much more exposure
to current industry practice
College staff need to be encouraged to
undertake development of NCV
FETCs & NCV need to be marketed to
industry (& some college staff)
Lessons for DHET
NCV can deliver much-needed skills
Will do so if teachers & learners get WBE
Partnerships with colleges should:
be long-term (>3yrs)
involve INSET & exchange of information (not just
transfer of equipment)
be built at workshop and management level
Partnerships work best when aimed at
common good rather than individual interest
Lessons for Companies
