(AsgiSA) Annual Report 2008 - South African Government Information

Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa
ANNUAL REPORT
2008
Graduate and advanced skills placement programme
In 2008, a Cabinet committee discussion identified the establishment of a national placement agency as
one mechanism to facilitate graduate placement. The Office of the Deputy President requested that the
Jipsa Secretariat develops a proposal for the establishment of a national placement agency.
There are currently numerous placement initiatives of various kinds already in existence, quite apart
from the current Jipsa initiative. It is thus important to avoid duplication, but equally important to give
critical consideration to where a national placement agency might be able to add value, and how it
might best contribute, at the level of a strategic national initiative, to the development and utilisation
of scarce human resources.
A well co-ordinated and dedicated placement agency has the potential to play a key role both in brokering
new partnerships between further and HE institutions and employers, to ensure that all qualifying
students can fulfil the experiential learning requirements of their qualifications, and help establish a
more appropriate framework for work-integrated learning over the longer term.
A strategic framework setting out national objectives and identifying partners and resources for work
placements in critical fields could build on current programmes and help ensure that, at a systems and
country level, South Africa is able to build and expand its high-level skills base, all along the skills pipeline.
A key consideration is how this initiative would relate to a national human-resource development
strategy.
With this in mind, Jipsa developed a concept paper which raised strategic questions to be considered
when establishing such an agency. The concept paper was discussed at a workshop hosted by The Presidency
and attended by key role-players. The Secretariat was tasked with setting up a reference group
that would provide strategic advice on establishing a placement agency.
4.5 City, urban and regional planning
There are a number of legislative and institutional constraints impacting on the work of planners
and their professional status. These include the separate mandates of the departments
of land affairs (DLA) and provincial and local government (DPLG); out-of-date legislation
and planning regulations; an under-resourced South African Council for Planning (SACPLAN),
which impacts negatively on the accreditation of service-providers; programmes and qualifications;
and the professional registration of planners.
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