South African Business 2018 edition

Skills development
Job-relevant training is key to economic growth.
Twenty-two South Africans headed to
Abu Dhabi in October 2017 for the
WorldSkills International competition. The
South Africans were selected from 20 skills
areas which forms part of the WorldSkills South
Africa project and The Decade of the Artisan campaign,
both supported by the National Department
of Higher Education and Training (DHET).
Participation in the WorldSkills International
(WSI) competition showcases talented young
South Africans, but also highlights the need to
get young people enthused by the idea of becoming
artisans and technicians. The National
Development Plan (NDP) envisages South Africa
producing 30 000 artisans per year by the year
2030. The current figure is about 13 000 per year.
WSI participants from South Africa included
skilled young people in the fields of water technology,
mechatronics, IT networks, graphic design,
plumbing and heating, welding, bricklaying, cooking,
refrigeration, spray painting, hairdressing and
mobile robotics.
South Africa has one engineer to every 3 166
citizens, compared to Malaysia where the figure is
543 citizens per engineer. The Skills Development
Amendment Act is intended to improve the situation,
and not only in engineering. Several institutions
have been created to help guide policy
in skills and training, and to guide the actions of
training institutions.
Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs)
collect dues from companies in a particular industry
(Wholesale and Retail, Banking, Construction,
Chemical Industries, for example) to promote training
in that industry. A percentage of this money is
returned to the company if that company can show
that they have a workplace training plan. The rest of
the money is used by the SETA to offer skills training.
In the Eastern Cape the Manufacturing,
Engineering and Related Services Authority
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