National Skills Authority advises the Minister on the new National Skills Development Strategy and the Seta landscape beyond 2018 and the Skills Conference and Awards 2016
The National Skills Authority (NSA) in partnership with Provincial Skills Development Forums (PSDFs),
hosted public hearings in all Provinces following the Minister of Higher Education and Training Government Gazette announcement of 10 November 2015 on the call for public comments on the
“Proposal for the New National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) Landscape within the context of an Integrated and Differentiated Post School Education and Training System (NSLP 2015)”.
The newly appointed NSA Chairperson Ms Lulama Nare, led the NSA in presenting a report during an NSA meeting with the Minister at Johannesburg. The report highlighted consolidated inputs gathered through the public hearings. This included the nine provincial consultations, the written submissions and the NSA roundtable on the review of the NSDS and the SETA Landscape beyond 2018.
The Minister was also apprised of other crucial work of the NSA but of special reference was the urgent need to strengthen the capacity of the NSA and the entire skill development cadres to ensure the is effectiveness and efficiency of the system. The Minister emphasised that for our country to realise the so much needed economic growth, skills system should fully integrate within the Post School Education Sector for maximum inclusive growth path.
It is envisaged that the Skills Conference and Awards 2016 with the theme: “Skills Development System for an Integrated and Differentiated Post School Education and Training Sector” – Past, Present and Future, is planned for the 27-28 October 2016 will provide a multi-stakeholder platform for reviewing the gains of the NSDS III and chart a new skills development trajectory for the future. The Awards Evening will seek to recognise good work done by various role players in facilitating education and training and promoting excellence.
The Minister responded by welcoming the advice on the NSLP-2015 and congratulated the new NSA Chairperson Ms Lulama Nare into her new portfolio and thanked Mr Thulani Tshefuta for acting in the portfolio while processes for the new Chairperson were being concluded. In his remarks the Minister impressed that the NSA should play a strategic role in advising the Minister as per the Skills Development Act and start to engage with its new mandate of becoming an expert body on monitoring and evaluation.
He stressed that job creation is one of the key priorities for government and that it was imperative that skills development should be aligned to key economic growth sectors. The Minister reiterated the critical importance of ensuring the creation of capacity within the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector to interpret skills development economic trends. The Minister made a call to the NSA to advice on key economic growth sectors in which skills development should focus on, in order to improve economic growth, worker education and sustainable livelihoods.
The issues of articulation within the PSET system and the up skilling the current workforce and provision of resourcing and funding for worker education should be seriously considered.
In conclusion, the Minister highlighted that monitoring of the implementation of the NSDS and the impact of skills development should be prioritised. The mechanisms put in place for supporting skills development institutions and monitoring and evaluation of skills development implementation and the levies should be strengthened.