MEDIA STATEMENT
THE NATIONAL SKILLS AUTHORITY HOSTS A SUCCESSFULTWO DAY NATIONAL SKILLS CONFERENCE
24 March 2017
The National Skills Authority (NSA), together with the Department of Higher Education and Training had a successful National Skills Conference which took place at Saint George Hotel, Irene in Pretoria.
The conference, attended by the Deputy President, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and the Minister of Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande on the second day, was made up of delegates who represented amongst others government, organised business, organised labour, community, training providers, Human Resource Development Council South Africa, Quality Councils, Sector Education and Training Authorities, Universities, Provincial Skills Development Forums and Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
Introducing the Deputy President, the Minister of Higher Education and Training thanked the National Skills Authority and the delegates of their continued commitment in making sure the solutions are sought for the country’s skills development challenges.
“At its essence, the National Skills Conference is about the future of our country. It is about the skills and the capabilities that will enable our young people to build a prosperous, equitable and just society. It is mainly about ending the cycle of poverty” said the Deputy President.
The Deputy President applauded the conference for putting skills development at the centre of the country’s national agenda. He highlighted that he subscribed to the notion of the conference theme since it squarely aligns itself with the spirit of the National Development plan 2030 that we should “Build a strong relationship between the college sector and industry. He also encouraged cooperation as necessary between managers of institution and students, between educational institutions and employers, between universities and TVET Colleges.
“Gathered here today are South Africans from all corners of our land, people with different backgrounds, different responsibilities, different perspectives, but who share a common vision of a united, non-racial, non-sexist and prosperous society”, he said in closing and encouraged a patriotic South Africa where we work together to find solutions to our challenges, where dialogue, reason and consensus triumph over insults, violence and intimidation.
It was also the presentations that were given on the first day of the conference that really allowed the conference to engage on a variety of matters around skills development challenges in the country.
These presentations allowed a platform for a question and answer session and really set a tone for the discussions during the breakaway commissions which engaged in a quest to find and propose solutions in the ongoing challenges our country is experiencing regards skills development.
The following are the outcomes and proposals of the commissions during the conference:
- Improve skills planning and forecasting
- Strengthen governance of SETAs and ensure legislative alignment and separation of powers
- Develop an NSDS monitoring and evaluation framework
- Strengthen the NSA oversight role to monitor the implementation of the NSDS
- Post 2020 NSDS to focus on long term planning, ensure integration of NSDS to key national strategies e.g HRDSA, NDP
- Regulate and develop a WPBL policy (including articulation, funding for WBPL, standardisation of stipends, roles and responsibilities employers and labour etc)
- Prioritise lecturer development for TVET colleges
- Investigate the effectiveness and employability/destination of TVET programmes
- Strengthen the involvement of community colleges in the post-school education and training system
- Ensure skills transfer
- Acceleration of Recognition of Prior Learning programmes and consideration of E-learning
- The need for NSA visibility and provincial footprints (Consultation with Provinces on scarce skills)
- Strengthen the capacity of the QCTO (financial, human, etc)
- Constituencies pledged their support towards the implementation of the NSDS and post-school education system
There was also the NSA Awards ceremony which took place on 23 March 2017. The aim of the NSA Awards ceremony was to celebrate excellence by recognising best skills development practices across all skills development implementers and National Skills Funded Projects in various categories. The NSA Chairperson, Ms Lulama Nare said the NSA Awards Ceremony recognises the good work done by men and women of our beautiful country charged also with the responsibility of developing our people with requisite skills for the socio-economic upliftment and inclusive growth path.
The winners were as follows:
NSDS Goal | Category | Recipient | Name of Company |
Goal 4.2
Increasing access to occupationally‐directed programmes
|
Best Artisan Development Programme
|
Best Large company | Bronze ( Position 3) Sibanye Gold
Silver (Position 2) Anglo American Gold (Position 1) Algoa Bus Company |
Best Provincial Department | Silver (Position 2 KZN Department of Transport
Gold (Position 1) Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA) |
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Best Municipality | Bronze Ugu District Municipality
|
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Best Small (SMME) | Bronze ( Position 3) SSACI
Silver (Position 2) Aranda Textiles Mills Gold (Position 1) Novus Academy |
||
Best TVET College | Bronze ( Position 3) West Coast TVET College
Silver (Position 2) Lephalale TVET College Gold (Position 1) Umfolozi TVET College |
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Best private college | Colliery Training College | ||
Goal 4.3
Promoting the growth of a public TVET College system that is responsive to sector, local, regional and national skills needs and priorities |
Best TVET placement programme
|
Best Large company | Boxer Superstores |
Best Small (SMME) | Bronze ( Position 3) IK Training and Assessment
Silver (Position 2) Mareditel Gold (Position 1) Guest Resources Services |
||
Best TVET College | Silver (Position 2) Umfolozi TVET College
Gold (Position 1) West Coast TVET College |
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Best private college | Bronze ( Position 3) Aranda Learnership College
Silver (Position 2) Sparrow FET College Gold (Position 1)Furniture World Private College |
||
Goal 4.4
Addressing the low level of youth and adult language and numeracy skills to enable additional training |
Best AET Programme | ||
Best Large company | Bronze ( Position 3) Kumba Iron Ore
Silver (Position 2) Richards Bay Minerals Gold (Position 1) Sibanye Gold |
||
Best Small (SMME | Silver (Position 2) Guest Resource Services
Gold (Position 1) Celrose Clothing |
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Best Provincial Department | Silver (Position 2) Kwazulu-Natal Department of Human Settlements
Gold (Position 1) Kwazulu-Natal Office of the Premier |
||
Best Skills Programme | Best Large company | Bronze ( Position 3) Kumba Iron Ore
Silver (Position 2) Networx for career development Gold (Position 1) Sibanye Gold |
|
Best National department | Silver (Position 2) Department of Energy
Gold (Position 1) Correctional Services |
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Best Small company | Bronze ( Position 3) Aranda Textiles Mills
Silver (Position 2) Celrose Clothing Gold (Position 1) Trade call investments |
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Best TVET college | Umfolozi TVET College
|
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Best Private College | Silver (Position 2) Furniture World Private College
Gold (Position 1) Colliery Training College |
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Goal 4.5 Encouraging better use
of workplace-based skills development
|
Best University Placement
Programme (WIL) |
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Best Large | Bronze ( Position 3) Boxer Superstores
Silver (Position 2) AIDC Gold (Position 1) Sibanye Gold
|
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Best Small company | Bronze ( Position 3) Specsaver South Africa
Silver (Position 2) SABC Group Learning and Development Gold (Position 1) Celrose Clothing |
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Best municipality | Bronze ( Position 3)
Silver (Position 2) Gold (Position 1) Ethekwini Municipal Institute of Learning |
||
Goal 4.6 Encouraging and
supporting cooperatives, small enterprises, worker-initiated, NGO and community training initiatives |
Best Community project
|
||
Best Large company | Bronze ( Position 3) Kolomela Iron Ore
Silver (Position 2) Siyaloba Training Academy Gold (Position 1) Bidvest Protea Coin |
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Best Small Company | Marang Incorporated | ||
Best municipality | (Position 1) Ugu District Municipality | ||
Goal 4.7
Increasing public Sector capacity for improved service delivery and supporting the building of a developmental state |
Best Public Sector Internship and learnership programmes | ||
Best National Department | Bronze ( Position 3) Department of Energy
Silver (Position 2) Department of Science and Technology Gold (Position 1) Department of Correctional Services
|
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Best Provincial Department | Bronze ( Position 3) ) KZN department of Transport
Silver (Position 2 KZN Provincial Treasury Gold (Position 1) Eastern Cape Department of Roads and Public Works |
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Best Municipality | Bronze ( Position 3)
Silver (Position 2) Gold (Position 1) Pixley ka Seme District municipality |
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Best Large company | Bronze ( Position 3) Unemployment Insurance Fund
Silver (Position 2) Kolomela Iron Ore Gold (Position 1) AIDC |
||
Private College | Bronze ( Position 3) Algoa Bus Company
Silver (Position 2) Celrose Clothing Gold (Position 1) SABC Group Learning and Development |
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Goal 4.8
Building career and vocational guidance |
Best career and vocational guidance programme | Best career guidance partnership | Second Chance Foundation |
Enquiries:
Dr Thabo Mashongoane
Director: National Skills Authority Secretariat
Tel: 012 312 5666
E-mail: Mashongoane.T@dhet.gov.za
Issued by the NSA
For more information, please visit the National Skills Authority website: www.nationalskillsauthority.org.za