During a recent UNESCO meeting the critical need for quality technical and vocational education was brought to light. Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande discusses the purpose of skills development in the broader economic context.

Higher education institutions, inclusive of FET colleges,can at best accommodate around 100 000 new entrants per annum. With so many matriculants battling to secure a place in tertiary institutions investments into the South African higher education sector is of critical importance.

New research shows that gains made in small business creation during the 2010 World Cup have been maintained, but South Africa is still performing below its potential when it comes to entrepreneurship.

Technical and vocational education and training is becoming more central to the country’s development agenda as decent work in South Africa is only possible and sustainable if the country develops a skilled workforce according to Minister Blade Nzimande.

The lack of finances and steep tuition fees are contributing to low graduation rates, yet government aims to accelerate the number of learners in tertiary institutes. Eduloan is one solution to this ongoing financial crisis.

Inspirational female leaders in Cape Town will be honored at the annual Regional Business Achiever Awards. Showcasing female business role models is imperative to the upliftment and continued growth of businesswomen in South Africa.

The holidays should be a time to sit back, relax, and enjoy life, but for many small business owners, holidays seem to represent nothing more than lost sales and extra stress. Here are five ways to remain productive during the holidays.

The 12-month learnership programme developed by Bytes People Solutions offers learners the opportunity to obtain a National Certificate in system support and gives students practical work experience.

President Zuma has signed into law two amendment Bills that the Higher Education and Training Deparment hope will allow them to have more control over FET Colleges and Setas. The FET Colleges will now be controlled nationally and Seta staff will have to disclose any conflicts of interest they have with private providers.

Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande discusses the plight of humanities and social sciences programmes in South African universities as technology and engineering skills begin to dominate government priorities.

The recent firing of new Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson after it was found that he did not in fact receive the computer science degree he claimed to have on his CV, has reiterated the need for blue-chip companies to ensure that the qualifications of their potential top-tier employees are thoroughly verified.

The role of professionals in advisory positions in the South African public and private sectors was addressed when at the Leaders Angle event hosted by the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Milpark Business School students will have an opportunity to apply for one of 250 employment positions in the Retail, Banking and Insurance industries after completing the two month compliance programme.

The recent developments in our Institutions of Higher Learning, with the recent marches by progressive student formations across the country, are a depiction of challenges of ‘education exclusivity’ at its best.

A code of conduct is defined as a set of conventional principles and expectations that are considered binding on any person who is a member of a particular group. This definition is what would apply to company policies and procedures as related to conduct, discipline, Grievance policies, ethics policies and so on.

Dr Ludi Beukman asks how important people should be as a consideration in your leadership decisions. “Listening to the critics of contemporary transformational and value-driven leadership theories, one often notices a concern that too much emphasis is put on the person being led and that the job or task at hand has become less important,” says Beukman.

Organisations devote an enormous amount of energy talking about the importance of innovation. But here’s the truth: most companies can’t innovate because everyone’s job is to maintain the status quo.

eTechnology, social media and the internet are making academic knowledge more accessible. Mashumi Tutu posted a link to the LinkedIn Skills Portal site which reports on the internationally recognised American Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)'s eTechnology project launched at the end of 2011.

The two sets of draft labour bills have undergone an intense negotiation process at Nedlac and are currently in Parliament for Cabinet consideration. The Labour Relations Amendment Bill and the Basic Conditions of Employment Amendment Bill is expected to be finalised in a month's time.

In an effort to address the scarce skills of events management on Higher Education and Training (HET) level the Open Learning Group is offering further development for practitioners and students who are seeking a career path extending to a tertiary qualification level.

The major shift of skills development to the newly established Department of Higher Education and Training has impacted the way private providers of education and training do business. Ms Rooksana Rajab, CEO of the Resonance Group of companies comments on this shift.