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The challenges are 'disheartening' - Nzimande

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 09:47

Minister Blade Nzimande

By Jim Freeman

There is an interesting journalistic convention when it comes to reporting political speeches and addresses: in certain circumstances reporters are allowed to quote what speakers didn’t say and still be accurate in their reporting, writes Jim Freeman

If a politician prepares a speech and it is distributed among journalists – either before or after the event, in person or electronically – but deviates from it almost entirely, the speaker is deemed to have delivered the address as circulated. There is no way the politician can point a finger at reporting media, saying he or she was misquoted.

I mention this because higher education and training minister Blade Nzimande last Friday delivered a speech to Western Cape stakeholders of the Services Seta that bore very little relation – except in the most general terms – to that handed out by his departmental spokesperson.

Accepted journalistic practice allows me to quote both from what he said he was going to say and what he actually said: a good thing because there was powerful stuff in both versions.

Dr Nzimande’s address followed a three-month court battle between the Services Seta and his department over a standardised constitution that would govern the activities of all 21 sector education and training authorities for at least the next five years.

The dust settled after a sufficiently representative cross-section of Services Seta stakeholders brokered a cautious peace which resulted in all legal action against the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) being dropped and an administrator being put in temporary charge of the Seta.

There were no winners or losers in the deal, said Nzimande, adding that “courts must never be the solution for skills development.

“We have learned a few lessons in resolving this dispute, one of which is that it is critical to have regular interactions with stakeholders so that they get a better understanding of the changes that Government is instituting in the skills development sector.

“My assumption is that most stakeholders do not have full information on what is happening between the department and Setas, and what drives the changes that are being proposed in the Setas.”

In the speech prepared for presentation, Nzimande states: “The challenges that face us as a country are disheartening. The adoption of the New Growth Path and the focus on creating jobs is largely a recognition that poverty, inequality and social inequities stem from the exclusion of the majority from the labour market.

“Skills shortages continue to be one of the major constraints to economic growth and transformation of our economy and labour market. Due to skills shortages, industry – including Government – cannot implement viable economic opportunities.”

Addressing the stakeholders, he said that “before the current global economic crisis, South Africa was growing at a rate of between five and six percent a year but unemployment remained constant. This growth – and the huge investment in infrastructure for the FIFA World Cup – simply passed millions of our people by.

“One reason for this was that people, young people in particular, did not possess the skills required to participate in the economy.”

This continued to be the case, said Dr Nzimande, despite such initiatives and structures as the National Skills Development Strategy and Setas.

South Africa continued to import artisans for major infrastructure projects, he said, citing the recruitment of 2 000 Asian welders to help in the construction of the Medupi power station in Limpopo.

This was unacceptable, he stressed, saying that future infrastructure development projects “must be accompanied by skills plans”.

Setas were expected to play a significant role in training and skills development. They were established as the central mechanism for mediating the relationship between training (supply) and economic and social requirements (demand).

“Many Setas, if we are to be self-critical, have not been functioning optimally,” stated Dr Nzimande, contending later that – in general – the bodies suffered “a very bad reputation”.

“This year, the Setas are sitting with R9.1 billion. Since they started in 2000, they have had R23 billion pass through their hands.

“Generally, this money has not been spent in a manner for which we can account.”

Dr Nzimande said that at the same time South Africa was “experiencing dire shortages of artisans, technicians and other professionals, more than 90 percent of the money in the hands of Setas was spent on short courses.

“That is why we are saying in the National Skills Development Strategy (phase three of which runs from April this year till end-March 2016 – Ed( that ten percent of mandatory grants must go towards supporting occupation- and trade-related training.

“There is a further misalignment in that the Setas sit with R9.1 billion but 20 000 students who finished their studies at FET (further education and training) colleges last year are at home because they can’t get a 12- or 18-month learnership (does the minister not mean internship or workplace practical experience? – Ed).

“I’m also sitting with 5 000 university of technology students from 2010 who require six- or 12-month placements in their final years in order to complete their diplomas. They are not being supported despite the fact that the Setas are like Father Christmas ... dishing out learnerships left, right and centre.

“Why can’t we insist that the starting point for all learnerships is to ensure that every FET college graduate requiring a workplace placement must be accommodated?”

If Setas had “sufficient funds to pay stipends to unemployed learners during training programmes, why can’t they cater for the workplace experiential needs of those who have already been trained?” he asked.

Dr Nzimande revealed that the DHET recently signed “an historic agreement” with employers whereby 30 000 learners would be taken up in artisanal apprenticeships this year.

“Where are we going to get the money from? The Setas, of course!”