By Dennis Lamberti, Development Director of Media Works
South Africa is a diverse country with many economic opportunities,
particularly in the mining, engineering and manufacturing industries. However, a
large portion of the population are unskilled and unqualified, thanks to the
country?s political legacy.
There are many employment opportunities for skilled artisans, but South
Africa often has to import this talent as a result of poorly qualified labour force
available here. By way of example, Asian artisans had to be contracted for the
construction at the Medupi and Kusile power plants as there are not enough
skilled workers available locally.
In order to address this, the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations
(QCTO) was established under the Skills Development Act. The QCTO manages
and coordinates the qualifications in the occupational qualifications framework in
terms of their development, provision, assessment and impact.
An occupational qualification is associated with a trade, occupation or
profession resulting from work-based learning and consisting of three
components, one for knowledge, one for practical skills and one for work
experience. All occupational qualifications require a final test or what is called 'an
external, summative assessment' which, when successfully passed, signals to
the world that the person is able to fully perform the work of the occupation.
The QCTO recommends qualifications for registration on the National
Qualifications Framework (NQF) to South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA).
Key to the QCTO is the Foundational Learning Competence (FLC). The FLC is
a part qualification consisting of two learning areas: Communications and
Mathematical Literacy. These two subjects form a part qualification for many
qualifications listed with the QCTO at NQF level 4 and below. It describes the
minimum competence needed in these two key areas that is required by people
to function optimally in the world of work.
The key purpose of FLC is to remove barriers to occupational learning and
skills development. It is designed to uplift the literacy and numeracy skills of new
entrants to industry as well as existing employees. The skills developed in
Communications and Mathematical Literacy have been identified as foundational
for learners wanting to progress in their occupation/trade and skills
development.
Another great innovation is that the FLC need only be done once. It cuts
through trades and occupations at NQF levels 2 to 4. Once completed a learner
can continue to any trade or occupation, up to level 4, without having to repeat
the fundamental subjects.
FLC Communications includes the elements of reading and writing, speaking
and listening, visual literacy, language structure and use, study skills as well as
workplace terminology. The purpose is to enable learners to deal confidently and
successfully with the language of learning and teaching (LOLT) of formal
occupational training, in relation to oral skills, reading and writing. It is the
language of most external assessments such as trade tests.
Once learners have achieved their part qualification in Communications they
will be able to progress further in their chosen occupational pathway and
workplace contexts. For example, this would enable a plumbing apprentice to
write their trade test in English and fully comprehend the questions being asked.
Where Adult Education and Training (AET) is learning to read, FLC is reading to
learn.
FLC Mathematical Literacy is the minimum, generic maths literacy which
provides learners with an adequate foundation to cope with the mathematical
demands of occupational training and to engage meaningfully in real-life
situations that involve maths. It develops the ability to work with different kinds
of numbers in different ways as a critical skill. It enables learners to use
numbers to make sense of situations and to calculate and solve problems in a
variety of familiar and unfamiliar contexts.
For example, this part qualification would give a hairdressing apprentice the
basic maths skills needed to measure the correct amount of hair dye for a colour
formula as the person would understand millimetres versus grams.
There are a few considerations that need to be taken into account when
conducting FLC training.
1. Who needs this part qualification?
Learners who have passed Grade 12 since 2008 and hold the NSC with
passes in both English and Mathematics or Mathematical Literacy may be exempt
from the FLC, provided they have passed both learning areas with a reasonably
good pass mark. People with a Grade 12 certificate prior to 2008 that does not
include mathematics will be required to at least do the FLC assessment for
Mathematical Literacy.
Some learners may feel that they have achieved the FLC through work
experience. Such learners are invited to do the FLC final/summative assessment
to ensure they have the required literacy and numeracy skills of the FLC. Under
the South African Qualifications Authority Act, all candidates who seek to obtain
qualifications at levels 3 and 4 will need to have passed FLC.
It is common practice for learners to complete a readiness assessment first.
This will indicate whether the learner is ready to embark on the FLC or ready to
try the exit assessment.
2. What method would best suit your organisation?
Depending on the availability of time and equipment you may choose to go
the computer-assisted method or the traditional face-to-face method. Each
method has its merits. You may even decide to opt for a blend of the two.
Once the learner has been enrolled, sensitisation workshops are conducted
with all stakeholders and the training timetables are compiled according to the
chosen training method. Summative assessments are conducted through the
Independent Examinations Board (IEB).
The FLC material - Access - is available from Media Works in computer-
assisted and face-to-face methods and includes a comprehensive facilitator
guide and user-friendly workbooks to ensure that learners understand the
material and can demonstrate their new skills with confidence.
For more information, please visit
href="http://www.mediaworks.co.za/products-aet-flc/foundational-learning-
competence-flc/?FromSkillsPortal"
target="_new">Foundational Learning Competence
What do you think?
Should companies import workers if they can't find skilled employees in SA?
