Young South Africans need more than a qualification to secure employment, with practical experience and job-ready skills playing an important role in their transition from training to work. Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim has urged Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to measure the success of skills development programmes by whether learners find jobs, start businesses or pursue further studies.
Cassim said skills training must be aligned with industry needs to ensure that qualifications equip young people with relevant skills and improve their chances of finding employment.
“Public funding must produce measurable results. Consistent data, effective follow-up and a willingness to act on the evidence are essential to achieving this,” he said.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) Accounting Authority Stakeholder Engagement Session in Cape Town on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
He warned that South Africa could not afford to treat skills development as a secondary priority, particularly given the country's high unemployment rate.
According to Statistics South Africa's second-quarter 2026 figures, the official unemployment rate stood at 33.6%, while unemployment among young people aged 15 to 34 reached 47.4%.
“Skills development cannot solve unemployment on its own. However, when training is disconnected from economic demand, we risk wasting both public resources, including those generated through the skills development levy, and human potential,” the Deputy Minister said.
SETAs Must Align Training With Industry Needs
CATHSSETA is responsible for skills development across the hospitality, tourism, conservation, gaming and lotteries, arts, culture and heritage sectors.
Cassim said each of these industries has specific workforce requirements that should inform the design and delivery of training programmes.
CATHSSETA's Sector Skills Plan identifies several recruitment challenges, including a lack of work experience and suitably qualified candidates. Skills gaps have also been identified in leadership, people management, conflict management and customer service.
To address these challenges, Cassim called for stronger partnerships between training providers, employers and public institutions to ensure that the skills learners acquire reflect actual workplace requirements.
He also emphasised the importance of workplace-based learning opportunities in helping young people transition from education and training into employment.
“Work-integrated learning, internships, apprenticeships and structured workplace exposure must be meaningful components of the learning journey, not simply administrative requirements to be completed.
“CATHSSETA should strengthen its partnerships with industry to expand quality workplace placements and create more opportunities for learners to gain practical experience. This must include finding workable ways for small businesses to participate.”
CATHSSETA Urged to Track Learners After Training
Cassim has called on CATHSSETA to improve its monitoring of learners after they complete their programmes to establish whether they find employment, start businesses or continue with further studies.
The authority's track-and-trace study, which surveyed 319 learners and 30 employers, found that 58.5% of surveyed respondents had secured full-time employment. Other respondents reported finding fixed-term or casual work.
However, Cassim cautioned against interpreting these findings as representative of all CATHSSETA programmes or the national employment rate.
“They should not be interpreted as a national employment rate or assumed to represent every CATHSSETA programme. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the value of tracking outcomes and listening to employers.
“I would like to see CATHSSETA strengthen its reporting on these outcomes and provide a clear annual account of what happens to the learners it supports. This should help us understand where programmes are succeeding, where barriers remain and where improvements are needed,” Cassim said.
Tracking graduates after training can help SETAs determine whether their programmes are leading to meaningful employment and identify areas where training or workplace preparation needs improvement.
SETAs Must Demonstrate Accountability for Public Funding
The Deputy Minister said CATHSSETA's Accounting Authority and management must ensure that its strategy translates into effective delivery and that the organisation demonstrates the value of its work.
He stressed that performance targets for learner enrolments, learnerships, skills programmes, internships and workplace learning should be assessed against the quality of training provided and the outcomes achieved.
“Accountability should do more than establish whether targets have been met. It should help identify what works, where delivery falls short and what needs to change.”
This approach would help ensure that public funding for skills development delivers measurable benefits for learners, employers and the broader economy.
Skills Development Must Respond to Changing Employment Needs
Cassim acknowledged that skills development alone cannot resolve South Africa's structural economic challenges and that government cannot guarantee employment for every graduate.
However, he said the skills development system can improve its response to labour market demand, expand meaningful workplace placements, track graduate outcomes more consistently and prepare learners for emerging skills requirements.
His call places greater emphasis on connecting education and training with employment, ensuring that learners gain relevant practical experience and helping address skills shortages across South African industries.
