Commissions - ETDP Seta

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Day One: Thursday, 24 March 2011 - 14:00 to 17:00 Commissions (Continued)Commission 3 - HeathrowTheme :Promoting growth and development of the FET college system that isresponsive to the sector skills needsPanel Chair : Joe MpisiScribe : Felicity ScullyThe public FET college system is central to the government’s programme of skilling and re-skilling the youth and adults.Its transformation is key to the integration of education and training and responding to the skills needs in our country. Inrecent years, FET colleges have been striving to make the transition from their former status as technical colleges to beingresponsive and vibrant post-school institutions for vocational education. Within a relatively short space of time, publiccolleges were merged from an inequitable assortment of 152 small individual colleges to 50 mega-institutions, which aremulti-site and diverse. Since then, the college sector has seen a large investment by the state through the recapitalisationprocess which started in 2007. However, many challenges remain in expanding and improving capacity at FET colleges.Another challenge is that there is limited research available that provides a nuanced picture into the colleges’ systems andtheir strengths and weaknesses. Such research will be commissioned by the DHET. In addition, academics and researchorganisations are urged to identify their own research questions and conduct relevant research on the colleges and theskills training system in general. It is crucial that colleges offer a comprehensive suite of programmes and measures tomake learning environments more attractive, to increase attendance, to improve (post-basic) literacy and numeracy and toincrease throughput rates. Success in this will have the biggest long-term positive impact on young people’s future prospects.The strategy will purposefully support these institutions and assist in building their capacity to ensure they take centrestage in skills development. The public further education and training institutions as well as universities and universitiesof technology should have the capacity to deliver skills for the new economy. In addition, NSDS III encourages a closercoordination and synergy between the public FET colleges and the SETAs which must help strengthen these colleges andprioritise them when it comes to training provision.FET colleges have an important task in equipping their lecturers to meet industry needs. In the past, many college lecturerswere qualified in the trades and occupations they were teaching but did not have appropriate teaching qualifications. Muchhas been done to address this in recent years. Now, however, the problem is that although having education qualifications,many lecturers lack occupational qualifications, relevant occupational work experience and industry contacts. Such a situationcreates serious difficulties for FET colleges’ efforts to align programmes to industry needs.The new vocational programmes in colleges mark a significant move in vocational education towards high-level conceptualknowledge linked to practical application. These programmes have implications for college lecturers in terms of teaching,learning and assessment regimes. This makes it essential to nurture and develop professionals who can meet the challenge ofthe NCV and N-courses with the right combination of subject knowledge, pedagogy, workplace knowledge and experience.Thus, a critical component of this skills strategy will be that of also focusing on the upgrading of college lecturers to improvetheir pedagogical, vocational and technical skills and ensure that they are exposed to the latest developments and technologyboth in the colleges and in industry. DHET will work with HESA and the CHE to develop a strategy for improving academicstaff qualifications and teaching competence across all universities, universities of technology and colleges (NSDS III, 2011).6
Day One: Thursday, 24 March 2011 - 14:00 to 17:00 Commissions (Continued)3.1One of the challenges is that the limited research available provides a nuanced picture into the colleges’systems and their strengths and weaknesses. Academics and research organisations are urged to identify theirown research questions and conduct relevant research on the colleges and the skills training system in general.What measures can the ETDP SETA take to assist in strengthening the information that is available in thepublic FET sector?3.2How can the ETDP SETA enhance closer coordination and with public FET colleges which must helpstrengthen FET colleges and prioritise them when it comes to training provision?3.3FET colleges have an important task in equipping their lecturers to meet industry needs, many college lecturerswere qualified in the trades and occupations they were teaching but did not have appropriate teachingqualifications. What role can the ETDP SETA play in the development of qualified lecturers in both educationqualifications and relevant occupational work experience?3.4 What FET lecturer development programmes should the ETDP SETA prioritise?7
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Commissions - ETDP Seta

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