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The Ministers of Economic Development and Education, and the Department of Labour, are collaboratively initiating a process to develop a provincial Human Resources Development Strategy (HRDS), as a key mechanism to meet the goals of iKapa Elihlumayo - our Province's envisaged Growth and Development Strategy.

A core component of sustainable economic and social development is suitably prepared human resources. As such, an HRDS must also aim towards building a modern society and economy, one that provides for a good quality of life for the majority of people. And it must aim to provide up-to-date and accurate information for planners and policy makers.

A coherent HRDS is intended to turn around some rather worrisome figures, for example,

* only 18% of the population over 20 years of age have a Senior Certificate
* only 10% of the population over 20 years of age have a Higher Education qualification,
* over 21% have no primary education or have not completed it.
* only 45 - 52% of learners who enrol in Grade 1 reach Grade 12.
* only 75% of 15 - 17-year olds are enrolled at schools or FET colleges, and
* only 20 000 of these are enrolled at FET colleges as an alternative to school.

There are substantive changes taking place in the economy in that the primary and secondary sectors are shedding jobs, and although the tertiary sector is growing, it can only absorb skilled labour. And this within the context of 26% of the economically active population being unemployed. There is a great need for a more responsive education and training system so that we do not sit with the additional problem of unemployability of graduates from the various components of the education and training system.

The new skills, education and training policy environment require all
organisations to prioritise learning in all its forms. Priorities here are to re-train and up-skill adult learners and employees, to build equity at all levels of the workplace, to develop technical and management skills as part of the transformation agenda, and to ensure that entrepreneurship underpins all skills development interventions.

As a first step aimed at meeting these human resource development challenges facing the province, the Government of the Western Cape is putting its money where its mouth is by setting aside R32,5 million, to be used during this financial year.

It has been earmarked for Grade 6 reading and numeracy testing (R0,5 million), Grade 8 skills assessment (R2,5 million), career guidance programme, teacher training, development of Further Education Training (FET) programmes (R14,5 million) and a loan scheme to FET college students (R12 million). Another R45 million is set aside as stimulation money for some of the economic sectors, for example, for strategic infrastructure.

This immediate intervention shows a commitment to meet the pressing need for coherence across all aspects of the education and training system. If we wish to achieve equity and higher growth levels in the Western Cape, we must ensure that the people of the people of the Province have the right kind of skills.

An education and training system must also be responsive to work and employment opportunities as well as to the aspirations of each individual learner. Such is the agenda of the provincial HRDS. The HRDS must guide how to re-align and free up government resources. It should be developed collaboratively throughout government departments and the private sector as a living programme of development.

Today we announce a Task Team to oversee the development of a framework for the HRDS, that lays the foundation for the strategy itself. It consists of individuals drawn from across the private and public sectors, people who bring their rich experiences and insights to this challenging task:

* Dr Franklin Sonn, AHI
* Naledi Pandor, National Council of Provinces
* Siyanda Zondeki, Department of Labour
* Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU
* Zozo Siyengo, Western Cape Education Department
* Conrad Sidego, Media 24
* Steff Coetzee, University of Stellenbosch Business School
* Willie Esterhuize, University of Stellenbosch
* Christo Wiese, Pepkor
* Anisha Archary, SAA

The HRDS framework is to be developed over the next three months as the basis for the strategy itself to be developed over the next year. The Task Team should be consultative in its work and present the HRDS framework as part of the Growth and Development Summit planned for the 11 November. Towards the end of November we can then begin to adjust the budget and so begin to implement the strategy.

The HRDS Task Team is in a position to intervene and to make proposals on, for example, how throughput in education can be improved, how to align skills to the needs of the economy, and how to improve the level of equity in schools.

We are planning to announce the HRDS at the Learning Cape Festival 2004.

For more information contact Thabo Mabaso @ 083-414-8144 or Rudi Buys @ 082-577-6551.

Issued by: Ebrahim Rasool, Minister of Finance and Economic Development and Andre Gaum, Minister of Education, Western Cape Provincial Government

11 September 2003