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Solutions to skills shortage
Before
1994, many South Africans had few skills they could sell on the job
market. This was because the apartheid system neglected the education
of the majority of South Africans. The National Skills Development
Strategy adopted in 2001 changed this. More than 6 million people have
completed skills training in different programmes run by the
Department of Labour.
Improve skills
The
training has been done through government organisations like Sector
Education Training Authorities (Setas) and the National Skills Fund.
The
programmes are part of the National Skills Development Strategy. They
are part of the government’s plan to improve skills in the country and
to make sure that people who have no skills get training so that they
can make a living.
Some of
strategy’s aims are to:
help create an environment that would grow the economy; support job creation for unskilled people; and
promote the growth of small businesses.
To
create opportunities for training, the government formed 23 SETAs.
The Setas give workers, ordinary unemployed people and young people
opportunities to become part of skills training programmes.
6-million trained
By
March 2004, 109,647 unemployed people under the age of 35 had received
training on learnerships coordinated by the different Setas. Three
quarters (75%) of people who had completed this training were
employed on a full or part time basis.
By now,
more than 6 million workers have received training through different
Setas.
The
Department of Labour provincial offices have spent R1 billion every
year to support skills training projects for unemployed people.
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These projects have helped:
as
many as 47,189 learners with Adult Basic Education Training;
give 44,201 people additional skills training;
train 29,200 small businesspeople and give tips on how to do
business;
9,332 learners receive learnership qualifications.
The
Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana said creating quality training
places for people with no skills is a challenge. He said more work
needed to be done to ensure that everyone gets an opportunity for
training.
Reduce poverty
Mdladlana said the skills training projects would help promote the
government’s plan to reduce the levels of poverty.
Skills
development is part of other big government programmes to fight
poverty and create jobs such as the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
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