Search Results

This chapter contributes to a critical analysis of South Africa's current skills development strategy and the prospects for successfully upskilling the population. It traces the policy process that resulted in the establishment of a new further education and training (FET) institutional landscape, with 50 new colleges promulgated in 2001, and the practical developments within these colleges. The author explores the relationship of elements of South African skills development from the perspective of the Department of Labour (DoL) and enterprise training, to policy and practice associated with public FET, as managed by the Department of Education (DoE). Through an analysis of the emergence of these policies and practices, the key strengths and weaknesses of the current position of FET are highlighted, particularly the lack of policy coherence across FET and skills development. The author argues that this is not just between the policy processes of the DoE and the DoL but includes the policy development processes of other agencies established by the two departments. He proposes that the DoE's focus has been on institutional transformation rather than on coherence with other elements of the education and training system.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/IRD 88.273. Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 82.52 to TD/TNC 82.62. Show less

Monitoring the implementation of standard setting instruments in the field of [technical and vocational education and training] TVET is part of UNESCO's mandate and is one of the key areas of work outlined in its strategy for TVET. Among these standard-setting instruments is the 2001 Revised Recommendation concerning Technical and Vocational Education [TVE] (UNESCO, 2001). This recommendation formulates principles and norms for TVET and invites Member States to take the necessary steps to adapt their policies to these principles and norms. The Third International Congress on TVET, held in Shanghai, China in May 2012, called for profound transformations in the conceptualization, governance, funding and organization of TVET and delegates agreed on the need to revise and update the 2001 Revised Recommendation concerning TVE to enable the transformation of TVET globally. This special virtual conference, held from 1-14 April 2014, sought to consult diverse stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of TVET systems, policies and programmes. It is part of a larger consultation process to draft a new Revised Recommendation that will be taken to the 2015 UNESCO General Conference for discussion and adoption. The key questions asked were as follows: What should be the scope of a successful international standard-setting instrument in the field of TVET? What, for the purpose of this revised instrument, should be understood by the term 'TVET'? What should be the guiding principles upon which to base the Revised Recommendation? How should the text of the Revised Recommendation be organized so as to be applicable to a diversity of country contexts and to remain current in a constantly changing world?

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

This is one of a series of education papers issued by the Education Department of the Department for International Development (DFID). Each paper represents a study or piece of commissioned research on some aspect of education and training in developing countries. 'Learning to compete' was initiated in late 1995 as a cross-sectoral research project with input from DFID's Education Department and the Enterprise Development Group. The project sought to engage with the massive challenges to social and economic development faced by Africa in the 1980s and 1990s, through the collection of data in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. The final report focuses on the challenges and opportunities for these countries to respond to external pressures and for their peoples to enjoy improved livelihoods. There is a focus on 'learning-led competitiveness' and the important role played by education and training in the success of small and micro enterprises (SMEs). Show less

The aim of this publication is to develop and share knowledge regarding the challenges faced by vocational education and training (VET) systems within the southern African region and the responses to these challenges. It examines the complexities through a unique comparative study of seven countries in southern Africa: Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland. The chapters are: The multiple context of vocational education and training in southern Africa / Simon McGrath; Botswana: united in purpose, diverse in practice / Salim Akoojee; Lesotho: the uphill journey to development / Thomas Magau; Mauritius: 'the Singapore of Africa'?: skills for a global island / Anthony Gewer; Mozambique: towards rehabilitation and transformation / Nimrod Mbele; Namibia: repositioning vocational education and training / Mahlubi Mabizela; South Africa: skills development as a tool for social and economic development / Salim Akoojee, Anthony Gewer and Simon McGrath; The Kingdom of Swaziland: escaping the colonial legacy / Jennifer Roberts; Key issues and challenges for transformation / Simon McGrath.

Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 85.254 to TD/TNC 85.262. Show less

This case study report is a product of the Labour Market Intelligence Partnership (LMIP), a largescale, long-term research and development project that aims to support the Department of Higher Education and Training's (DHET) mandate to establish a credible institutional mechanism for skills planning. Specifically, it reflects research conducted to address the theme of 'Reconfiguring the postschooling sector'. The aim is to investigate the ways in which alignment between different types of public and private education and training systems and labour markets can be improved. It investigates how organisational capabilities, structures and curriculum mechanisms facilitate or constrain interaction with labour market organisations, in a differentiated post-school sector.

There are two sub-projects in this theme of work. Project 1 is designed to focus on the capabilities of education and training organisations to interact with labour market stakeholders, and is led by Glenda Kruss of the [Human Sciences Research Council] HSRC. Project 2 focuses on curriculum responsiveness and is led by Volker Wedekind of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The boundaries for the empirical investigation are drawn by four sectoral systems of innovation (SSI): (1) forestry growers (focused in KwaZulu-Natal); (2) sugarcane growers and millers (focused in KwaZulu-Natal); (3) automotive components manufacturers (focused in Port Elizabeth); and (4) Square Kilometre Array (SKA) (national). The research attempts to identify appropriate change mechanisms, and hence, provide systemic knowledge to direct funding and interventions where DHET can have leverage in future, and education and training organisations can maintain their core roles in new ways.

This case study analysis forms part of Project 1, which investigates the distinct knowledge and technology base, the main actors, institutions and networks of each SSI, and the ways in which education and training organisations display dynamic interactive capabilities. It should be read in conjunction with a set of inter-related LMIP reports: (1) Report 4: Responding to shifting demand for skills: how do we get firms and post-school education and training organisations to work together by Glenda Kruss, Il-haam Petersen, Simon McGrath and Michael Gastrow (2014); (2) Report 6: Understanding interactive capabilities for skills development in sectoral systems of innovation: a case study of astronomy and the Square Kilometre Array telescope by Michael Gastrow (2015); and (3) Report 8: Understanding interactive capabilities for skills development in sectoral systems of innovation: a case study of the sugarcane growing and milling sector in KwaZulu-Natal by Il-haam Petersen (2015).

Abstract from publisher's website. Show less

Since 1996, there has been a significant growth of interest in knowledge-based aid within development cooperation agencies. This publication examines how knowledge, both the internal and external dimensions, has become a central element of aid and development discourse. It provides a detailed analysis of what knowledge-based aid means for both discourse and practice in four leading development cooperation agencies: the World Bank, the British Department for International Development, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. As knowledge is understood in a number of different, often conflicting, ways, the authors examine how it has been used in practice in development cooperation. Examples are: internal knowledge management and staff development; inter-agency knowledge sharing; infrastructural and institutional development; knowledge transfer; e-learning; technical cooperation and capacity development; and codifying and sharing indigenous knowledge. The authors suggest that at the discursive level, there is a shift away from technical and economistic conceptions of development towards a notion that development is what countries and communities define it as, including cultural and spiritual dimensions. However, some strong tendencies that could result in knowledge-based aid being a worse model than its predecessor are evident. These include the tendency for agency-generated knowledge to be more highly valued than that from external sources, the fact that quantitative, scientific and economic knowledge is given more weight than other kinds of knowledge, and the poor capacity of agency knowledge systems to deal with context, complexity and conflicting interpretations, preferring instead to rely on routine and universal responses. Finally, it is argued that the effect of knowledge-based aid on its supposed beneficiaries is far from apparent. The chapters are: Researching knowledge-based aid; The new aid agenda; Knowledge for development; The World Bank or the knowledge bank?; From information management to knowledge sharing: DFID's [Department for International Development's] unfinished revolution; Knowledge, learning and capacity in the Swedish approach to development cooperation; Experience, experts and knowledge in Japanese aid policy and practice; Conclusions and implications for knowledge, aid and development. Show less

This publication is one of a series of Education Papers issued from time to time by the Education Division of the Department for International Development. Each paper represents a study or commissioned research on some aspect of education and training in developing countries. In the 1990s there has been increased interest in the informal sector, which is linked to a complex set of factors. Awareness of these factors has led governments to take much more interest in the informal sector than over the previous two decades. A new awareness by Southern governments of the size and diversity of the workers and owners in the informal sector can be seen in conjunction with increasing emphasis on market forces and entrepreneurship emanating from the North, and mediated from the development assistance community.

The first volume of this publication examines local, national and international interventions and initiatives aimed at promoting education and training in the informal sector. This report discusses the ways in which education and training currently, and in the future can prepare individuals for sustainable informal sector activities. Chapter one provides an overview of the rationale and structure of the report. Chapters two four examine the three different sites for interventions aimed at the informal sector (formal and nonformal education, post school and out-of-school vocational training institutions, and the workplace or the enterprise itself). Chapter five discusses the problems faced by girls and women in entering forms of really productive self-employment, as opposed to situations in which the aims are barely an improvement upon subsistence or survival work in the informal sector. In Chapter six, the authors examine some of the other elements that are often associated with informal sector development. The authors illustrate ways of thinking about interventions in the informal sector that may take account of several quite distinct pathways.

The second volume consists of a series of four case studies on Chile, Ghana, India and Kenya outlining the structure of education in each country. There is also a comprehensive bibliography in this volume, which highlights the vast amount of resources available on the informal sector. This volume consists of the following chapters: Chapter one: Rationale and structure of report; Chapter two: Education and the informal sector; Chapter three: Post-school and out-of-school training; Chapter four: Enterprise based training; Chapter five: Women and training for the informal sector; Chapter six: What are the needs of the informal sector.

Individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 62.214 to TD/TNC 62.221. Show less

Enterprise based training has many advantages over preparation either in schools or vocational and technical institutes (VTIs). The authors emphasise that it is clear from the literature that an element of theory training is a further vital ingredient in skill development, and that there is more than one model of best practice. While there have been recent reforms in on-the-job training in many countries, such reforms have taken a variety of paths. This chapter also discusses the more general trend towards the questioning of the role of the state and a stress on the efficiency of market forces. The concern in this chapter is primarily with the informal sector. The authors argue that changes in training practices within the formal sector have had an indirect impact on the models of training which have been generated within the informal sector. When looking at the informal sector, the authors examine existing models of training which have been generated within the informal sector. They also consider attempts, with varying degrees of success, both to intervene in and to mimic such models. Finally, some interventions which attempt to develop appropriate modern models are explored. The authors discuss enterprise based training and the role of the informal sector in several developing countries including Ghana and Uganda.

This publication is indexed at TD/TNC 62.213. Show less

This concluding chapter highlights the significant levels of parallel development in the vocational education and training (VET) systems in the following seven countries in southern Africa over the last 10 years: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland. It focuses on three types of issues for southern African VET: what the overall vision for VET should be and why; VET in a broader policy environment; and the 10 major VET policy debates. The 10 major policy debates relate to: system coherence; National Qualifications Frameworks; national training authorities; finance; curricular reform; equity and access; a focus on the informal economy; the quasi-privatisation of public providers; the role of private providers; and the status of VET. The chapter concludes that the role VET plays in southern African responses to major socio-economic challenges will be most pronounced if it is articulated within a broader educational and economic vision.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is indexed at TD/IRD 88.272; individual chapters are indexed from TD/TNC 85.254 to TD/TNC 85.262. Show less

This chapter seeks to consider the extent to which education and training need to be complemented by other interventions if they are to be effective components in preparation for self-employment. These issues are tackled by a two-fold approach. Firstly, the authors consider some of the ways in which other inputs have been used to address the needs of the informal sector. Secondly, the authors attempt to make sense of the often conflicting views that emerge from a reading of the case studies and policy papers that make up the relevant literature, consisting of a series of financial and non-financial interventions and initiatives. The authors examine some of the dimensions of support to the informal micro-enterprise sector that are not principally concerned with education and training, and are not usually offered through regular educational and vocational training institutes. They also consider a range of relevant forms of intervention and pathways to self-employment that emerge from case studies and from the theoretical and policy literature. Six models are presented and discussed.

This publication is indexed at TD/TNC 62.213. Show less