TVET curriculum review: Department & QCTO

Meeting report

The Chairperson introduced the meeting but asked Ms Mkhatshwa to chair as he had to see a doctor. Acting Chairperson, Ms N Mkhatshwa (ANC), noted that TVET and CET programmes were of absolute importance to the country and must be looked at as equally important as universities.

TVET curriculum review: Department of Higher Education and Training
Ms Aruna Singh, DHET Deputy Director-General: TVET and CET, provided the background to the curriculum review in the context of the 4IR, rationalisation of TVET qualifications and examinations. The review processes, of the National Accredited Technical Education Diploma (NATED) programme, the key offerings are what we call the ministerial programmes. The NATED programmes have been around for a long time and have now been considered outdated. The review process was initiated by QCTO in 2013 by reviewing eight (Report 191) subjects in the Business and Services Studies programmes which were implemented in January 2015. Most disciplines had changed, which led to updating the curriculum of those subjects.

At the 2017 TVET Imbizo the resolution was taken to review and update the 191 NATED programmes. We began with the Communication N4 and Management Communication N4. These are widely taken subjects and most students doing business studies were required to take these subjects. Following the experience of reviewing these subjects, we drew on that experience and set up curriculum support teams per programme and not per subject. The curriculum support teams were made up of industry experts to ensure current work standards were infused into the curriculum. Academics were also included in the process. All ICT related subjects have all been updated although they have not been issued. Despite complaints in the public domain, we do have experienced TVET college lecturers. We also do have workforce people who work extremely hard to strengthen the sector.

Following the establishment of the support teams, we undertook 38 subject reviews, from N1 to N6. Over this time there were many debates about what needs to be phased out and what introduced. There were always different views from the many stakeholders and teams. We decided to review right across to ensure that the curriculum was fully updated. Thirty of these subjects were submitted to QCTO for quality assurance and were approved in 2020, and will be implemented from 2021. Publishers were engaged and relevant textbooks and other support learning materials have been developed. In August 2020 the evaluation of textbooks for 14 subjects planned for January 2021 implementation was completed. Eight Engineering Studies (N1 to N3) subjects are currently going through the quality assurance process with Umalusi since they fall within the General and Further Education and Training Qualifications Sub-framework (GFETQSF).

The Department partnered with TUT and Cisco Systems to develop a new stream in the NC(V): Information Technology and Computer Science programme focusing on Robotics. Learners will have the opportunity to choose between the Programming and Robotics streams. The new subjects will include Electronic and Digital concepts for Robotics, Robotics Fundamentals and Robotics and Industrial Automation. This curriculum has been completed and is being submitted to Umalusi for appraisal. It is earmarked for implementation in 2022.

TVET Qualifications and Exams rationalisation
Ms Singh said the TVET college examination cycle required DHET to take into account every single examination centre and this is a strenuous exercise. Although some of the 50 TVET colleges are well equipped, there are significant numbers that are not and are heavily affected by lack of infrastructure. The review needs to be fair to all colleges and there are many steps involved.

A position paper is being published in a Government Notice for public comment. It includes:
- Phasing out of N1 –N3 Engineering Studies programmes
- Conversion of the National Certificate (Vocational) (NCV) into a single 3-year qualification as well as the internalisation of examinations for NC(V) L2-L3 programmes
- The review of the Engineering Studies N4 – N6 curricula and conversion from Trimester to Semester programmes (in collaboration with the QCTO)
- The internalisation of examinations for Report 191 N4 and N5 programmes.

Quality Council for Trades and Occupations
Mr Vijayen Naidoo, QCTO CEO, provided the QCTO mandate and key policy imperatives. The implementation of National Quality Assurance System (NQAS) will ensure a well-coordinated and integrated quality assurance regime across Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs); Approved Workplaces; Skills Development Providers (including TVETs and CETs); Assessment Partners (which includes DHET). The result will lead to QCTO issuing qualifying learners with certificates having occupational qualification types in line with the nomenclature of the revised Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF) Policy. This will make graduates more employable and may also lead to self-employment.

He spoke about the revised OQSF, which will pave the way for a well-articulated OQSF that will ensure parity of esteem, articulation and recognition of prior learning across sub-frameworks. He also touched on the occupational qualifications model, the National Quality Assurance System.

Whilst QCTO is not responsible for curriculum development, it has through its qualification development processes developed a curriculum statement document and assessment framework to assist and guide providers on the development of material to support the implementation of occupational qualifications and skills programmes. Whilst these documents serve as guidelines they are not a panacea as further guidance is required for implementers or providers.

Through the development of the National Occupational Curriculum Content (NOCC), DHET provides further guidance to lecturers with the implementation of Occupational Qualifications (13 priority occupational trades).

QCTO has embarked on the reconstruction of all programmes offered at TVET colleges. This project started with the reconstruction of all Business Studies Programmes into Occupational Qualifications available for uptake since their registration. However, the implementation and roll out of these Occupational Qualifications have not taken traction as these are not part of the Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) for TVETs. The norms and standards for TVET and CET colleges will hopefully open up these blockages to allow for funding of Occupational Qualifications that will further support implementation at TVET and CET colleges.

The Engineering programmes are currently being reconstructed to Occupational Qualifications but due to the COVID pandemic and funding constraints, progress is hampered. QCTO’s model of qualification development allows for the development of qualifications relevant to industry because it involves consultation with industry bodies and a broad range of constituency stakeholders including social partners.

This year, 29 NATED subjects were revised and updated by DHET and approved by QCTO. In 2018, 13 NATED programmes (N4 - N6) were reconstructed into six Occupational Qualifications and in 2013, it reviewed eight N4 – N6 subjects.
 
Discussion
Mr T Letsie (ANC) said that the point of the discussion with QCTO and DHET was due to the general belief that the courses offered at TVET colleges were not fit for purpose to absorb graduates into the workplace. From both presentations, it is clear we are all in agreement that the review of the curriculum was required and necessary. In this sector we are producing graduates for the streets. The industry needs review would hopefully lead to graduates finding a way to participate in the labour market.

Firstly, in all 50 TVET colleges perhaps DHET needs to ensure there is a legitimate reason for a course to be offered by a college. This will put DHET in a position where it can account for every course or subject offered by a college. We need to account for each and every course and outline the possible job opportunities within that field. He proposed that DHET put together this exercise.

On slide 9, DHET presented several proposals which lacked timeframes; he asked for the timeframes so the Committee can track the progress.

Mr B Nodada (DA) said he was very passionate about the reform of the TVET curriculum. Part and parcel of his oversight work involved engaging lecturers about the relevance of the curriculum in TVET colleges. Most of them indicated that the curriculum was indeed a problem in the TVET sector and they substantiated that with examples. Whatever is developed in this space must find the synergy with Basic Education and ultimately industry and business. If we do not find those synergies, we are literally parking learners for many years of study that will not enrich their lives in the end. He asked DHET and QCTO about synergies with Basic Education in developing the TVET curriculum.

Secondly, he asked about the status of the ministerial task team on the review of the curriculum and the details of work done and whether QCTO played in any role in that space.

Mr Nodada said that there is general consensus that the NATED curriculum has not been reviewed since 1994 and lacks practical work experience. He asked if the NATED programme was looked into and considered for review with the possibility of incorporating practical work. As for the NC(V) courses, what is DHET doing to ensure that business and industry recognise the NC(V) as a new programme for which they need to absorb graduates and correlate with NATED?

Yesterday, there was an engagement on the certification backlog. You find that in the TVET space there are three exit levels – Levels 2, 3 and 4. Does this impact on the certification backlog? Are there reasons Levels 2 and 3 are certificated, which are equivalent to Grade 10 and 11? Doing without Level 2 and 3 certification, would that not alleviate the high dropout rate and the certification backlog?

In localising the curriculum, QCTO conducts quality assurance and consultations, but DHET does its own thing. One finds that there are different TVET colleges that offer different courses. If you go to Limpopo agriculture is at the centre of that economy, like mining in Gauteng. When the curriculum is being developed, does DHET try to localise the curriculum based on the industry likely to absorb people in those different provinces? This will ensure that the skills developed can be utilised in the local economy. Are lecturers trained on the updated and new curricula such as robotics and if so, who conducts that training?

When it comes to people with disabilities who want to access a TVET college; are there aptitude tests for them and who develops those aptitude tests? How do you best cater for people with disabilities to ensure that they are accommodated in the TVET space?

There are oversaturated courses in many TVET colleges. If you are going to have 1 000 students studying Human Resources, where are you doing to employ them? There must be a limit to the number of students that can study these courses; otherwise, they are being set up for failure. The industry will only be able to absorb a few of those students. Curriculum development should be aligned with the skills needed in the country's industry and business. The ministerial task team needs to look into this.

Mr S Ngcobo (IFP) said that whenever there is a curriculum review, upskilling and re-skilling of lecturers who will be teaching the reviewed courses goes without saying. One wonders if lecturer training does take place to ensure unintended consequences are avoided. He strong believed that certification at every exit level plays an important role in motivating students. This motivation may be intrinsic but nonetheless certification at every level is important.

Ms N Mkhatshwa (ANC) said that the main concern is whether what is intended to be achieved will be achieved. The key issues are match and synergy referred to by Mr Nodada. The majority of citizens of this country will attend the TVET college programme; therefore, it must be fixed.

DHET response
Ms Singh replied about the public outcry that these courses are terribly outdated. One must be careful of that kind of rhetoric. Most of us who have been involved in these reviews for many years, we always do an evaluation of the transformation from the old versus the new in the curriculum content. We found that on average this change sits at around 10% because a lot of the hard-core knowledge cannot be changed, that knowledge is timeless.

TVET colleges are in a difficult space. The mandate of schools is clear – who goes to school and the qualifications they will achieve – and universities are similar in that sense. Given our constitutional provision, a lot of students need then to fit into the TVET and the CET space. For now the absorption seems to focus on TVET and the tension is between the demand for learning opportunities from young people and the absorption capacity of the labour market, which has been stagnant. Therein lies the challenge. TVET colleges have a very short turnaround time for obtaining the qualification, for graduation. These are all factors that impact the output of graduates and the question of whether South Africa has a labour market that can absorb these young people in that volume. If we take the view that we can enrol only the numbers that can be absorbed in local industry, our enrolment would have to decrease dramatically if we want that kind of synergy and alignment – what we take in must be placed in constructive work. This is the kind of tension that DHET is grappling with - do we deny young people learning opportunities if there are no real employment opportunities or do we commit to allowing all young people to get a shot at learning?

Calculations show that on an annual basis there are about 300 000 students from the matriculant cohort who would potentially fit the profile of a TVET student. We do not know at that time if those 300 000 students would all be catered for.

She was uncertain about the ministerial task team referred to by Mr Nodada and asked for more details.

On the industry buy-in for NC(V), over the 12 years of its implementation things have changed and employers are now asking for more and more NC(V) students because of the rounded training they get. This buy-in has changed for the better in the recent past.

On certification of the three NC(V) levels, at the time the qualification was developed we found that each level does not prepare the student for anything as an end point that they can market themselves on. It is the exit level that certifies the total levels completed and it makes sense to issue that certificate to a student. The colleges would be able to provide the statement of the results for the levels completed by the student. This gives the students some level of recognition that they can market themselves on.

Mr Thivhudziwi Vele, DHET Director: TVET Curriculum Development and Support, acknowledged Members' similar concerns about qualification, employability of TVET college students and the fitness of lecturers. For the proposed changes indicated in the presentation, a Government Gazette Notice will be published on 26 October to allow communities and stakeholders to make comments. The time frames for the changes, which will be implemented after analysing the submissions, will depend on the feedback received. Tentative dates have been proposed. Once published, Members will also have an opportunity to make proposals on those time frames.

On the localisation of the curriculum, previously the offering of programmes at TVET colleges was more dependent on the capability of the college in terms of its facilities and staff complement to offer a programme. High demand occupations or priority skills as a factor did not take much priority in the reasoning and decision-making of colleges. In response, DHET has streamlined the process of developing PQMs for colleges. DHET would include an evaluation part in the programme that the college wants to offer. In some instances, colleges have now been requested to provide feasibility studies on the skills need on the programme they are applying to offer. DHET is trying to curtail the challenges of having too many graduates having programme courses that are not necessary. Hence, some programmes or subjects or courses were no longer included in the PQMs unless the college has provided the feasibility study on the need for a student to have that programme.

On the training of lecturers, this happens at different levels and there are curriculum changes that will be done by the colleges themselves. For those changes one would find that the college would mostly have someone in that college who can assist in the training of the lecturers. However, in instances where a new stream or programme is being introduced, DHET provides training for the lecturers. This is not rolled out in all the colleges. In the application to offer that programme, colleges are required to submit the list of its personnel and capabilities so DHET can evaluate which would be the best fit to teach that programme. The people conducting the training are often involved in the development of the curriculum.

On certification at Levels 2 and 3, there are other considerations that need to be made on whether a certificate would need to be issued at the completion of each level. DHET considers if the completion of that level has a value linked to the industry. A student that completed NC(V) Level 2 is the equivalent of Grade 10 in Basic Education and NQF Level 2 in Occupational qualification. In the industry, does a NC(V) Level 2 achievement link to a specific job or career? DHET found that NC(V) Level 2 and 3 do not have industrial value which would require a national certificate to be issued.

DHET is not aware of a ministerial task team currently tasked with reviewing the TVET curriculum. 

There are established synergies between TVET and Basic Education, which is why there are TVET college programmes that allow entrance of students who have completed Grade 9 and who can start at a TVET college on N1. Basic Education is also going to introduce a three-stream model where its students will have more choices within the TVET sector and within its own Basic Education system.

There are ways students with disabilities are accommodated with the facilities that may be required.

Mr Vele replied about the concern that the TVET system has too many students in programmes that the labour market cannot absorb. DHET and QCTO have partnered to curb this problem so that programmes offered at TVET colleges are linked to specific industry needs. The challenge is work placement. There are very few spaces in the labour market to accommodate the students that leave the TVET sector. Before 1994, the number of students at TVET colleges was very few and it was possible to partner with industry to absorb those students. Now, the challenge is there are many students in the system.

Mr Sam Zungu, General Secretary: South African College Principals Organisation (SACPO), referred to the synergy between TVET colleges and Basic Education – the first stream speaks to a student going to university; the second stream to vocational and the third stream to occupational. These are offered within the Basic Education sector. The NC(V) Level 2 is an equivalent of Grade 10.

Mr Zungu replied about the consideration of industry and local needs in the packaging of the Programme Qualification Mix (PQM) at TVET colleges. We tended to produce “sausage machines” because the demand was never looked; the only thing that was looked at was the supply. Hence, a proper analysis that considers and responds to the demand was currently underway. DHET has also implemented centres of specialisation to ensure that colleges do not duplicate the programme offering.

QCTO response
Mr Naidoo, QCTO CEO, replied that the overriding issue was the quality assurance. QCTO has a national quality assurance system, which is a system that embraces what the previous 21 SETA and professional bodies were doing in the occupational space as well as DHET from N4 to N6. The basic elements of that quality assurance start with the occupational qualification and how we make occupational qualification and curriculum relevant. Linked to this will be the quality of provisioning which is linked to accreditation in the private sector, and in the TVET colleges we offer the same criteria. The third aspect to this is monitoring and evaluation, followed by assessment. This is the value chain of quality assurance done by QCTO. At different points within that value chain it is establishing the synergies with DHET.

There are skills programmes within the sector that do not require any entry requirements but on completion of that programme a student will be issued a certificate by QCTO. QCTO ensures that a skills programme creates a pathway that enables the student to pursue a full qualification.

The synergies with industry are one of the strongest points in which QCTO does its work. It works in partnership with the industry experts.

As for localisation of the curriculum, QCTO develops a qualification with a statement and this statement is adjusted to meet the needs of local industry. There are inflexibilities built within the occupational qualification. There are more than 400 occupational qualifications that could be taken up by anybody and we have built sufficient flexibility in that.

QCTO is forging very strong partnerships internationally and a lot of the partners have representatives in the country. This helps develop qualifications with an element of international recognition.

The Chairperson thanked DHET and QCTO and the meeting was adjourned.