Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition: Progress Report by the Presidency
Public Works and Infrastructure
13 September 2006
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PUBLIC WORKS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
13 September 2006
JOINT INITIATIVE FOR PRIORITY SKILLS ACQUISITION: PROGRESS REPORT BY THE
PRESIDENCY
Chairperson: Mr F Bhengu (ANC)
Documents handed out:
Joint Initiative on
Priority Skills Acquisition
SUMMARY`
The Presidency submitted a progress report on the development and
advancements of the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA).
The presentation dealt with JIPSA’s mandate and focus on urgently acquiring
engineering and artisan skills. The presentation also outlined JIPSA’s linkage
to the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa.
Due to time constraints few questions could be asked, but Members questioned
JIPSA’s role in further education and training, education curricula,
relationships with foreign companies and the recruitment of foreign, retired
engineers.
MINUTES
The Chairperson introduced Ms Raisibe Morathi (Economic Adviser to the
Deputy President) from the Presidency.
Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) Progress Report
Presentation
Ms Morathi’s presentation established the overall objective of JIPSA and the
management team by highlighting that JIPSA is led and managed by a joint task
team chaired by the Deputy President and a joint technical working group
chaired by Mr Gwede.
She said the areas of priority skills acquisition aligned with the Accelerated
Shared Growth Initiative of SA (ASGISA) were engineering, intermediate
artisanship, technological skills and management skills. In the past five
months, progress comprised a skills shortage analysis, infrastructural
requirements analyses, and forging relationships with industries, government
departments and higher and further training institutions. Skills shortages
remained a “grave concern” particularly in finding artisans with relevant
skills training.
Co-presenter, Associate Professor Haroon Bhorat, a member of the JIPSA
technical team, presented a data analysis which suggested that South Africa
suffered a mismatch in skills demand and supply.
Ms Morathi announced that JIPSA had placed a total of 850 people overseas, with
35 placed in India and Germany with Tata and Sasol. She also highlighted the
linked short and long-term interventions necessary for skills acquisition.
Discussion
The Chair ruled that only one round of questions would be allowed as
the Committee had a visit to Plettenberg Bay planned for later in the day.
Mr SE Opperman (DA) questioned JIPSA’s commitment to education and Sector
Education and Training Authorities (SETAs).
Mr LD Maduma (ANC) questioned the role of Further Education and Training (FET)
Colleges particularly because they were geographically dispersed and often
under-capacitated. He wanted to know if JIPSA would utilise these colleges to
offer skills-related programmes.
Ms TLP Nwamitwa-Shilubane (ANC) said that graduate unemployment was primarily
the result of the legacy of Bantustan education during apartheid. She suggested
that the JIPSA task teams should investigate the outcomes-based education (OBE)
curriculum to ensure that the schools curricula are aligned to the objectives
of ASGISA and JIPSA.
Mr S Huang (ANC) asked about the link between JIPSA and reconstruction and
development programmes facilitated by government particularly at local and
regional municipal levels.
Mr JPI Blanche (DA) mentioned that the Apartheid government had forged
strategic relationships with foreign countries where it trained most of its
engineers. He suggested that JIPSA should follow this example and negotiate
with international manufacturing giants to train South Africans in return for
better trade conditions.
Ms BA Radede (ANC) questioned the move by JIPSA to recruit foreign, retired
engineers. Her concern was that this would lead to capital flight as local
earnings would be repatriated to their home countries.
Ms Morathi responded that JIPSA viewed education as a “cradle to grave”
concern. JIPSA wanted to provide the Education Department with the best advice,
even concerning pre-school education. One of ASGISA’s objectives was to invest
between R2 billion and R3 billion to capacitate FET colleges. She stressed that
it was necessary for JIPSA to intervene in the education sector.
Ms Morathi agreed that lobbying international companies was imperative in
increasing the skills base of South Africa. JIPSA had been presented with the
opportunity to send South Africans to a Tokyo-based company; however due to the
high cost of living in Tokyo, JIPSA could not immediately accept the offer.
The Chairperson felt the presentation was very informative and “eye opening”,
but asked for an additional briefing in future as time constraints had meant
justice could not be done to the subject.
The meeting was adjourned.
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