Question NW781 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
07 April 2021 - NW781
Komane, Ms RN to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
In view of the statement by the President of the Republic, Mr M C Ramaphosa, in his State of the Nation Address on 11 February 2021, that there will be renewed emphasis on building state capacity by building a pool of engineers, project managers and other critical skills in order to ensure a seamless implementation of projects, what targeted interventions will he make to (a) recruit a sufficient number of young persons for enrollment in the specified courses and (b) fund their studies?
Reply:
a) Since the introduction of the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation System in
2010 and the subsequent Medium-Term Strategic Framework, the Department has been engaging with universities through enrolment planning on their targets for scarce skills areas. In the new enrolment planning cycle, the targets for first time entering students into the scarce skills areas of engineering, life and physical science, human health, animal health and veterinary sciences, and teacher education are indicated in the table below:
|
Scarce Skills Areas |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Engineering |
16 152 |
16 647 |
17 085 |
17 639 |
18 100 |
18 317 |
|
Life and Physical Science |
16 948 |
17 161 |
17 584 |
17 391 |
17 459 |
17 614 |
|
Human Health |
9 796 |
10 155 |
10 418 |
10 838 |
11 155 |
11 516 |
|
Animal and Veterinary Science |
1 116 |
1 154 |
1 194 |
1 209 |
1 229 |
1 257 |
|
Initial Teacher Education |
22 752 |
22 746 |
22 788 |
22 855 |
22 951 |
23 380 |
The targets for all undergraduate enrolments for the scarce skills are in the table below:
|
Scarce Skills Areas |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Engineering |
77 062 |
77 003 |
77 158 |
78 916 |
80 796 |
83 019 |
|
Life and Physical Science |
58 267 |
59 240 |
60 613 |
61 218 |
62 092 |
62 890 |
|
Human Health |
47 411 |
47 488 |
47 597 |
49 120 |
50 406 |
51 926 |
|
Animal and Veterinary Science |
5 001 |
5 208 |
5 343 |
5 469 |
5 592 |
5 729 |
|
Initial Teacher Education |
136 272 |
139 733 |
142 893 |
144 791 |
147 471 |
150 117 |
770 Apprentices are being trained at 26 Centres of Specialisation at different Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in 13 priority trades with 130
participating employers. A further 1 000 young people are expected to start in 2021 as apprentices. TVET colleges are being supported to be Trade Test Centres for occupational trades.
In response to the President’s State of the Nation Address, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) have set targets to respond to the National Skills Development Plan and contribute to the post-school education and training system. Amongst others, four SETAs that are involved with artisanal and engineering interventions have set targets for the Medium-Term Strategic Framework.
|
Interventions |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Artisans |
9 170 |
7 768 |
9 683 |
9 234 |
9 919 |
|
Engineering Learnerships |
10 588 |
7 551 |
9 840 |
10 560 |
8 055 |
|
Recognition of Prior Learning |
3 259 |
2 561 |
2 855 |
2 978 |
1 543 |
|
Work Integrated Learning |
1 849 |
1 654 |
2 243 |
2 166 |
2 188 |
|
Bursary |
4 112 |
1 474 |
1 876 |
1 880 |
1 886 |
|
Candidacy |
703 |
386 |
812 |
885 |
896 |
b) All NSFAS qualifying students in approved undergraduate qualifications are provided with financial support for their studies, as long as they continue to meet the financial and academic eligibility criteria.
SETAs have made commitments to fund employers that partner with TVET colleges to take more apprentices as part of the skills strategy to support the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. Funding of eligible learners will be done through discretionary grants given to employers and institutions of higher learning. SETAs will fund programmes or projects aimed at developing high-level skills such as managers, associate professionals and artisans amongst others.