Question NW781 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

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07 April 2021 - NW781

Profile picture: Komane, Ms RN

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.

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