Question NW1014 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
17 April 2023 - NW1014
Chirwa, Ms NN to ask the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation
With reference to the ministerial task team that was commissioned to look at the reconfiguration of the National Skills Fund business operating model so that it becomes an effective, efficient and economically efficient skills development entity, (a) what is the update on the work the ministerial committee has done to date, (b) what impact and/or influence has been noted and (c) how has the entity been improved in becoming an economically efficient skills development agency?
Reply:
The Ministerial Task Team (MTT) on the reconfiguration of the NSF completed its work in July 2023 and presented its report with recommendations to the Minister.
The recommendations in the report for the purpose of implementation are both medium and long term in nature.
Those of a long-term nature require the amendment of certain parts of the legislation (the Skills Development Act 1998).
The Director General of DHET appointed an NSF MTT Report Implementation Task Team which has started its work through the drafting of an Implementation Plan.
The Implementation Plan is driven by five (5) workstreams who in turn have compiled disaggregated activity plans around these five (5) workstreams through target setting activities. The workstreams are:
- Governance workstream. (Primarily addresses issues of the NSF governance and legal structure).
- Strategy and Innovation workstream. (Primarily address the NSF skills development strategy in line with other government's skills development priorities and plans).
- Business model, operating model, and vale chain workstream. (Primarily addresses the flow of the NSF full value chain of skills development funding which combines the core and the support function of the NSF.
- Human Resource workstream. (Primarily addresses the recruitment, development, and support of appropriately qualified personnel).
- Change management workstream. (Addresses the theory of change aimed at instilling a new ethical culture and value system in the NSF).
The medium-term targets are meant to be achieved by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
The long-term targets (legislative in nature) are meant to be achieved beyond the 2023/24 financial year.