Question NW822 to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

Reply:

(a) (i) and (b)

The amount reflected in the MICT SETA 2022-23 Annual Report, as audited, for Travel and Accommodation Expenditure for the Accounting Authority (AA) Members, including the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), is R 2.1 million. The MICT SETA notes the amount of R 534 400 reflected in the Parliamentary Question. The year under review included the World Skills International Competition 2022 Special Edition. The MICT SETA also participated in the Study Tour to Silicon Valley that was attended by the Chairperson of the AA and the CEO.

The remainder of the Travel and Accommodation expenditure relates to the normal oversight responsibility provided by the AA in line with their oversight role and responsibilities as enshrined in the PFMA and the Constitution of MICT SETA.

• The World Skills International Competition 2022 Special Edition

The World Skills Competition is a Global movement, hosted by fifteen member countries, regions, and their national partners. These members and partners host skills competitions in 26 cities across the world, they share their expertise and resources to ensure that the World Skills community enhances global training standards and benchmarks their systems. The MICT SETA was invited by DHET to participate as an observer in the World Skills Competition and was requested to nominate four delegates who will represent the SETA. The nominated delegates consisted of two members from the Accounting Authority (AA) (Chairperson of AA and Chairperson of Information Communications Technology Committee (ICTCOMM)) and two members from management (Senior manager 4IR and representative from the office of the CEO). This competition reflects the commitment of the MICT SETA to promote Technical and Vocational Education, diversify the economy, and empower and enthuse young people to seek new skills opportunities through vocational education and training. The Skills relating to the MICT SETA industries that were showcased in the competition are as follows:

• Mobile Applications Development
• IT Software Solutions for Business
• Web technologies
• IT Network Systems Administration
• Plastic Die Engineering
• 3D Digital Game Art
• Cloud Computing
• Cyber Security
• Study Tour to Silicon Valley

The Study Tour to Silicon Valley was a high-level study, for discussion with leading multinational companies such as Google, Amazon, and Stanford University, among others. These included Government entities to gain insights into policies and planning governing the innovation ecosystem in the USA to inform innovation policy development and implementation in South Africa. This effort seeks to promote strategic partnerships with the respective entities in key disruptive technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, which will benefit the development of South African capacities. The tour took place from the 20^th to the 30^{th of} April 2022. The MICT SETA participated due to the critical role it plays in supporting the implementation of the Decadal Plan for Science, Technology, Innovation, Entrepreneurship and massification of Digital Skills in South Africa.

• Other Travel and Accommodation expenditures.

The remainder of the travel and accommodation expenditure relates to the normal oversight responsibility as prescribed by the legislation. These were incurred for the attendance of the normal AA meetings and AA subcommittee meetings. In the year under review, MICT SETA had six AA subcommittee meetings, namely the Finance and Remuneration Committee (FINREMCO), Executive Committee (EXCO), Information, Communications and Technology Committee (ICT), Governance and Strategies Committee, Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) and Social and Ethics Committee (SAECO). These committees meet every quarter and, or on isolated cases where compelling/mandatory submissions falling outside of the approved corporate calendar are required to be complied with. These committees process management submissions and recommend to the AA for approval, the AA meets every quarter.

The EXCO of the MICT SETA Accounting Authority (AA) meets monthly to monitor the implementation of the resolutions of the AA in line with the approved constitution of the MICT SETA. The MICT SETAs’ Head Office is in Gauteng and holds these Accounting Authority and committee meetings at the Head Office most of the time unless there is a stakeholder engagement session in other provinces around the period where the AA is supposed to be meeting, to save costs such as meeting fees and travel costs, the MICT SETA sometimes holds the AA meetings in the same province/area where the AA is holding stakeholder engagement session.

The MICT SETA has three AA members who do not reside in Gauteng, where the AA meetings are often held, two of the three reside in Limpopo, and the Chairperson of the AA resides in the Eastern Cape. The area where the Chairperson stays is not closer to the airport, he is required to drive a long distance to Durban King Shaka International Airport, where he catches his flight to Gauteng most of the time when there are AA meetings. In line with its policies, MICT SETA is required to arrange travel and accommodation for all three AA members to ensure that they exercise their oversight responsibility.

Included in the travel and accommodation for AA members, are costs incurred for the attendance of AA Strategic Sessions, which are often held outside of the office premises, due to the nature of these meetings.

Other oversight responsibilities of the AA include.

• Approval of the Annual Performance Plan (APP) and Strategic Plan (APP);
• Approval of policies of MICT SETA;
• Approval of Budget;
• Approval of Annual Financial Statement, Performance information, and Annual Report.
• Approval of Engagement letter and Audit Strategy;
• Approval of Audit Report from Auditor General and other auditors;
• Approval of Quarterly Reports; and
• Approval of the Annual Procurement Plan.

For every AA meeting, the SETA is required by its policies and PFMA to pay for the travel and accommodation expenses of all AA members.

The detailed Transaction Report of all the Travel and Accommodation Expenditures incurred by the MICT SETA in the 2022-23 financial year is attached as Annexure A.

 

c) (i) and (ii)

The MICT SETA has contributed largely to the skills development initiative within its sector. During the period under review, a total of 14 064 learners were enrolled in various learning programmes such as Learnership, Internship, TVET placement, University Placement, Short Programmes, and Skills Programmes. A total number of 14,064 households were exposed to some form of income because of these programmes. Of the 14 064 learners enrolled 8 366 were females and 5 698 were males, a total of 1 371 were learners living with disabilities. Furthermore, for completions, 8 276 learners completed the learning programmes, of which 5503 were female learners,3223 were Males and 602 were learners living with disabilities. Over 2,500 learners who completed the learning programmes were absorbed by employers within the MICT SETA subsectors.

A total of 179 Learners were supported with skills development programmes to establish enterprises and 249 learners were supported through skills development programmes to establish co-operatives. These results were championed through the oversight responsibilities provided by the AA of MICT SETA and its committees.

The MICT SETA established research chairs across public universities within South Africa, which resulted in the launch of Tshwane University of Technology Research Chairs and University of Limpopo Research Chairs in the year under review, later in the same year, the SETA adopted a Triple Helix Model that fosters collaboration between the Industry, Academia, and Government/MICT SETA. As a result, this has led to a tailor-made Integrated Leaner Management System with the potential of being adopted by all the SETAs, this Integrated Leaner management has the potential to address the issues of double dipping that were identified by the AGSA as being a constant challenge across the PSET system. The above solution is at the 90% completion stage and was tested by the stakeholders and found to be sound and user-friendly. This is part of ensuring that beyond accelerating Digital Skills to as many young South Africans in Urban, Townships and Rural Areas, the agenda of Innovation is inclusive hence the youth in the Universities of Technologies have actively participated in the development of this cutting-edge customised digital solution.

The MICT SETA has also been instrumental in the formation of a strategic partnership that goes beyond the post-school system to strategic industry partners to drive innovation in the form of Hackathons and improved opportunities for employment and mentorship. In the same year, MICT SETA developed more than 32 4IR qualifications not limited to Cyber Security, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, 3D printing, Coding, Block Chain etc.

Furthermore, MICT SETA obtained a clean audit outcome, with a clean governance report (talking to a well-functioning governance structure) with 95% achievement of Annual Performance Plan targets, the highest it has ever achieved in the history of its establishment. All these achievements were because of the oversight role and continuous guidance provided by the MICT SETA AA and its committees. See Annexure A regarding the value derived by the MICT SETA.