Technical high schools need to do more to deliver skills that are aligned with the country's ongoing skills shortage.
This is according to education minister Naledi Pandor, who yesterday addressed a meeting of technical high school principals, in Kempton Park, in Gauteng.
According to Pandor, these schools can play a strategic role in the skills development agenda of the country as a whole.
"There are huge opportunities for young people with technical skills," she said. "We must encourage the development of learning in science and technology fields."
As an example of opportunities available to skilled students, Pandor quoted a recent Manpower survey that found 40% of South African companies are struggling to find appropriate skills.
Pandor called on technical schools to be more targeted in their approach to the skills shortage.
"It is our view that technical schools, with their specialised focus on technology offerings, should improve their efforts in this regard."
The minister asked the headmasters to engage her department in finding ways to tailor school education to market needs.
She said while 80 000 Grade 11 pupils have been enrolled in technology subjects so far, it needed to be established what more can be done to assist these students in succeeding in the workplace.
"The tough challenge for technical schools is to craft themselves a new and purposeful identity in the context of recent developments in the FET [Further Education and Training] landscape," she said.
"The introduction of the new curriculum in schools and, more recently, the introduction of the National Certificate in FET colleges, raises questions about the alignment and identity of technical schools."
Pandor concluded by saying technical schools have the advantage of offering both academic and vocational experience and challenged these institutions to find ways to "emerge as centres of excellence".
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