Given the shortage of first-year positions at South Africa's public universities, many matriculants who passed with a university exemption will not be able to further their studies at these institutions. This, however, does not preclude them from exploring other ways of gaining the qualifications and work experience necessary to enter the labour market and start a career, says Ferdie Pieterse, group financial director of the JSE-listed employment services provider Kelly Group.
A report by one of South Africa's national publications shows that there are only 162 929 places for first-year students at South Africa's public universities, while 658 142 applications were received. A study of post-school youth, done by the Centre for Higher Education Transformation and the Further Education and Training Institute, reveals that, in 2007, there were close to three million people aged between 18 and 24 who were not employed, not participating in some form of education or training, and not severely disabled - a number that would have increased substantially given today's economic environment and businesses' reluctance to hire.
“In our experience as a recruiter for some of South Africa's largest companies, we know that the days when you could enter the world of work with only a matric and no working experience are long gone. Given our labour laws and the prevailing economic climate, employers are reluctant to risk hiring a totally inexperienced candidate, regardless of the potential he or she may have. In this environment, very few of these three million people will ever find gainful employment in the formal business sector in their lifetimes,” he says.
Pieterse says the recent green paper for post-school education and training, issued by the Department of Higher Education and Training for public comment, which is designed to increase the capacity of South Africa's existing public tertiary education infrastructure, is a welcome development but, with a target date of 2030, nearly two decades' of future school leavers will have to contend with the limited opportunities available to them.
The green paper proposes to increase university enrolments from nearly 900 000 at 23 universities in 2011 to nearly 1.5 million by 2030 with an additional four million enrolments at colleges or other tertiary institutions. The green paper also intends to establish at least one institution offering further education and training courses in every district of the country by the same deadline.
According to the paper, there are 50 multi-campus public FET colleges spread across the country, comprising over 230 campuses or teaching sites, and says these should be the institutions of choice for school leavers but neglects to mention privately owned colleges and the contribution these can make in alleviating the capacity shortfall.
“Most of these colleges have availability right now and the courses on offer are of a very high quality, specifically tailored towards business requirements,” says Gareth Tindall, CEO of Kelly Group. “In addition, experience has shown that a higher-priced, targeted programme of shorter duration, such as a one-year diploma, can offer better employment potential than some three-year university degrees, which no longer command a higher demand in the business community,” he says.
“As an example, our training division, Torque IT, currently offers a one-year IT Professional Diploma Programme, where the requirement is a matric, and includes five months' work exposure at one of our clients,” he says. “Given the shortage of IT skills in the market, many of these graduates are recruited full-time by the business once their work experience is concluded.”
Pieterse says it is important to evaluate the return on investment when weighing up the various private colleges out there and that a workplace experience component to the course, as well as other placement opportunities, should be considered a key criterion. “Workplace experience helps to capacitate a learner for entry into the workplace and is often a great differentiator in accessing first-time employment,” he says.
For those students unable to afford any education, financial assistance to public FET colleges can be accessed through the National Financial Student Aid Scheme (NFSAS), on (021) 763 3232, SMS 32261 or e-mail info@nfsas.org.za. Other options include completing a learnership programme or artisan apprenticeship such as mechanics, electricians and plumbers whose skills are also in high demand.
Matriculants need to contact the relevant SETAs (Sector Education and Training Authorities) for information and to access these funded programmes.
For further information on the IT Professional Diploma, contact Carlie Alberts from Torque IT on (012) 602 9000 / (011) 602 9031 or e-mail: carlie.alberts@torque-it.com. Alternatively, e-mail: mne@torque-it.com.
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