With higher education application season in full swing for 2026, technical and vocational
training is a better option than ever, according to expert panellists on an X Space
discussion hosted by Kagiso Trust.
The new approach to vocational training is introducing reforms which panellists
described as “game-changers” that will improve the prospects of graduates and meet
the needs of the economy. Changes include:
● A review of courses offered by Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(TVET) colleges to make them more relevant to the world of work.
● Increased emphasis on practical skills.
● New occupational qualifications.
● Easier access to workplace training.
● A more pragmatic approach to maths requirements.
● More online courses.
Sizakele Mphatsoe, head of education at Kagiso Trust – a leading development agency
– urged grade 12 students to research courses at the 50 TVET colleges around the
country.
“We see TVET as a game-changer because it immediately offers practical, cost-
effective and empowering pathways which will lead to stable employment as well as
financial independence,” she said during the X Space on 6 March.
TVET programmes give students job-ready skills in much less time than university
degrees, Mphatsoe told the hundreds of people who attended the event, titled “Skilled
and sorted: How vocational training can help you secure the bag”.
She added: “[Vocational training] also ignites the passion of entrepreneurship. Instead
of [students] looking forward to employment, they can immediately become employers.”
Artisan shortage
The Sasol Foundation’s Dr Cynthia Malinga, who leads the energy and chemicals
company’s Technical Schools of Excellence Network, said the emphasis on university
education means South Africa has too many engineers and too few artisans. This is
why the foundation focuses on developing technical vocational skills in schools and
TVET colleges.
“We believe that by doing that, we are in a position to develop the economy and provide
the much-needed skills that every economy needs.”
Malinga praised the Department of Basic Education for extending occupational subjects
to grades 8 and 9 and said she was encouraged by one of the outcomes of a foundation
training programme that focused on install, repair and maintenance skills for workshop
and laboratory teacher assistants.
She said there were more women than men in the programme. And particularly in
electrical and welding, “girls outperform the boys because they are meticulous and very
attentive to detail”, she said. “It’s important for girls to start noticing that women are very
successful artisans as well.”
Two key steps
After studying entrepreneurship at a TVET college, panellist Rodney Mokoena launched
the Global Application Office, which supports students as they apply for university and
TVET places. He said there are two key steps for matrics:
● Consider your strengths. “Not everyone can become a doctor or a teacher.”
● Do your research. “Most of the time, students have unclear information about
course requirements.”
Mokoena said someone with skills is well placed to find employment. “Vocational skills
can lead to better jobs, prospects, and higher earnings. Our encouragement is that
[students] must take advantage of their skills,” he said.
Department of Higher Education deputy director-general Sam Zungu described
Mokoena as one of the growing number of “TVETpreneurs” emerging from vocational
training, a sphere of education that’s experiencing a rebirth after years of debate and
policymaking. “One of the challenges was that our programmes are not responsive, they
are not relevant. Industry was complaining,” he said.
As a result, N1 to N3 programmes (equivalent to grades 9, 10 and 11) will be replaced
next year by occupational qualifications managed by the Quality Council for Trades and
Occupations (QCTO). N4 to N6 programmes will be replaced later. The aim is to
“ensure that we afford young people the most relevant education” so they can find jobs
or start a business, said Zungu.
The shift is supported by investment in new TVET colleges, more online programmes
and modules, investment in training of lecturers, and a “centres of specialisation” model
that offers industry-led training and promotes entrepreneurism.
“The model is linked to what the Germans are doing in creating a sustainable economy
that is not relying on the big corporates only but also promotes small, medium and micro
enterprises,” said Zungu. “The majority of young people still consider university
education as the education, and we are trying as much as we can to change that.”
Putting practical skills first
Vijayen Naidoo, CEO of the QCTO, said a big feature of the new qualifications is a
greater emphasis on practical skills alongside theoretical and workplace modules. And
TVET colleges, not students, will be responsible for providing workplace experience.
Instead of having to write four theoretical exams at each level, students will have an
“external integrated summative assessment” that will simultaneously test theoretical and
practical skills. “To be a plumber, you will have to physically demonstrate everything
that is required … and you must be able to give the theory behind [it],” said Naidoo.
He said TVET colleges will no longer “produce learners for unemployment” by offering
irrelevant courses. “If we can develop enough qualifications that industry demands, we
can guarantee a higher uptake of learners into industry,” he said.
Importantly, only the “appropriate level” of maths and science to practise a trade would
be required, not necessarily a matric pass. “We want to get people through from
learning to earning as soon as possible.”
Mandisa Tselane, Kagiso Trust’s head of marketing and communications, said the
discussion had made clear that “securing the bag” – or earning money – did not mean
conforming to a stereotype. “Please don’t follow the crowd,” she told students who
joined the X Space. “Follow what it is that you think works for you, what builds your
future.”
