No certificate so no job – six years later

A New Brighton resident who has been waiting six years for a certificate showing she completed a human resources management course at the Port Elizabeth TVET College has been unable to find a job in her field.

But Port Elizabeth TVET College principal Khaya Matiso placed the blame on incompetent officials and an outdated system used by the Department of Higher Education and Training and Umalusi.

Former student Lerato Mabogola, 32, has been waiting at least six years to receive her NQF N4 and N5 certification in human resources management.

And Mabogola only found out this month – following monthly visits in the past six years – that the reason for the delay is that the result for one of her N5 modules is still pending.

She wrote a test for the module in 2011.

Today, the mother of three says she has been struggling to find work as potential employers require her certificate as proof of her qualifications. She is still unemployed. “I have gone for regular interviews and sometimes the job was as good as mine, but when I’m unable to produce my certificate the process is stopped.

“I don’t understand how the results are still pending if my fees are fully paid,” Mabogola said.

“It has been a frustrating journey since 2011. I have been back to the school monthly but with no success.

“But somehow this month they [PE College] managed to find that my results for the personnel management module were still pending.”

However, upon hearing about Mabogola’s dilemma yesterday, Matiso said the issue was common among students.
“It is the result of a poor IT system being used nationally as well as untrained officials handling results.

“It’s very common that we will get frustrated parents and students coming in with similar cases almost on a daily basis. However, there is a common misconception that these processes are done by the college.

“The supplying of results and subsequent distribution of certificates are done by the department and Umalusi respectively,” Matiso said.

“It is a huge problem not only at PE College but throughout the sector and I have written to the minister expressing my concern.

“It is unacceptable, so much so that we have taken it upon ourselves to resolve the cases we are aware of.”

Matiso said while universities were able to withhold results on account of unpaid fees, TVET colleges did not have the right.

He said his deputy principal, Jessie Sarrahwitz-Figg, had regularly made trips to the department’s head office to resolve cases of outstanding results and certification.

She said Mabogola’s case would receive attention at a national level.

“Since the start of 2017, I have been to head office at least 10 times. The college is using its own budget to send me in order to resolve these types of cases. And I will fly up on May 3 to resolve this as well,” she said.

Department of Higher Education and Training spokesman Stanley Mkhize and Umalusi spokesman Lucky Ditaunyane failed to respond to questions yesterday.