The technical and vocational sector is punted internationally as the main driver of post-school education because of its potential to drive economic development.
With this in mind, and because the government has technical and vocational education and training (TVET) as a national priority, Nelson Mandela University has introduced a new course, the university said.
The government’s goal is to have a total of 2.5-million students enrolled in TVET colleges by 2030.
According to 2016 statistics, there are more than 10,000 lecturers, teaching more than 700,000 students across the 50 public TVET colleges in the country.
Of concern, the university said, is the fact that while these lecturers are skilled in their respective fields of industry, about 50% are professionally under- or unqualified to impart this knowledge in the classroom.
In a move to address this, NMU has introduced the new course. The first enrolment intake is set for 2019 at its Missionvale campus.
The course, much like the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, is a one-year full-time course that is completed over two years on a part-time basis.
Executive dean of the faculty of education Dr Muki Moeng said the new addition to the university’s offering was a “capping qualification” for those with the required disciplinary content knowledge to become professionally qualified TVET lecturers.
“This is a first for South Africa and a very welcome boost for developing the skills sector,” she said.
“It is a one-year, full-time, two-year part-time qualification and serves the needs of a sector (TVET) that is desperate to address the high levels of lecturers who are professionally under- and unqualified.”
Development of the programme began in 2014, after the department of higher education and training gazetted the new TVET qualifications framework in 2013.
The university received accreditation for the advanced diploma from the Council for Higher Education in 2017 and SA Qualifications Authority (SAQA) registration earlier this year.
“We have received significant funding from the [department], as part of the national TLDCIP8 funding project,” Moeng said.
“It is our intention to offer the programme on a part-time basis [evening classes] on our Missionvale campus next year.
“During 2020, we are hoping to expand the programme to our George campus and to include a full-time cohort on South Campus, as staffing numbers permit.”
The qualification includes a 30% practical component – and requires significant collaborations with business, commerce, industry, sector education and training authorities (Setas) and local and provincial government.
The first cohort of students to the Adv Dip TVT mostly comprises current TVET college lecturers, many of whom have jumped at the opportunity to obtain a formal teaching qualification.
Higher education spokesperson Lunga Ngqengelele said it supported the introduction of the qualification as it was aligned to Higher Education Minister Naledi Pandor’s vision of having TVET colleges as a first choice for the youth.
“The course is in sync with the department’s intentions of providing TVET colleges with quality lecturers, who are able to produce quality graduates who easily could transition into the corporate sector, being fully qualified and capable.
“This qualification is the first of its kind and is also important in developing the minister’s ideal of having TVET colleges as a first-choice institution for the youth going on to higher education and training.”
Project co-ordinator Neville Rudman said he and his colleagues had been working closely with local TVET colleges in the development of the qualification over the years.
“This programme responds to the need to develop teaching competence in the TVET sector, which requires a specialised pedagogy, cognisant of the diversity of the student body as well as the requirements of the world of work,” he said.
“It will develop the capacity of both current and prospective technical and vocational lecturers at the three TVET colleges within our geographic footprint – [East Cape Midlands, Port Elizabeth and South Cape colleges].”