Deputy Speaker, the crisis in artisan skills is not simply a matter of numbers. It reflects a deeper malaise in the culture of government itself. Weak accountability, poor work ethic, and a tolerance for institutionalised complacency are now entrenched; exacerbated by what has been described as chaotic governance in the GNU.
This culture seeps through every level of the department of higher education and training. Plans are drafted, but implementation often falls short. Lecturers protest, but they are unsupported. Curricula remain outdated, and oversight fails to demand excellence.
This inertia is the greatest obstacle to building not only the artisan base our economy needs, but also the social and moral fabric of the nation. TVET colleges are producing only 20,000 artisans annually, yet 30,000 are required. Additionally, many of those who have graduated do not have the requisite skills needed by the business sector, as we’ve heard in a recent oversight visit to the East London IDZ Science and Technology Park.
The Deputy Minister has conceded that TVET colleges must be repositioned as hubs of occupational excellence. However, the gap remains.
The ACDP has repeatedly stated that without a change in culture, no amount of policy tinkering will deliver results. Biblical wisdom urges that whatever we do, we should work at it with all of our hearts as working for the Lord and not for human masters.
The African Union’s Continental TVET Strategy stresses employability and social justice, and international best practice shows us that artisans in Germany and Switzerland succeeded because they have embedded accountability and pride in workmanship into their dual training systems. Apprenticeships are treated as vital pathways to national prosperity.
The ACDP calls for urgent reforms: Firstly, binding performance contracts for TVET leadership with measurable targets. Secondly, industry-linked apprenticeships that hold colleges accountable for graduate employability. And thirdly, a national campaign to restore respect for artisanship as a career of dignity and value.
As kingdom builders, the ACDP cautions that unless we confront the culture of weak accountability head-on, South Africa will continue with a high rate of unemployed youth and the economy lacking the artisanal skills required.
Thank you, Deputy Speaker.
