Minister for Higher Education and Training, Dr Blade Nzimande will hit the road on a national road-show for further engagement with key stakeholders on the national skills development plan at the Springfield campus of eThekwini Further Education and Training (FET) College in Durban on Friday. Over the next three months, he will visit all provinces for similar meetings.
Following on from the ground-breaking National Skills Accord which was signed by the Minister with representatives of organised Business, Labour and community-based structures at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on July 13, the road-show is aimed at discussing key aspects of the national programme for skills development and the widening of access to post-school education for the youth.
In addition, the objective is to ensure that the parties continue to work collaboratively to achieve the eight commitments that they had identified in the National Skills Accord. The commitments the parties signed up to are:
- to expand the level of training using existing facilities more fully
- to make internship and placement opportunities available within work-places
- to set guidelines of ratios of trainees to artisans and across technical vocations
- to improve the funding of training and the use of funds available and incentives to companies to train
- to have annual targets for training in state-owned enterprises
- to improve Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) governance, financial management and stakeholder involvement
- to align training to the New Growth Path and improve Sector Skills Plans
- to improve the role and performance of FET Colleges.
To achieve the nation’s goals for skills development, it is important that all stakeholders cooperate to achieve them. For this reasons, over 200 delegates have been invited to attend the meeting. They are representatives of FET colleges, universities, SETAs organised business and the labour movement as well as provincial and local government.
The Minister will share his vision with the stakeholders and suggest ways in which they can build partnerships among themselves to promote skills development.
The Media is welcome to attend both the event and a Media Briefing that will be led by Minister Nzimande.
Details of the Road-show:
Venue: eThekwini FET College, D ‘Aintree Avenue, Asherville, Durban
Date: Friday, 18 November 2011
Time: 9h30 -13h15
Media Conference: 13h30 for 13h45 - 14h15
RSVP:
Lwando Mahlasela
Cell: 071 589 8632
