Higher Education entities working together to upskill offenders
A five-year partnership signed in 2012 between the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) and National Skills Fund (NSF) is contributing towards skills development in the country.
The NSF together with a group of the Sector Education and Training Authority’s (SETAs) contributed R 66.4 million that assisted about 6416 offenders with various skills programmes. The programmes ranged from building and plastering, tiling, plumbing, painting, electricity, welding, vehicle maintenance and repairs to vegetable production, chef assistant and computer skills.
The goal of the project is to provide offenders with access to occupationally-directed skills programmes that would lead to the acquisition of skills needed in the labour market. This would create access to employment opportunities and entrepreneurship within various sectors.
The project was a huge success in the 2014/15 financial year:
- All learners were trained in accredited programmes;
- a learner database was created for further support beyond the NSF 2014/15;
- 98,3% of those trained were Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDI);
- 7.2 % were women and
- 60, 7% youth benefited.
Skills development is a critical component of the offender rehabilitation strategy within DCS. The current partnership that DCS has with the NSF of implementing skills programmes ensures that beneficiaries are able to access employment opportunities and entrepreneurship within various sectors or access further education and training development at higher institutions such as universities, universities of technology and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)Colleges .
The SETAs were made up of the Agriculture Education and Training Authority (AGRISETA), Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA), Energy Sector Education and Training Authority (ESETA), Fibre Processing and Manufacturing Sector Education and Training Authority (FP&MSETA), Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority (MERSETA), and (Media, Advertising, Information and Communication Technologies Sector Education and Training Authority (MICTSETA).
For further information, please contact:
Busiswa Nongogo
E-mail: nongogo.b@dhet.gov.za
Cell: 061 351 2695
