The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies says the new capacity building programme that he launched at Wits University today, is an important beginning to address the growing skills requirements in the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti).
The programme, which will be offered in honours, masters and certificate levels, builds on the dti’s commitment to building capacity in the area of industrial policy and will span over a period of four years, starting this year. It is primarily aimed at building capacity for the successful implementation of the Industrial Policy Action Plan 2 (IPAP2). It will further prepare economics and social sciences graduates for careers in policy making, research and development work.
The programme will further be supported by a series of policy dialogues and alumni workshops. International academics will be participating in its delivery and infuse it with exception international best practice.
“This programme we are launching today in partnership with Wits University is one of our most important initiatives that will build up skills for implementation of our industrial policies. Graduates of this capacity building programme will be drawn into the government’s big push to drive the economy onto a New Growth Plan. We want postgraduates who understand that economic development requires partnership of the state and the private sector.
We want a generation of economic policy researchers who are not surprised by a global financial crisis but who understand the causes of crises and how to shield the South African economy and industry from global financial and economic volatility, contagion and recession,” said Minister Davies.
Leading international scholars who are experts in development economics will participate in the delivery of the programme. These include Professor Bill Freund and Professor Ben Fine from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.
Professor Fine delivered a paper at the launch on Development Economic and Economists: Past, Present and Future. He said the capacity programme represented a beacon of opportunity for the development of critical thinking and alterative policy making. “From such a small beginning, the hope must be that others can support the attempts to broaden and to question the way we think about the economy and economic policy making,” he added.
Dignitaries at the launch included provincial MECs of Economic Development, academics, government officials and business representatives.
Enquiries:
Sidwell Moloantoa Medupe
Tel: 012 394 1650
Cell: 079 492 1774
E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za
Source: Department of Trade and Industry
