Ceremony of the Further Education and Training (FET) College of Cape Town
20 May 2006
âFurther Education and Training (FET) Colleges addressing the Skills Deficit
in SAâ
Honoured guests
Colleagues and friends
Grandaunts
The graduation ceremony is one of the highlights of the academic year for
all involved in the College. It is here that we reward and celebrate
excellence, as a result of the efforts of the past years.
While we see students receiving these awards, we must not forget that it is
also the dedication and support of staff and parents that has contributed
towards this success.
Well done to the parents for supporting their children through the FET
College system and congratulations to the management and staff for meeting the
expectations of the students.
Graduation also provides an opportunity to showcase students and their
achievements to industry and to prospective employers. Recognition of their
achievement, as the first step on their journey as employees, forms the
foundation for their future.
In this regard I have been informed that the college claims a placement rate
of 80% of its graduates. This is a considerable success, and in my opinion, one
of the true measures of the contribution of the FET Colleges towards addressing
the skills deficit in our country.
Well done and keep up the good work!
It is important for students to work hard at success in their studies. It is
important that students realize that the acquisition of a qualification is not
an easy goal. It is crucial that they master the academic and technical
knowledge and skills to become excellent employees, but it is also important
that you become active and responsible citizens.
It is against these two major objectives of economic and social
transformation that our recapitalisation of the FET Colleges has been
framed.
You graduate at a time of great change in the FET sector.
Yesterday, the Deputy Minister was at the False Bay, Good Hope Campus in
Khayelitsha to launch 13 new programmes (engineering, construction) of study in
FET colleges. These programmes are both exciting and modern and designed to
develop a core set of skills.
To my mind there are four key sets of skills we need in a modern South
Africa. The first is digital-age literacy. By this I mean the skills to access
and organise material in scientific, economic and technological areas. The
second set of skills revolves around creative thinking. This is concerned with
the ability to be adaptable and to manage complexity. The third set of skills
concerns the ability to communicate effectively. It is no good to learn
vocational skills if you are unable to communicate your understanding to
consumers.
The fourth sets of skills are those that establish and sustain high levels
of productivity. By that I mean hard graft, the so-called Protestant work
ethic.
These new programmes will be offered in public FET Colleges from 2007. The
Department is currently conducting information sessions on the implementation
of the new curriculum and I understand they have already addressed the
lecturers and principals in this province.
In the near future all colleges in all provinces will be connected through
the same digital platform. By connectivity I mean the development of a state of
the art IT platform, giving access to the World Wide Web and the information
highway for staff and students.
With this digital platform, FET colleges will be able to transform
themselves into multiple sites of learning and âvirtual institutionsâ. In this
approach, learning could take place in the workplace or community or at home.
We will be able to overcome the limitations of face-to-face formal classes,
organizational sitting and infrastructure. The use of open learning and an
integrated approach to education and training will eventually allow people to
learn what they want, when they want and in the form they want.
This is an essential investment, and one that will repay the investment for
many years to come. It is a bold and ambitious move to support the FET colleges
to become the institutions of first choice for intermediate skills.
So, much excitement and enormous challenges lie ahead for the FET colleges.
The challenges ahead cannot be addressed by government alone, but by government
acting in partnership with business, trade unions and other key role players in
society. Government has its role to play in widening access and participation,
and indeed it is a role which we are playing to the full.
It is however only possible to make the necessary impact when we have the
involvement and support of all, from students to staff to management, to
commerce and industry.
So in closing ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate you on graduating and
wish you every success in the future.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Education
20 May 2006
