Skills programmes must deliver jobs, not just certificates: Gondwe

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mimmy Gondwe speaking at a government event.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Mimmy Gondwe, says skills development programmes must lead to candidates getting jobs and not just certificates.

Speaking at a Services SETA workshop in Pretoria, Gondwe says the era of measuring success by enrolments and graduations is over, as government pushes for an outcomes-based approach to tackle the country’s high youth unemployment rate.

She emphasises that SETAs must now be held accountable for ensuring that young people are not only trained, but placed in meaningful employment.

“As a sector as a whole, we have to take an interest where our young people end up and I’ve encouraged them also to do trace and impact studies to see whether the programmes they are offering are impactful, whether they are able to place young people in employment and those young people are able to put food on the table. We have to give our young people hope as a sector, as a higher education and training sector hope that you know what, with these skills I can find employment. And we need Setas to really come along when it comes to doing that.”