The above subject bears significance. It is with sadness that we have to elevate this sensitive matter to your self and your committee. Please find our sincere apology upfront if we have raised this with the wrong persons.

As you most probably are aware regarding the phasing out of the historic nated (N1-N3) courses usually offered at the TVET colleges in SA. As members of the community and with a strong view that the approach was not fully consulted with and still believe that a broader consultative framework should still be done in order to protect the future of skills in the country.

We are noting with dismay the approach by the Department of Higher Education together with NAMB on agreeing to the phasing out of these courses which also influences the abolishing of the possibility for historic students to combine the Umalusi subject and the nate to get a matric. This transition has had a negative impact on the overall RPL process and ARPL. Secondly, the NCV learners who might be supported by a specific SETA but had no workplace to finalise their NCV as is the requirement are left at Limbo. The question is why the department together with NAMB would allow the private sector to recruit outside the TVET?


Historically I am one of the learners in the early 90s who benefited from being recruited by the sector right from a program designed within the college framework and I managed to finish my apprenticeship with ease because from the onset the apprenticeship program recruited me from the college and that was in 1991 at Mpondozankomo Tech Coll at Emalahleni.

Today most learners who do not go through the main academic stream such as University are encouraged to go the TVET line and the number is growing exponentially. These youths when done with NCV are left to languish at home and on the street because there is no employment opportunity because they are also incompetent due to lack of workplace experience as per the module requirement.

We hope your committee could start reflecting on this subject with the view to try and find correction on this as this matter has a direct and huge impact on the development and acquisition of skills in the country and ensuring the quality of skills. NAMB must account and historically they are well aware of this approach and its dangers.

Nated courses were built on a solid foundation to cater mostly for the child who in all respects was considered to not make it academically but could be productive in society and to date most learners coming from special schools suffer most as they are meant to perform at an equal level with the other learners from a mainstream once they come to TVET. And yet TVET was designed to cater for most of these special schools.

If you want the most details research on all Sectors industry-wide as to the type of Artisans that most companies have since the 1980's. Those qualifications will tell you a lot and see how much impact they have in driving the economy of this country. To date, the process has countered that reality. Not want to racialise the matter but it goes and leans towards that if properly can be investigated. Are we on our own and on our knees? Please please we raise a request for correction unless it is too late. Thank you in advance