Education and training

Creating a skilled workforce is a national priority.

UCT researchers’ work on epileptic seizures includes examining a mouse hippocampal brain slice prior to a patch-clamp electrophysiological recording. Image: Dr Joseph Raimondo/UCT.

Skills training is a national priority and several institutions are Sector Insightsupporting this goal in the Western Cape, including three academic universities, one comprehensive university, one A R1-billion Biomedical university of technology and six Technical and Vocational Research Institute is under Education and Training (TVET) colleges. Unisa, the country's biggest construction. distance learning institution, has a campus in Cape Town and a service centre in George. the DHET to tackle priority

The National Skills Authority (NSA) works with Sector Education skills. False Bay TVET College is and Training Authorities (SETAs) in carrying out the National Skills a Centre of Specialisation with Development Strategy (NSDS). The Human Resource Development a focus on training riggers and Council of South Africa (HRDCSA) is an over-arching body that gives mechanical fitters. With the guidance to the many institutions working on skills development and oil and gas sector expected to training. It is managed by the National Department of Higher Education grow rapidly in the near future, and Training (DHET). The strategic goal of the DHET is to create “a capable trained artisans can expect and skilled workforce for inclusive growth”. to find employment quickly.

TVET colleges have been asked to concentrate on 13 trade areas, The College of Cape TVET is including bricklayers, millwrights, boilermakers and riggers. R16.5-billion concentrating on plumbing and has been allocated by national government to skills development and automotive motor mechanics. infrastructure over the medium term. The Western Cape has further False Bay TVET College honed the priority sectors down to five and is keeping track of the young has campuses in Fish Hoek, people who join its programmes. Muizenberg, Mitchells Plain,

The Western Cape Provincial Government’s Apprenticeship Game Khayelitsha and Westlake. The Changer aimed to introduce 32 500 qualified apprentices into the labour College of Cape Town (CCT) has market by 2019. R1-billion was allocated over a three-year time frame. seven campuses from the city

A Centres of Specialisation Programme has been introduced by centre to Guguletu and Wynberg.

A new welding academy in Thornton was opened with support from the merSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services SETA). Northlink College is in the northern suburbs of Cape Town.

Outside of the Cape metropole, Boland College looks after Stellenbosch, Worcester, Paarl and Caledon, while the Southern Cape College covers a wide area, from George to Beaufort West. The West Coast College also has a big catchment area. Boland College participates in an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) run by the South African Chefs’ Association.

Airports Company SA (ACSA), the City of Cape Town and False Bay TVET College in Westlake have combined to offer residents of Blikkiesdorp a chance to learn skills in brick-laying, housebuilding, scaffolding and health and education. ACSA is investing R5-million in the 12-month certification project and the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) will channel funds to False Bay TVET College for training.

SARETEC offers industry-specific training in a new economic sector. The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre is managed by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (Bellville campus) but it collaborates with several other institutions and private companies.

Online learning is one of the world’s fastest-growing sectors and the investment of $3-million by Construct in a new Cape Town office is evidence that the trend has come to the Western Cape. The Construct Learning Lab supports universities in Boston, Doha and Oxford as well as companies and government bodies. The company expects to increase its staff complement by 150 over three years.

Universities

Two Western Cape research institutions have made large investments in research infrastructure. A new Biomedical Research Institute is being built by Stellenbosch University at a cost of R1-billion and the University of Cape Town plans to move its Neuroscience Institute, which it runs in partnership with Groote Schuur Hospital, into a new building. An innovation laboratory, clinical and training spaces and an innovation space where researchers can interact are part of the plans for the new facility.

The 2018 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings, ranked the University of Cape Town in the top 200 universities in the world and the top-ranked institution in Africa. The rankings are based on six indicators: academic peer review, faculty/student ratio, citations per faculty, employer reputation and international student ratio .

These three institutions, plus the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, produce approximately 12 000 science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates every year and host 11 000 students from other African countries.

The University of Cape Town has more than 21 500 students, 720 permanent staff and 39 A-rated researchers (40% of South Africa’s total). Stellenbosch University is linked to Stellenbosch’s growing reputation as a technology hub. The University of the Western Cape is home to several national research bodies.

University education is available in George through the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU): Saasveld is home to the School of Natural Resource Management and the York Street Campus delivers courses in business and social science, accounting and business management.

In his first State of the Province address, Premier Alan Winde gave notice that the Western Cape intends expanding the traditional focus on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to include other important fields where jobs can be created. Pilot projects are in place to expand STEM to STEAMAC, with the additional two As signifying the Arts and Agriculture and the C representing Coding and Cloud Computing. ■

Online Resources

Apprenticeship Game Changer: www.westerncape.gov.za Centres of Specialisation: www.dhet.gov.za SA Renewable Energy Technology Centre: www.saretec.org.za TVET colleges: www.tvetcolleges.co.za

A gateway to employment, entrepreneurship and higher education.

About the college

With 688 000 students enrolled in 2017, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are an important avenue to post-school education and vocational training and are crucial to job creation, economic growth and the future prosperity of the country.

False Bay TVET College has five well-resourced campuses in the Cape Peninsula that collectively have an annual enrolment of around 11 000 students. While not the largest college, False Bay has consistently been recognised as one of the best TVET colleges in South Africa for over 15 years.

Along with its services to our youth, communities and diverse industries, False Bay TVET College has strong ties and strategic partnerships with employers, government departments, the SETAs, representative industry bodies and both local and international educational institutions. These partnerships enable us to leverage resources and opportunities that give our students not only affordable access to quality training and jobs but to life skills, work experience and cultural enrichment.

Ten reasons for our success

1. Ideal location: Five campuses located in the communities of Muizenberg, Mitchells Plain, Khayelitsha, Westlake and Fish Hoek are easily accessible, allowing students to commute from anywhere in the Peninsula. In response to demand, the College is set to double its enrolment and add two more specialised campuses: a 6.5-hectare mega-campus in Mitchells Plain that will serve as many as 10 000 students and the Swartklip campus located at the former Denel munitions testing grounds, which will offer stateof-the-art artisan-related programmes to 3 000 students a year.

2. Benefits of investment: The TVET sector has recently attracted heavy government investment, which is rapidly improving the access to and quality of TVET qualifications. These investments include the NSFAS funding fee-free education for the majority of TVET students; the SETAs spending over R500-million on bursaries and placements at TVET colleges, universities and universities of technology; the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) funding 12 new campuses and colleges; and the DHET supporting 14 universities to develop programmes for improving TVET lecturers’ qualifications.

3. Efficient administration: The College’s growth is underpinned by strong leadership and an award-winning administration system that has been recognised by the AuditorGeneral of South Africa and the DHET. The College has twice received clean audit awards and has received a clean audit for the past five years.

4. Relevant curriculum: The College offers vocational, occupational and skills training programmes with a special focus on artisan skills in the Electrical, Motor Mechanics, Welding and Fabrication, Fitting and Turning, Automotive Body Repair, Spray Painting, Masonry, Plumbing, Carpentry and Joinery trades. Courses are also offered in Business, Information and Communication Technology, Hospitality, Engineering, Tourism, Yacht and Boat Building, Safety in Society, 2D Animation and Education Studies. All College programmes are examined and certified nationally and designed in collaboration with commerce and industry.

5. Strong partnerships: Private and public employer organisations recognise that the only way to assist young people to gain work experience and increase their employability is through engaging with them and opening up workplace opportunities. False Bay TVET College understands and promotes the important role of employers in providing workplace experience, internship and employment opportunities to College students and graduates. All our partnerships are informed by this common understanding.

6. Placement track record: The College excels at supporting its graduates during their transition to the world of work. Its WorkIntegrated Learning (WIL) Department achieved a 92% placement rate in 2018, a feat few colleges could match in the current state

False Bay TVET College is the Western Cape Center of Specialsation for Mechanical Fitting and Rigging.

of the economy. The College employs five dedicated WIL officers who provide graduates with work placement support. This service helps to connect students to job opportunities and prepares them for the world of work via the work-readiness programme. The WIL programme not only benefits students, but participating companies are able to improve their company B-BBEE scorecards, access SETA benefits, release full-time staff for training and upskilling, and improve staff retention. The WIL programme was recognised by the ETDP SETA at the 2018 National Skills Conference and Development Awards with the prestigious Gold Award in the Most Outstanding Skills Development Stakeholder category.

7. Forward thinking: False Bay TVET College is increasingly investing in new technology to take advantage of the digital age. As access to information improves with every advance in internet technology, our students benefit from new teaching methodologies, opportunities for distance learning and participation in international joint programmes.

False Bay TVET College took the prestigious Gold award in the Most Outstanding Skills Development Stakeholder .

The government has initiated the Centres of Specialisation Programme through the DHET to address the demand for qualifications in the priority trades needed for the implementation of the government’s growth strategy. False Bay TVET College was selected as the Centre of Specialisation and premier training institution for riggers as well as mechanical fitters in the Western Cape. Centre for Entrepreneurship / Rapid Incubator Programme Graduates.

In keeping with the global trend, the College recognises that many graduates are more likely to start their own businesses in future than remain as employees in established businesses. To facilitate the entrepreneurial development of students and graduates, the College hosts the Centre for Entrepreneurship/ Rapid Incubator (CFE/RI), a partnership with the DHET and the Department of Small Business Development. The CFE/RI provides a supportive environment, top-class machinery and physical space to student entrepreneurs to enable product development. Learning is supported by structured individual mentoring and the facilitation of linkages to new resources.

8. Student support: The College offers comprehensive student support and development services

include career guidance, financial aid, personal counselling, academic support and job placement.

9. Inclusive education: False Bay TVET College has an Inclusive Education Office which ensures that students with disabilities are able to access our learning facilities and support services at all our campuses. For students who experience difficulty accessing the College due to work commitments or distance, the College provides alternative modes of teaching and training, including part-time classes and distance learning options.

10. Student life: Our relationships with the students begin even before they enrol. The first contact for many happens on our popular Open Days, where prospective students and parents receive all the course information and career guidance they need to make an informed choice. False Bay TVET College students are offered a rich campus life focused on healthy activity that encourages the development of beneficial co-curricular learning, including participation in inter-college sports and various clubs and societies. Students are served by an active Student Representative Council and there is regular engagement between management, the faculty and students across all courses and campuses. Our structured communication environment enables the College to identify and service students’ needs effectively, which often leads to innovations, such as the recently introduced mobile health and wellness campus clinic, the first such facility in South Africa.

How to contact False Bay TVET College Please see our website at www.falsebaycollege.co.za for contact details of our campuses, course details and assistance with the application process.

Linkages & Partnerships Tel: +27 21 787 0800 Email: Jacqueline.Layman@falsebay.org.za Centre of Entrepreneurship & Rapid Incubator Tel: +27 21 201 1215 Email: info@falsebayincubate.co.za Work-Integrated Learning Department Tel: +27 21 700 6400 Email: jobplacement@falsebay.org.za

A Welding Academy has been launched in Thornton.

The College of Cape Town for TVET has eight campuses that serve students mostly from the central metropolitan area of the City of Cape Town. All campuses, including the Central Office, are based in the Central Metropole region of Cape Town and are located within an approximately 20km radius.

The College has 13 802 enrolled students with just over 8 000 doing NATED Report 191 with the other largest enrolments being National Certificate Vocational (2 834) and Occupational Qualifications (2 301). More than 1 000 students are doing short skills programmes.

Programmes vary in duration from three months to three years. Courses are delivered as Learnerships, Internships, Short Skills Courses and Apprenticeships. The mandate The College of Cape Town is a public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College which falls under the auspices of the Department of Higher Education and Training. The College mandate is to provide inclusive quality Vocational Education and Training responsive to the labour market. The College of Cape Town endeavours to achieve the following national strategic priorities: • Growth and expansion of relevant and priority programme opportunities for the youth • Growth and expansion of artisan development opportunities • Improvement of academic quality and success, ie improving certification, throughput and retention rates of its ministerial and occupational programmes • Establishing relevant and viable partnerships and linkages with industry, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and/or other professional bodies and/or institutions of higher education • Improving support system efficiency • Sound institutional governance, management and leadership • Inculcating a culture of monitoring and evaluation of College performance • Improving information management and data reporting systems and processes.

Diverse programmes Offerings include ministerial programmes, occupational programmes and short courses. City Campus: Art and Design, Business Studies, Hospitality, and Travel and Tourism Wynberg Campus: Beauty Therapy and Haircare Thornton Campus: Building and Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Occupational Gugulethu Campus: Business Studies and Electrical Engineering Crawford Campus: Education and Training, and Information and Communication Technology

Pinelands Campus: Electrical Engineering Athlone Campus: Mechanical Engineering Centres of Specialisation: Motor Mechanics and Plumbing

Niche areas: • Early Childhood Development • Information and Communication Technologies • Electrical Engineering.

Goals The College’s key strategic goals for 2020 are to maintain ministerial programme enrolment and to grow the occupational programme and short skills programmes. The College is committed to broadening entrepreneurship awareness and capabilities. Growth areas will be in Early Childhood Development, Electrical Engineering and Information and Communication Technology. More SETA Learnerships and Skills Programmes are planned, as well as QCTO programmes and Apprencticeship programmes.

The College’s six strategic goals are: • Grow academic excellence • Expand student support • Develop leadership, governance and organisational performance • Develop an enabling environment • Drive transformation and build partnerships.

Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial courses and incubator programmes are available. These are the steps students should take to become an entrepreneur: • Know the industry or niche • Research the market • Educate yourself to become an entrepreneur • Build the business slowly.

Scarce skills The Sector Education and Training Authorities for each sector generate the Critical and Scarce Skills list nationally. In the Western Cape, note is also taken of local labour force realities in terms of demand and supply of skills. A TVET College must keep abreast of the labour market needs via partnerships and involvement with agencies and the Chambers of Commerce. Some of the top scarce skills and professions in South Africa include Software Development, Network and Information Security, Web Development, Management Skills, Financial Skills, Engineering, Education and Training Professionals and Artisans. The College of Cape Town for TVET is responding to most of them by offering relevant programmes.

The Crawford Campus has a well-established Early Childhood Development Faculty offering the best training and courses. Thornton Campus has a newly built state-of-the-art Welding Academy, equipped with the latest equipement and technology, and is positioned to offer international welding qualifications.

Partnerships The College has a special relationship with the the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Service SETA (merSETA), which recently funded the Welding Training Centre.

The College has many partnerships in place with the private sector, particularly for Workplace Based Learning or exposure. Most of these partnerships have been formualised through MoUs lodged with the Linkages and Programmes Unit (LPU) in support Occupational Programme development and delivery. A campaign has been launched to grow the partnership base in the following areas: student placements (internships and work-based exposure), apprenticeships, skills training, course design and workplace mentorship.

The College has good relations with industry associations. Several projects have been run with youth development agencies such as the Youth Empowerment Service (YES). The College works closely with various government agencies both nationally and regionally. These include the City of Cape Town, the Premier’s Office and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the Western Cape Education Department and the Department of Labour. ■

Contact Details Address: 334 Albert Road, Salt River, Cape Town 7945 Tel: +27 21 404 6700 • Fax: +27 21 404 6701 Website: www.cct.edu.za