JEREMY MAGGS: South Africa’s youth unemployment crisis demands, many say, a radical shift in how we view education and skills training. Despite a 46% rise in enrolment at so-called TVET [Technical Vocational Education and Training] colleges, many still perceive these institutions as inferior to universities. I’m wondering if this mindset could be worsening as the country’s skill shortage in key trades and technical fields intensifies, or whether the mindset is in fact improving.
I want to talk to Sphiwe Masuku, who is head of brand and marketing at the agency, Fundi, who’s done some work in this respect and is going to make, I think, the case for rethinking vocational education. Sphiwe, a very warm welcome. So why, first of all, do you think TVET colleges are still viewed by many as a second-tier education option?
SPHIWE MASUKU: Society stigmas, basically. So when we are growing up, we are taught that if you want to be successful in your career or in your education, university is where you go first. Now of recently when we are doing the research and actually wanting to understand the skill gaps in South Africa and the people who we are hiring or who are occupying certain jobs, we realise that it’s mostly university students with theoretical work.
But also understanding the shift that we are now in an era where unemployment is so high and your TVET colleges are skilling you with practical [experience], they’re exposing you with real work experience, and with that you don’t need to go and find employment, you can actually be an entrepreneur and hire people and be your own boss. So this is what triggered the insights and the investigation, wanting to understand the student behaviour and why they deem TVET colleges to be inferior to universities.
JEREMY MAGGS: One argument, of course, is that TVET colleges themselves are to blame. There is a sense maybe that the quality of the education that they are providing isn’t always good, or at least is a little bit, perhaps not static, but perhaps a little bit bumpy at times.
SPHIWE MASUKU: Yes. So I think we can argue this one. So similar to when you have something that you’re doing with passion, you always find ways to ensure that you succeed.
So as an individual, you go to a point of taking what has been exposed to you in these training facilities, and you actually have to amplify on it and grow it bigger.
If you, for an example, are an electrician, you can’t wait for every session to happen the way it should be, but you need to expose yourself and have some interest to see what the real-life experience is in your household with little things, before people do big things and houses explode. But you have to want to do something and to extend it. Not everything should be blamed on what we receive. I think the other thing is what you do as a person also goes a long way.
JEREMY MAGGS: So we are seeing a growing enrolment in TVET colleges. Do you think that might slowly be a reflection of changing attitudes?
SPHIWE MASUKU: So two things. Students are going to your traditional universities first and they are deeming, or they are jotting down the TVET colleges as their second option. I’d say this is very positive growth that we are seeing because the economy is actually struggling.
There is a shortage of skills, and I applaud these students to have put these colleges as their second option and not just take another gap year and not do anything at all about their careers.
So this means that we are now having the mindset of the youth thinking I need to do something. So it’s positive and it means that we as an institution like Fundi, where we offer tools for students to understand their career choices, their career options according to their personality types, through our FundiMatch processes, it means that we need to also expose students to these tools so that they can take them and understand what they can do outside the university if they have been rejected or they didn’t find space in those areas.
So FundiMatch is a psychometric assessment test that one can take to look at their personality type and what career path they can potentially look at. So those are some of the things that we’re looking at. So public awareness with the institution is also important.
Industry collaborations, we need to collaborate with the industries where there are skill shortages, we need to make noise about it. We need to let our youth know that being a plumber shouldn’t be looked down on. It’s not only your doctors, your nurses, who are actually important or valuable in the community.
JEREMY MAGGS: Let me ask you this question. We’ve looked at it from a student perspective, but what about employers in this country, are they starting to embrace TVET graduates with a little more enthusiasm? Or do you think that there is still a bias?
SPHIWE MASUKU: Look, it depends what sector it is and obviously we know certification is one thing that all of us were taught that for you to land a professional job, you need to be certified.
But also, I think what is happening with employers now, they are gradually exposing themselves out there and wanting our youth and consumers to understand the needs and how to go about attaining those skills.
So I’d say they are gradually moving into embracing students from TVET colleges because again, it’s not about the paper that you put on the table when you’re being interviewed, but also when you are going through a journey of understanding how skilled you are and what you can offer for them, I think it’s coming from that. So the bias is basically shifting a little bit, where I can comfortably say that it’s a positive one with the employers too.
JEREMY MAGGS: I’m going to leave it there with my thanks. Sphiwe Masuku, head of brand and marketing at Fundi, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.
