This report analyses the challenges, opportunities and successes within the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in South Africa, especially as it strives to meet the burgeoning demand for skilled labour in the construction sector. While TVET plays a key role in counteracting a critical shortage of skilled workers in South Africa, the system struggles to deliver graduates with the needed skills.
During the apartheid era, infrastructure investments primarily served the white minority, neglecting the majority’s needs in education, healthcare, housing and skills development. This legacy has contributed to ongoing poverty, inequality and a lack of adequate skills development for 80% of the South African population.
To create a workforce capable of supporting infrastructural growth and economic development, TVET must address pedagogical gaps, enhance
private sector involvement and better align with industry needs. Specific challenges are a lack of good lecturers, resource shortages, misaligned
curricula and governance issues.
Because TVET is essential for the future of construction in South Africa, it is vital to continue developing and testing innovative TVET concepts aimed at reducing the skills gap in the construction sector at all levels. Besides bolstering TVET colleges, work-based learning (WBL) shows particular promise.
