Alignment of occupational qualifications to open doors for learners at the end of grade 9

In an effort to address South Africa’s skills shortage and high unemployment rate, the Department of Higher Education and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) are shifting towards a single National Quality Assurance System for accredited occupational qualifications and skills programmes.

As of February 2022, all occupational qualifications and learning programs need to comply with the current Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF) policy. This means that all qualifications and unit standards that were listed under the occupational qualifications band on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) must now be aligned to new South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) NQF level descriptors for occupational qualifications by 30 June 2023.

In short, this means that all National Certificate Vocational, N1-6 (NATED National Certificates) and Occupational Certificates will be aligned into one system of Occupational Certificates from levels 1 to 8.

The Department of Basic Education plans to slot into this system too by piloting its new General Education Certificate (GEC) for Grade 9 learners in 2022 with its national rollout happening in 2024. The Department of Education has submitted the refined policy framework to UMALUSI this year for registration on the National Qualifications Framework. This General Education Certificate is intended to formally recognise the completion of general education and then streamline learners into subject choices in either an academic or occupational stream. This Three Stream Model will allow learners to shift focus towards more technical vocational and occupational fields of study at the end of Grade 9. With our current system, hundreds of learners leave the school system each year without a qualification as they are not academically inclined, leaving the unemployment rate for those aged 15-24 at 63.9% (Stats SA).

Occupational Qualifications will be focused on having three components, namely knowledge, practical application, and workplace experience. All components will be compulsory in order to obtain an occupational qualification. The intention is that through this more technical approach, learners will have the chance to gain the practical experience required to begin a job at different points along the occupational qualifications system, and make them more marketable to the industry.

Since 2017 the QCTO has been preparing to take over its mandated functions from SAQA by setting and developing standards and assuring the quality of national occupational qualifications on the NQF. All Sector and Training Authorities (SETAs) currently align to the QCTO and are licensed until 2030 after which the QCTO will take on the full responsibility of accreditation for Occupational Qualifications. Any Skills Development Provider (SDP) offering training in any occupational programmes and qualifications must now be accredited by the QCTO. The SETAs will no longer do quality assurance or accredit providers for occupational qualifications. Going forward, companies wishing to achieve their Skills Development Points on their BEE Scorecard will also need to ensure that their training is coordinated by Skills Development Providers that are accredited by the QCTO.

If effective, this process will provide the youth of South Africa an opportunity to become more employable in technical vocations while addressing the high unemployment rate and skills shortage that the country currently faces.

Heidi Kilian

Head: Training Academy 

Sources:

Reddy et al. 2018. Skills Development Legislation as a Lever of Change to Reduce Poverty, Inequality and Unemployment. Human Sciences Research Council.

https://www.statssa.gov.za/

https://www.education.gov.za/ArchivedDocuments/ArchivedArticles/GEC-update-032022.aspx

https://tradingeconomics.com/south-africa/unemployment-rate

Quality Council for Trades and Occupations. 2022.  Implementation of the OQSF policy 2021 – clarification of transitional arrangement for pre- 2009 qualifications and unit standards, occupational qualifications, and part qualifications. QCTO OQM circular 1 of 2022.

https://skillscollege.co.za/bee-skills-spend/