The 2024 Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) summit, under the theme “Together, skilling the nation,” was held at Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre this week to address the need to set a strategic trajectory for the next five years (2025-2030).
In his keynote address, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, highlighted that the purpose of the summit is to provide an opportunity for the sector to reflect on its mandate of skills development. He also thanked SETA for the role it plays.
“To help us appreciate the importance of this summit, I wish to highlight a few key things. The first is the important role that is played by our Sector Education and Training Authorities or SETAs, in skills development in our country. As the Department of Higher Education and Training, we are proud to state that, while we provide the overall strategic and policy direction, our SETAs continue to play a crucial role in implementing and facilitating skills development within their respective sectors,” he said.
Nzimande further highlighted the six high impact areas that the sector should invest in.
- Infrastructure Development
- Reduction of Unemployment of young people
- Sustainable Entrepreneurial development, strengthening of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) and cooperatives
- Holistic Digitisation and advancement in technologies and skills development
- Effective Shared Service and Communication
- Rural development for rural impact
“The success of the summit lies on interdepartmental and intergovernmental cooperation,” added Nzimande.
Dr Somadoda Fikeni, Chairperson of Public Service Commission who also attended and spoke at the summit, said it will be important to bring the outcomes of the summit to fruition.
“We need to ask ourselves why do things we write to ourselves as annual reports and APPs look so good to us, but those targeted look so miserable,” he said.
Delegates convened at the SETA summit also took time to reflect on the positive impact the sector had on the lives of the youth, such as Thobelami Mathenjwa. He is an electrical engineering graduate who was funded by MERSETA (Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority). He expressed his gratitude to the sector for the great contribution they had on his personal and career growth.
Londiwe Mdletshe, a Human Resource graduate, also extended her gratitude to the sector by thanking SACGRA (South African Council for Graduates Cooperative) and CHIETA (Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority) family for giving her the opportunity to prove herself.
“I pledge to be a good representative to the sector family,” Mdletshe said.
At the summit, the President of the South African Council for Graduates, Thamsanqa Maqubela, presented the first Skills Development Catalyst Lifetime Impact Award to be conferred to a living South African.
“I am here to present the award for sterling contribution since his reign of leadership to Professor Nzimande. Since his reign, the enrolment of learners in TVET almost doubled to 589 083. The democratic goals of a prosperous South Africa in reducing the need for statistics, has also been achieved. We are currently sitting on 233 257 graduates in South Africa. A total of 19 536 learners have completed their artisanal skills, and all this was attained under the great leadership of Professor Blade Nzimande,” said Maqubela.
After various panel discussions amongst stakeholders in the 2-days SETA summit, the outcomes encompassed the fact that the SETAs’ Chairpersons Forum (SCF) and the Association of SETA Chief Executive Officers (ASCEO) will establish a working group that will ensure implementation of the summit outcomes.
The working group will develop the implementation plans with clear deliverables, timeliness, cost implications and outcomes in order to achieve the purpose of the summit.