A PROPOSED ISOE MODEL FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SKILLS DELIVERY

1. 30 January 2006 A PROPOSED ISOE MODEL FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF SKILLS DELIVERY

2. NSDS Objective 5: “Improving the quality & relevance of provision”. Indicator 5.1. reads as follows: “By March 2010, each SETA recognises and supports at least at least five Institutes of Sectoral or Occupational Excellence within public institutions and through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) where appropriate, spread as widely as possible geographically, for the development of people to attain identified critical occupational skills, whose excellence is measured in the number of learners successfully placed in the sector and employer satisfaction ratings of their training.”

3. ISOE GRANTS • May cover any or all of the following areas of facility upgrading: • Infrastructure development • Professional development of educators / trainers • Curriculum and materials development • Learner support initiatives • Upgrading of satellite institutions (e.g. emerging providers in partnership with excellence institution) • Other, by mutual agreement

4. What is an ISOE? /cont • The principles of the NSDS 2, and other imperatives that must, presumably, inform the roll out of ISOEs, viz: • the need for outreach beyond the well-resourced and served metropolitan areas • the imperative to constantly ensure that skills development programmes address critical and scarce skills within sectors • recognition that economic development is dependent on growth, which means that organisations that fall “under the radar”, as it were, such as SMEs, CBOs, NGOs, co-operatives, etc., require substantial support, all within the desire for BEE.

5. Absence of guidance from the DoL • SETAs are obliged to define such a centre of excellence; however, this needs to be informed by the NSDS objective to improve the quality of development initiatives, as well as the NQF, all aspects of which are underpinned by total quality management. • Focus is on the excellence. • Key to innovation, and vital to development of any sector, is flexibility and autonomy. • These principles should, perhaps, be emphasised. • For this reason, this presentation resists defining a particular type of legal or organisational entity.

6. What is an ISOE? • In order to develop an ISOE strategy, it is important to clarify what an ISOE could be. Most critically, an ISOE has already achieved a reputation for excellence in a certain field. It is not an institution that merely shows potential for excellence, although recognition by the CHIETA could garner it more widespread recognition.

7. What is an ISOE?/cont • An ISOE can be one of three things, an institute of sectoral excellence or it can be an instituteof occupational excellence or it can be both a centre of sectoral and occupational excellence. • An ISOE can be a teaching and learning institution, faculty, or department in the FET or HET bands; (DTI) • An ISOE can be work-based, or college or university-based provider (Atholl Munday)

8. What is an ISOE?/cont • An ISOE could be a professional body (ECSA) • An ISOE could be a centre of innovation, research and development that supports education and training and growth in the chemical sector (NRF) • An ISOE could have a single operational base, or be a consortium

9. Past and current initiatives to bear in mind The CHIETA seeks to have centres of excellence to service the sector linked to its industry nodes and sub-sectors. From the point of view of consolidating and maximizing resources to improve return on investment (RoI) it is critical that in developing an ISOE strategy the CHIETA considers all areas of convergence and possible linkages.

10. Past and current initiatives to bear in mind/cont • CHIETA has developed a Maths &Science Foundation Programme for 1000 matriculants who went on to study chemical sector related learning programmes at U of Technology. CAPUT, VUT, DIT, NMMU; • SAPIA for the development of a “Women in Oil” Masters Programme in association with Wits and UCT Business Schools; SNF ESDLE, may be considered as representing a centre of excellence for the delivery of artisans to the OGCM sector. • (FEST), now (SAASTA), linked to the NRF that focused on weekend camps for female learners and the professional development of their teachers.

11. What could an ISOE do for (skills development in) the chemical sector? • Assist learners & small providers to work towards a whole qualification • Provide sustainable exit opportunities for Learnerships, apprenticeships and internships in a way that harmonises industry and national needs • Create a pool of host employers with highly skilled mentors & coaches and promote a sector standards for workplace learning

12. What could an ISOE do for (skills development in) the chemical sector? • Provide a co-ordinating structure for the training of ETD specialists for industry • Provide a base for other initiatives concerned with the development of the sector, e.g. BEE, SMEs and also NGOs and CBOs, all of whom need to be integrated into the CHIETA and skills development “loop”.

13. Key Principles • Underlying the concept of ISOEs, are issues related to excellence through total quality management, innovation, flexibility and autonomy. Principles governing the ISOE need to be congruent with the NSDS, but referenced to the CHIETA’ vision and mission, and more particularly to its strategic objectives: • Prioritising and communicating critical skills for sustainable growth, development & equity in the chemical industries sector; • Promoting & accelerating quality training for all in the workplace; • Promoting employability & sustainable livelihoods through skills development;

14. Key Principles • Assisting designated groups, including new entrants, to participate in accredited work, integrated learning & work-based programmes to acquire critical skills to enter the labour market & self-employment; • Improving the quality and relevance of provision. • Further, it is important that the CHIETA’s ISOE principles are referenced against the challenges highlighted above, that could, for example influence the ethos of ISOEs, or point to a possible form and function of an ISOE. A theme that is emerging is the need for the CHIETA (and other SETAs) to avoid duplication, and the need to balance institutional autonomy with the needs of the industry.

15. Communities of trust Development, quality and excellence, which are intended to result in economic and social development, should foster co-operation among the various role-players – this should be a deliverable for an ISOE supported by the CHIETA, and is consistent with one of the findings of the NQF Impact Study (2) which identifies development of a “community of trust” as an area requiring development. The building of such communities would involve regional, sectoral and inter-sectoral co-operation and co-ordination in relation to skills development. Mechanisms to measure this could include peer review, membership and the nature of the programmes undertaken by the ISOE, including outreach beyond the immediate locus of operation.

16. (Avoiding duplication This document emphasises the need for building on existing partnerships and links to one of the suggested criteria, viz., the prospective ISOE’s potential to function as a hub. However, it is suggested that the hub not only be in relation to other ISOEs, but within the region/sector where it operates. Again, there is a need to acknowledge the integrity of statutory and other reporting lines. Avoiding duplication also speaks to the case for cross-sectoral connections, particularly in relation to the development of generic competencies and capacities, scarce skills in order to consolidate and maximise resources to improve the return on investment.

17. Partnerships and functionality This presentation, consistent with NSDS 2, emphasises the need for ISOE grants to provide support to, and co-ordination amongst a range of stakeholders. This would involve some advocacy to promote buy-in by stakeholders. One of the key priorities is to ensure that the specialist centres work closely with employers and local partners to identify priority skills needs in the local, regional and national economy. This involves extending and strengthening established relationships with the CHIETA. The five CHIETA Chambers are expected to take the lead in identifying prospective ISOEs and helping them to reach the qualifying standards, and ensure an effective spread of scarce skills, learning programmes and geographic balance.

18. Performance criteria for ISOEs should include: Commitment to encourage employers to participate in the development of specialist curricula. Demonstrate high retention & achievement rates amongst learners, develop first class teaching staffs, & share their experiences and transfer good practices across the chemical industries sector, and beyond. With specific reference to learnerships and workplace provision, it is common knowledge that providers training towards whole qualifications will, in the not-too-distant future, have to register with the Department of Education as provider of either higher or further education and training.

19. For small, vocational providers (workplace and/or E&T) concerned with short courses, skills programmes and/or learnerships, this requirement is extremely onerous. In the event of this requirement being enforced, it is likely that some niche providers might disappear, and similarly, some workplace providers may opt out of the system. An ISOE could facilitate the establishment of strategic partnerships between niche providers (subject matter experts) and, for example, an FET college (for fundamental learning, e.g. literacy and numeracy), which would enable the partnership to offer learners (and employers) access to whole qualifications.

20. Grant mechanism The key mechanism of recognition and support is the award of a grant to the minimum value of R750 000 to an ISOE. Candidate institutions would be invited to submit detailed project proposals and budgets that will be evaluated on the extent to which they contribute to the strategic objectives of the CHIETA. Tranche payments will be made, linked to the submission of project reports and achievement of deliverables. To provide soft funding over a period of 5 years to five centres of Sectoral or occupational excellence at national or regional level, the grant is not necessarily programme specific, but is used to support centres in promoting science, engineering and in creating an enabling environment for high quality teaching, learning and research..

21. Qualifying standard / criteria The CHIETA Governing Board will meet to review proposals resulting from an open call for competitive submissions, and they would select the centres according to the following criteria: • Autonomy of the institution; • Strength of its leadership, as assessed by peers; • Quality of its management; • Commitment to the values of science and engineering; • General nature, extent, and relevance of its overall programme of work to the chemical sector • Potential to function as a hub and to network with other centres of excellence in the chemical sector.

22. Key objectives for the CHIETA’s ISOE initiative • Encourage key FET and HET institutions to forge strong relationships with employers and to play a central role in meeting the current and future skills needs of the nation; • Set the standard for relevant departments in other institutions to follow, and allow the CHIETA to refine the criteria by which excellence is recognised and assess the support and development needs of colleges involved; • Encourage a culture of teaching and learning that responds to change and that can give both adults and young people access to the enhanced vocational learning they need to succeed in a modern economy;

23. Key objectives for the CHIETA’s ISOE initiative/ cont Promote a strategic mix of high quality local, regional, sectoral and national specialisations, to underpin a modern FET and HET contributing fully to the nation’s skills and the drive to boost competitiveness; Play an essential economic role by giving individuals the skills they need to enable them to find work in a fast changing jobs market and providing businesses with the skilled workers they need to succeed; Develop and strengthen innovative approaches by to meeting the country’s present and future skills needs; Enhance the standing of FET colleges with employers;

24. Key objectives for the CHIETA’s ISOE initiative/ cont • Encourage collaboration among providers and promote the concept of provider excellence in economically relevant areas of workplace specialisation; • Release resources to enable colleges to be more flexible, responsive and focused on meeting the skills needs of employers at local and sectoral levels, and • Build on existing excellence and provide leadership in the development of future excellence

25. Possible Model

26. CHIETA Levy payers Learners Professional bodies SMMEs Employers Non-levy payers Labour Centres CHIETA Accredited Workplace Chemical Industries ISOE Service Centres Providers CHIETA Accredited E&T Other support agencies and providers to the sector Public FETIs & HEIs Private FETIs & HEIs