MACRO & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF OCCUPATIONAL BASED LEARNING

1. MACRO & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF OCCUPATIONAL BASED LEARNING BY PROF M C MEHL TRIPLE L ACADEMY

2. A SHORT HISTORY SINCE 1994 • A DYNAMIC POLICY ENVIRONMENT • 1995 – SAQA ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE NQF • 1998 – THE SDA ESTABLISHING THE SETAS • 2002 – NQF REVIEW • 2007 - JOINT STATEMENT: MINS E & L • 2008 - NQF BILL & H.E. BILL

3. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN EDUCATION & TRAINING • Not faring well as a nation • Scores on international tests are poor in comparison with less well resourced nations • The reality of the skills crisis e.g. Eskom • Large numbers of unemployed graduates • Scores by school leavers on standard ABET tests are poor • 7.2 million people illiterate

4. EFFECTING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

5. VISION, POLICY & INTENT • AN UNPRECEDENTED, ELEGANT POLICY ENVIRONMENT SINCE 1994 • BASED ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH • INTRODUCING THE NQF AS NATIONAL POLICY • ENABLING LEARNER PROGRESS FROM ANY STARTING POINT TO ANY DESIRED OUTCOME • A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL & ASPIRATIONAL NATIONAL VISION

6. A SHORT HISTORY OF SAQA • Well researched policy documents from 1995 • 1997: 12 National Standards Bodies • 1998 onward: Standards Generating Bodies • 1999/2000: Universities withdraw • 2001: DoE withdraws • 2002: Slow engagement with SETAs • 2001 onward: NQF REVIEW • 2007: Joint Statement Ministers of Education & Labour

7. A SHORT HISTORY OF SETAs • SDA PROMULGATED 1998 • SETAs ESTABLISHED ca 2000 • ETQA FUNCTION CONFERRED BY SAQA • UP TO NQF LEVEL 4 • 1% LEVY KICKS IN AROUND 2001 • PRESENT LEVY TOTAL ca R5B/ANNUM

8. AND NOW A SHORT REVIEW QUIZ • HAS ALL THIS PRODUCED THE SKILLS REVOLUTION IN S.A.? • WHY DO WE NEED THE NQF? • DO WE REALLY NEED THE SETAs? • DO YOU REGARD THE SETA AS THE “AUTHORITY ON E & T IN YOUR SECTOR”?

9. WHY HAS THE REVOLUTION BEEN SO DIFFICULT TO ACHIEVE?

10. THE CONDITIONS FOR A REVOLUTION • Who are the revolutionaries? • What are they revolting about? • What are the revolutionary structures? • How are these better than what exists? • What benefits are there to the revolutionaries and their followers?

11. WHAT WE UNDERESTIMATED • The power of institutionalized education despite national acceptance of the NQF • Inherent resistance to change in societies • The impact of how we have all experienced education • How much has fundamentally changed in education • The perceived social value of formal education

12. THE REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS SINCE 1994 • OUR HRD STRATEGY: BEST IN WORLD • ELEMENTS: SAQA & NQF • SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT • ESTABLISHMENT OF SETAs • EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT • POLICY FRAMEWORK: REVOLUTIONARY • AND NOW THE NEW NQF ACT!

13. SO WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD WE BE REVOLTING AGAINST?HISTORICAL INTELLECTUAL ELITISM

14. WHICH MEANS WHAT EXACTLY? • THE PREDOMINANCE OF ONE SECTOR OVER OUR E&T SYSTEM • THE LACK OF RECOGNITION OF LEARNING ALONG DIFFERENT PATHWAYS • NO EFFECTIVE RPL • NON INTELLECTUAL EQUIVALENCE BETWEEN A MINER WITH 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE AND AN EDUCATION GRADUATE

15. WHY HAS IT PROVED TO BE SUCH A STRUGGLE? BECAUSE AS A NATION WE HAVE NEVER ACCEPTED OR UNDERSTOOD THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY BETWEEN ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING AND WORKPLACE KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING

16. SO LET’S STOP TIPTOEING AROUND THE EDUCATIONAL ISSUES • Universities are limited in high level skills they can produce • Universities of Technology are little better • To develop workplaces as sites of structured learning is difficult • SETA’s need to develop intellectual credibility

17. INTRODUCE A NEW LEARNING ECOLOGY Nature and scope of knowledge Based on a different Epistemology Theory of Knowledge

18. Knowledge Production In a Knowledge Economy Universities Work Places [Intellectual Capital (1993)] Social Environments Not just knowing WHAT, but knowing HOW (Skills)

19. The Need to Codify This Knowledge Enter the NQF Qualifications: In the specific Knowledge Production Arena Unit Standards

20. The emergence Of Occupationally-Directed Qualifications And Unit Standards Related to work being done Not job description Qualification: deepen, broaden & enable

21. Experts are within the Knowledge Production Environment New Learning Enablers - Providers – are required Learning “To Do” only in Active Workplaces Learning Facilitation :2 Components • The Expert –In the workplace • The Learning Enabling Expert

22. IS THERE AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT FOR ALL THIS?

23. WORKPLACE LEARNING Notice how the book "Understanding Learning at Work” begins: • "Learning at work has become one of the most exciting areas of development in the dual fields of management and education. It has moved to become a central concern of corporations and universities; it is no longer the pre-occupation of a small band of vocational training specialists. • Today we see employees extending their educational capabilities in learning through their work. At the same time, opportunities and problems within work are creating the need for new Knowledge and understanding".

24. ITS ALL ABOUT LEARNING The book: “Supporting workplace learning for high performance working” says: The worker is no longer the “consumer” of training”, but he/she becomes an active agent in the process of learning. Learning is no longer clearly bounded and contained in the classroom to be transferred later to the workplace; rather it becomes embedded in the work organization and production process. (P. 96)

25. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE FOR THE SKILLS REVOLUTION?

26. MoL STATEMENT During August this year, I tabled, together with the Minister of Education, a joint Statement on the National Qualifications Framework. This was after a process that – unfortunately - lasted for almost four years. We have agreed on the establishment of a Qualifications and Quality Council for Trades and Occupations to become a counterpart of the Council on Higher Education's Quality Committee and Umalusi. It will focus on providing qualifications development and quality assurance over trades and occupations. Whilst this development is better late than never, its success will rely on all of us

27. REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS OF THE JOINT STATEMENT • Establishment of QCTO • Placement under Ministry of Labour • Quality Assurance from NQF Levels 1 – 10 • Qualifications linked to Occupations • Recognition that various forms of learning are required in an integrated education, training and skills development system

28. THE VITAL ROLE OF THE QCTO • Why did the NQF Review take 5 years? • Because of the institutional power of the formal educational system • The QCTO challenges the intellectual primacy of institutionalized education • DoL now becomes the Department of Learning: a Constructivist Epistemology reigns!

29. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FACING THE QCTO (1) • ESTABLISH THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY BETWEEN WORKPLACE-BASED QUALIFICATIONS AND LEARNING @: • NQF 5 – 10 WITH THE CHE’s QUALIFICATIONS; • NQF 1 – 4 WITH UMALUSI. • ESTABLISH LEVEL 10 QUALIFICATIONS • FACILITATE RAPID IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF QCTO CONCEPT

30. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES FACING THE QCTO (2) • QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE DEVELOPED & ALIGNED TO OCCUPATIONS: REVOLUTIONARY! • ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR OCCUPATIONS MUST BE REFINED AND USED • SCARCE & CRITICAL SKILLS MUST BE ADDRESSED IN THIS CONTEXT • QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS MUST BE IN PLACE: QUO VADIS ETQA’s?

31. THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS TO THE QCTO & THE SETAs

32. BUT WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE QCTO? WE NEED TO CREATE AN INTELLECTUAL HOME FOR WORKPLACE LEARNING

33. THE FUTURE OF THE SETAs • [54] SETAs will also play an important role, working with the QCTO in the design and quality assurance of work based learning processes. They will thus continue to work with SAQA, occupational and professional bodies and other QCs to advance the mobility and progression of workers in learning and employment in accordance with the NQF objectives. • The ANC has proposed that in order for us to resolve these institutional and national / sector strategy issues – we should reduce the number of SETAs come 2010. We need to reflect on this during commissions as we have no excuse to continue shooting in the dark as we have previously been doing.

34. THE CHALLENGE TO THE SETAs • AS AUTHORITIES: INTELLECTUAL POWERHOUSES • BE THE E&T REVOLUTIONARIES • HAVE MONEY, RESOURCES AND NOW INTELLECTUAL LEGITIMACY • BOARDS PROPERLY PREPARED, INDUCTED & AUDITED • EVERY SETA SHOULD BE FRENETICALLY BUSY DEFINING ITS OWN QUO VADIS • ESTABLISH A DYNAMIC LEARNING SYSTEM FOR ITS SECTOR FROM NQF 1 - 10

35. DOES IT WORK? A CASE STUDY: DEVELOPING SAP CONSULTANTS • 4 PARTIES ARE REQUIRED • THE SETA & SAQA: QUAL. DEV. & FUNDING • AN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING WORKPLACE, WITH ITS EXPERTS • LEARNERS IN THAT WORKPLACE, EMPLOYED OR UNEMPLOYED • A LEARNING FACILITATION AGENCY • BEST SAP TRAINING IN THE WORLD!

36. AND SO WHAT ABOUT THESE PH.Ds. IN WORKPLACE LEARNING?A SHORT PERSONAL HISTORY

37. PROPOSALS TO CONSIDER

38. PROJECT 1:A major PR exercise on the QCTO sketching the implications for bringing the NQF alive in the minds and hearts of all South Africans by showing the possibilities for every citizen.

39. PROJECT 2:Let the SETAs stand up and be counted (after all you don’t wait to be invited to start a revolution!):Define their new role;Rationalize their number;Launch QCTO-Related Initiatives

40. PROJECT 3:Organize a high level development program at NQF LEVELS 8 – 10 for SETA top management & stakeholders. This will go a long way to establishing the “academic” credibility of the QCTO.

41. THE CHALLENGES ARE IMMENSEBUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON “OVERTURNING STRONGLY ENTRENCHED THINGS”