Report back COMMISSION 4

1. Report backCOMMISSION 4 Production of Professionals DR EL VAN STADEN

2. Purpose • What are the blockages? • What were the professionals? • Teachers, engineers, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, chartered accountants, actuaries, veterinary doctors, social workers.

3. Findings and recommendations • Professional bodies need to play a far more active role - must have a support Programme, address blockages, undertake regulatory functions more effectively • Absence of career guidance • Inadequate basic education • Limited spaces in some professional studies

4. Limited preparation for tertiary education • Inconsistent quality across the universities • Insufficient access to work integrated learning- workplace entree • Alignment between different government departments.

5. Professional bodies should • Support improved maths and science programmes • Work with SAQA and DHET to support career guidance and spaces in the universities

6. Government will • Support on-going programmes • Focused effort to increase NSC/NCV graduates • Provide Prof Body information on NSC graduate above 60% • Work with professional councils and coordination between universities and Prof Bodies and other government entities

7. Government will (Cont) • Bursaries not only to address tuition but other expenses, strong coordination on all bursary information • Need to be value added interventions such as mentoring but also improved accountability from students and universities

8. COMMISSION: Additional points raised • Need to develop our own people- Africa for Africa! A good example is the strategy and comprehensive plan of SAICA now in process of duplication by ECSA. • Need to work at the interface of the public / private sector and the industry - those that produce and those that receive • The professionalization of our Educators is imperative. -Especially in relation to the inset into the development of the curriculum of which SACE is the only professional body that does not have a say. - The issue around the opening and contribution of the teacher "colleges" is raised where one would monitor the expansion of teachers through this structure.

9. COMMISSION: Additional points raised (Cont) - The teacher development plan has allocated different responsibilities to different entities. The question is: has this plan been assessed? Apparently a first phase report is in progress. - Professionalism can only be improved through CPD (continuous professional development) - This needs to be considered. It is also propose that retired teachers need to be brought back to the teaching environment.

10. COMMISSION: Additional points raised (Cont) • The issue of the candidacy phase for the professional engineer has been raised. Work experience towards professional designation is still a big challenge. There will be a fund set up in the similar fashion than the SAICA model - grow of the pipeline from high school to the work place • The production of medical doctors needs to be increased where the DHET and the DOH need to work together • A joint health science and education committee is in the process of establishment. • The clinical associate was suppose to alleviate the pressure from the medical doctor and nursing interphase. This emerging profession needs to be addressed and need to ensure that policies, scope of practice is in place.

11. COMMISSION: Additional points raised (Cont) • The introduction of a pharmacy technician need to be decided upon where the council and the DOH needs to come to a conclusion • The state of the environment and salary packages of nurses needs to be addressed. The specialist nurses are one of the areas that are experiencing huge shortages. Gauteng province indicated that they do fund their nurses sufficiently. • Actuaries also follow the THUTHUKA model of SAICA - the challenge is within the first year as well as the maths knowledge of the student

12. COMMISSION: Additional points raised (Cont) • Vet doctors for food security are the most important area that needs to be grown. State environment working conditions are not the best. A process is underway where a second faculty of vet sciences will be established. • Social worker graduates are produced, but the placement of the graduates in the public sector is a challenge as budgeted posts are essential

13. Further Issues to be considered were raised • Brain drain, and attracting back the ones that left - especially visible in some of the professions. Strategies has to be developed to retain the professionals and to attract the professionals back - especially the private sectors role in this needs to be considered. • The context of the professional and professionalism is raised especially in relation to the public service and the future role of the National School of government.....it should be the entire environment, image, service delivery and portraying the professional conduct of all. It should also be through a career path. The administrative professional is another area that should be addressed.

14. Further Issues to be considered were raised • Blockages within the WIL - this relates specifically to the mentoring of students in the workplace whilst the DHET. Does have a dedicated process for placement in the workplace. • Maths is seen as one of the blockages for pursuing a profession - it is different to the types of professions. The relationship between DHET and DBE needs to deliver concrete proposals. Also the role of professional bodies in the curriculum development at the lower levels (primary) need to be considered.

15. Further Issues to be considered were raised • Attorneys are also a profession that needs to be considered as an area that needs to be under scrutiny - a review of the LLB is in progress with the department of Justice, DHET and the professional body involved. • Pipeline input from the school level into the maritime sector needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency - a separate process was followed but the different opportunities within the maritime industry need to be strengthened. • Bureaucratic processes within the different professions are still an obstacle. Global standards are to which SA has to adhere so that our graduates can be players in the global work