Abstracts

59 and outcomes, which contain 10 levels in total. The NQF includes three qualification sub-frameworks: 1) the NC(V), 2) the Report 191 NATED certificates, and 3) occupational qualifications and part-qualifications. Table 1 presents the major relationships between the NC(V), NATED, and NQF systems (Maluleke, 2019, p. 13). As discussed previously, the most in-demand skill levels are above NQF 4, equivalent to N4–N6. However, in 2017 there was a greater than 15% decrease in enrollment from level N4 to level N5 for both female and male students. At the same time, more female students enrolled in N4–N6 programs, whereas a higher proportion of male students enrolled in N1–N3 and non-national certificate programs (Maluleke, 2019). This overall drop, along with a lack of male students at N4–N6 levels, partly explained the deficit of high- skilled workers. In addition, the completion rates for both Report 191 NATED and NC(V) certificates were also very low, at around 60% and 40%, respectively (Qonde, 2019). According to Getting Skills Right (2017), TVET colleges currently offer limited support for students with academic difficulties, and this reflects insufficient incentives within colleges to encourage completion. In addition, the coexistence of both NC(V) and NATED routes itself has caused confusion with their overlap. Such complex history and fragmentation of competing qualifications have rendered the whole vocational sector unclear and, therefore, unpopular to both employers and prospective students (OECD, 2017). In addition to a curriculum that is not aligned with industry needs and a high lack of interest from students to attend TVET colleges, TVET education faces quality challenges. About a quarter of the lecturers in the TVET colleges currently lack teaching qualifications, and more than half have no industry experience. There are only a few occupational lecturers who have artisan qualifications (mostly in the electrical and automotive trades). Moreover, 40% of the teaching staff have short-term contracts, giving them little incentive to make longer-term investments in skills and qualifications (OECD, 2017). Another factor is that some lecturers who have no industry background appear to create a feeling of inferiority, both about themselves and about what colleges are doing. Some lecturers with industry experience have reported frustration because they are obliged to teach a curriculum that lacks alignment with industry standards in order to help students pass their exams (van der Bijl & Taylor, 2016). Therefore, the inadequate engagement of the teachers in the TVET colleges has limited the quality of vocational education. However, if those lecturers who do possess industry experience are provided the opportunity to assist in the development of the curriculum, this gap can be closed, resulting in a better alignment of curriculum to industry standards (Razak et al., 2015). To sum up, as a component of the education and training system designed for intermediate-level skills development, the conclusion here is that the TVET colleges should find approaches to achieve better labor market outcomes, attract more students after grade 9 to join in the system, improve teaching quality, and achieve a higher completion rate, especially at N4–N6 levels. The Dual System Approach to Addressing the Education to Employment Link There are a variety of recommendations that, if implemented, can help improve the overall quality of vocational training and mitigate the employment knowledge gap. One key recommendation is to ensure that all TVET education includes a mix of academic knowledge and skills-oriented learning that relates directly to the work area. TVET education can be reframed as education that offers more skills training than academic knowledge (Kusin, 2015). Such “dual system” training, a model combining 80% time spent on workplace learning, supervised by a trained artisan, with 20% traditional school-based courses, can lead to better labor market– oriented skills formation (Eichhorst et al., 2012). Dual systems normally last from 2 to 3.5 years, where the provision of knowledge and skills is closely linked to the acquisition of necessary job experience. The South Africa government should consider following the lead of successful dual system programs as a