Abstracts

62 understand and see the value of this model to their bottom line. Currently, the apprenticeship programs in South Africa are all in the automobile industry. As an example, since 2017, Porsche has trained hundreds of young men and women as service mechatronics (positions that combine precision mechanical engineering, electronic control, and systems thinking in the design of products and manufacturing processes) through a project organized by a nonprofit organization, Don Bosco Mondo, together with its Don Bosco Salesian Institute Youth Projects in Cape Town and the Porsche importer in South Africa, LSM Distributors. This project efficiently unlocked career opportunities for young adults in the automobile field, the major developing industry in the country (Rauter, 2016). Global companies like Porsche will become the forerunners of the dual system in South Africa and enhance its social acceptance. The Porsche example demonstrates that a dual system of education and technical training with an apprenticeship has worked in South Africa and, therefore, would be increasingly beneficial for industries and young adults if adopted more broadly across other industries. The fourth step is to expand from one industry to other select industries that envision potential for further growth but have been restrained by a lack of skilled workers. A useful strategy to begin this process is to identify businesses currently operating in South Africa from countries already implementing a dual system. The government can approach these companies to help implement the system with a variety of incentives, including tax reduction, the ability to partner with the Department of Higher Education and Training in the development of guidelines and policies for the implementation and management of the program, and security in the knowledge that they will have future access to a highly trained workforce. South African companies can learn from these early adopters how to design a training curriculum and increase their understanding of the economic benefits for themselves. Studies done in Switzerland following the implementation of the work- based education model have concluded that such training results in a net benefit to over 66% of companies in short term (Stumpf and Niebuhr, 2012). Over the long run, benefits are highly dependent on a specific company’s training and the standardization that develops throughout an industry. With the results from the German companies in South Africa, it is possible to compile a labor market–driven curriculum that originates from actual market demand. This approach will encourage more businesses to contribute to vocational education if they see that they have ownership in the curriculum, resulting in a greater yield in employing highly skilled workers. Lastly, reformation in education is always a complex undertaking, especially when it is in the vocational education arena, which combines both the formal education system and the labor market. One of the major advantages of a dual system is that it has high levels of standardization under strict regulations and legal standards. To ensure the quality of industry training of students, proper regulations should be set in South Africa. For example, the German Chambers of Industry and Commerce are in charge of the training quality in the industry and make sure that training in the firms is industry- focused as well as transferable to other companies. Similarly, in order for South Africa to take the best advantage of a new vocational education model, the education ministry (at both national and regional levels) and social partners (companies and unions) need to collaborate to design policy and procedures governing the model, with specific attention paid to topics such as curricular standards, certification requirements, financial support for student apprentices, and evaluation and assessment systems. It is recommended that at the national level this collaborative effort between TVET colleges, individual companies, and industry representatives be coordinated by the Department of Higher Education and Training. Conclusion In summary, given the severity of the youth unemployment problem and the lack of a trained workforce, especially for midlevel skilled positions, South Africa would benefit immensely by developing stronger vocational