FET Colleges

Scant budgetary increase is blow to skills development and job creation

The announcement by the Department of Higher Education and Training that FET colleges should plan for no increase in the number of enrolments for 2011, and a scant 4.5% increase in their budget, is a severe blow for skills development and job creation. Given salary increases of 7.5% for educators, it is likely to result in a drop in the number of staff that FET colleges can employ, and the number of learners who can be trained. This cannot be allowed to happen. The DA calls on minister Nzimande to disband the wasteful and corrupt SETA system and rather use the billions allocated to these institutions to improve funding for FET colleges.

It is generally accepted that South Africa faces a major skills shortage. This has been cited as one of the main reasons for our failure to attain the targeted growth rate of 6% per annum. Yet the number of apprentices and students passing trade tests has been dropping consistently over the last two decades. The major reforms in training since the promulgation of the Skills Development Act in 1998 have not improved the situation. In many cases they have had a net negative effect. Capping FET college funding, and decreasing enrolments, will only worsen the skills shortage.

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