The creation of economically viable employment opportunities in the RSA depends
on greater confidence in vocationally directed education as well as greater
efficiency in utilizing non-formal mechanisms for the provision of education
and training. The criteria according to which qualifications are evaluated for
purposes of remuneration in many sectors of the South African labour market,
imply a value system that is biased in favour of formal and academic education
and is harmful to the recognition and status of vocationally directed education
and of non-formal education and training. Consequently the development of the
infrastructures for the provision of non-formal education and training, and
eventually the country's total welfare and economic growth, are being hampered
by this biased value system.
In contrast to the normally uninterrupted time allocations available for formal
education, non-formal education and training programmes are usually bound to
part-time schedules, short-course agendas and/or time-restricted in-service
programmes. Since the implied benchmark status of the well-known annual levels
of formal education perpetuates the bias in favour of academic education, a new
vocational qualification structure will be required as a universal and neutral
benchmark for the evaluation, accreditation and certification all types of
training and education programmes in the RS~. This could promote the status,
recognition and utilisation of the full potential of all available infrastructures
for the provision of education and training in favour of employability,
and relieve the overburdened structures of formal education towards more
efficient provision of essential general formative education.
The creation of the envisaged vocational qualification structure for the RSA
will necessarily demand long-term collaboration and democratic negotiations
between a wide range of stakeholders. The aim of this thesis is therefore to
provide some interim models whereby non-formal education and training as well
as employment experience can be promoted to acceptance with equitable status
next to formal education in local qualification credential evaluation. These
models indicate that existing infrastructures, locally developed for technical
colleges together with their system of "N" qualifications, could be used as a
meaningful foundation for the national vocational qualification structure so
urgently needed in the RSA.
Die skepping van ekonomies-lewensvatbare werkgeleenthede in die RSA noodsaak 'n
groter mate van vertroue in beroepsgerigte onderwys en effektiewer benutting
van die infrastrukture vir die voorsiening van nie-formele onderwys en
opleiding. Tans toon die waardesisteem agter die kriteria waarvolgens
kwalifikasies vir doeleindes van besoldiging ge~valueer word, in verskeie
sektore van die arbeidsmark in die RSA nog steeds tekens van vooroordeel teen
beroepsgerigte onderwys en nie-formele onderwys en opleiding. Hierdie vooroordeel
benadeel die status en erkenning van beroepsgerigte onderwys en
nie-formele onderwys en opleiding sodanig dat die infrastrukture vir die
voorsiening daarvan nie optimaal ontwikkel kan word nie. Die totale
welsyn en ekonomiese groei van die land word gevolglik benadeel.
In teenstelling met rel atief lang en ononderbroke tye wat vir formele onderwys
beskikbaar is, word nie-formele opleidingsprogramme gewoonlik beperk tot
deeltydse skedules, kort kursusse en indiens-opleidingsgeleenthede binne die
werksituasie waar slegs beperkte tyd beskikbaar is. Die algemene gebruik van
die welbekende jaarvlakke van formele onderwys as yk-merk vir kwalifikasies,
perpetueer vooroordeel ten gunste van forrnele akademiese onderwys. Hierdie
vooroordeel sal waarskynlik net opgelos kan word deur die instelling van 'n
omvattende beroepskwalifikasiestruktuur vir die RSA, wat sal kan dien as 'n
neutrale yk-sisteem vir die evaluering, akkreditering en sertifisering van alle
soorte onderwys en opleidingsprogramme, sodat die volle krag van alle onderwysvoorsieningsmeganismes
sodanig aangewend kan word dat dit kan lei tot die
ontwikkeling van meer lewensvatbare werkgeleenthede.
Om 'n algemeen aanvaarbare beroepskwalifikasiestruktuur vir die RSA te skep
sal noodwendig, in die lig van die heersende demokratiese tydsgees, uitgebreide
en langtermyn onderhandelinge tussen 'n wye spektrum van belanghebbende partye
vereis. Hierdie ondersoek stel dus enkele tussentydse modelle voor waarvolgens
nie-formele onderwys en opleiding en toepaslike beroepservaring gelykwaardig
saam met formele onderwys in kwalifikasies verreken kan word. Hierdie modelle
lei tot die slotsom dat reeds bestaande infrastrukture en die gepaardgaande
stelsel van N-kwalifikasies wat plaaslik vir tegniese kolleges ontwikkel is,
'n sinvolle hoeksteen kan vorm in die ontwikkeling van die nasionale beroepskwalifikasiestruktuur
wat die RSA sonodig het.
