The National Qualifications Framework - an enabling mechanism to build capacity within the transport sector

Abstract

Paper presented at the 20th Annual South African Transport Conference 16 - 20 July 2001 "Meeting the transport challenges in Southern Africa", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

A series of initiatives beginning with the De Lange, Riekert and Wiehahn Commissions in the early 1980's, the ETD Practices Project and other similar initiatives culminated in the National Training Strategy Initiative (NTSI) in the early 1990's and led to a broad consensus amongst business, labour and government around the need for a National Qualifcations Framework (NQF). During the period 1989-1994 COSATU, employers, providers of E&T, representatives from the old departments of education & labour and the Centre for Education Policy Development (CEPD) began to look at ways to improve E&T. In April 1994 the National Training Board published a discussion document on a National Training Strategy Initiative (NTSI). In 1995 the Government=s policy document, AWhite paper on E&T gave details of the NQF and SAQA. Mainly Ministry of Education and Labour (IMWG) prepared the way for the SAQA Bill. The SAQA Act (Act 58/1995 was passed on 4 October 95). This gave SAQA the power to set up the NQF.