SKILLS development and aligning educational and training initiatives within the broader objectives of the Country’s National Development Plan (NDP), 2030 and the National Skills Development Plan (NSDP), 2030, were part of the discussions at the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality, and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) two-day conference.
The Birchwood Hotel was the venue for the skills conference, whose theme for 2024 was “Unlocking Potential, Unleashing Possibilities.
Various leaders from sectors converged under one-roof to iron out challenges faced by the ever growing number of unemployed youths in the country, that unfortunately stand at 60% and 41.7% ranging from age 15-24 and 25-34 years.
The conference held from September 3 to 4, addressed critical challenges within the South African labour market in relation to the persistently high unemployment rates and the skills mismatch that affects both youth and Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
For CATHSSETA’s the mandate is clear: to advance relevant skills development that accelerates economic growth, improves employment rates, and uplifts living standards.
Its CEO Marks Thibela said: “By fostering collaboration between industry, education, and government, we are working towards a more integrated approach to skills development that will significantly contribute to our national growth and employment goals.”
Thibela reported back from the commission workshop sessions on how the High Impact Projects (HIPs) will address key issues in CATHSSETA’s sub-sectors, also emphasizing practical aspects the conference, that it represents a vital step in aligning the educational and training initiatives within the broader objectives of the Country’s National Development Plan (NDP), 2030 and the National Skills Development Plan (NSDP), 2030.
Other topics included a coordinated skills development, institutional efficiency, Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) frameworks, and strategies for navigating future skills needs.
Each workshop session was designed to enhance the practical knowledge of attendees and fostered connections that drive meaningful progress.
Director-General, Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Robert Nkuna echoed CATHSSETA’s sentiments to heed the call for collaboration with the government in order to boost job creation across the CATHSSETA sectors.
“The mandate of the SETAs does not involve job creation and putting policies in place and this is one of the major stumbling blocks that the authorities face. Therefore, government needs to work closely with these training authorities to ensure that when policies change, SETAs are not hamstrung by policies,” added Dr Nkuna.
The ultimate goal is to foster stakeholder collaboration that will lead to tangible benefits for the industry and its sub-sectors, says Thibela.
Image (CATHSSETA CE, Marks Thibela addressing delegates at the two-day conference held at Birchwood Hotel).
