Article: Programme to address skills shortage

A new capacity building programme, to be offered at Wits University will go a long way in addressing the country's skills shortage.

Unveiled by the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), the programme, which will be offered in honours, masters and certificate levels, builds on the department's commitment to building capacity in the area of industrial Policy, and will span over a period of four years, starting this year.
 
I don't understand this government...

The biggest shortage in skills SA has now is articians. What did they do to cause this? They removed the Apprenticeship programs. If you want to solves SA's skills shoratge start with the easier ones. Give tax cuts to companies employing apprentices to such a degree that said employers can employ them without having to pay them a cent extra. Obviously within limits and with limitations. Start there then come up with other ideas ;)
 
I do not know enough about this to comment with certainty, but SARS did a good job of addressing shortages in their specific sector. The exact details, I do not know with authority but the model is key: industry should be able to spot its shortages and offer attractive study options (bursaries and stipends) to able and interested school leavers. If the rewards for progression are big enough and the offers good enough, any given industry can address its shortages. Easier said than done of course, but at some point sectors must come to the realisation that their survival and sustainability depends on the availability of home-grown talent.

I certainly agree with ^ Pitbull's insights into apprenticeships....
 
A friend of mine came to SA from Hong Kong in Grade 11 on a study permit. She worked hard and within a year she wrote Matric Afrikaans on Higher Grade. She renewed her permit and graduated cum laude with a degree in Biomedical Technology. She got a work permit and worked in a lab for several years. She met, fell in love with and married a South African guy. They recently bought their first house.

She wants to be a medical doctor so she can do more to help the patients she does lab work for. She would make an amazing doctor. She applied for Medicine and was rejected, partly because the university refused to acknowledge her cum laude degree, give her credit for subjects already done, and partly because she comes from a country that has medical schools where she can study and so chose to charge her double tuition.

Then the Dep of Home Affairs decided they didn't feel like renewing her work permit. They couldn't give her a reason why, or tell her how long it would take to issue the permit. She lost her job as a result. Out of desperation she has taken to making chinese foods to sell at markets to earn a pittance to keep them afloat.

It has been nearly 6 months now, if not longer, that she has waited for Home Affairs to sort out her permit. She is at the end of her tether.

Here is a skilled, qualified, BEE-compliant person who will probably be leaving SA soon and taking her skilled, qualified husband with her.
Home Affairs needs to catch a wake-up. Brain drain? The Skills Shortage is caused by our moronic government chasing away the people with the brains because it's dangerous for their "revolutionary" regime to have smart people realise what they're up to.
 
^^ If she married a South African, surely she would now be a citizen and would no longer require a work permit?
 
^^ lol, well picked up XD. hahahahahaha.

But crap, does this mean MORE people are going to go to Wits!? Where the eff am I going to find parking now :cry:.
 
Mike Hoxbig said:
^^ If she married a South African, surely she would now be a citizen and would no longer require a work permit?
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. (though one would imagine that like other countries SA could be eager to attract and retain skilled people. Apparently not.)
 
Pitbull said:
The biggest shortage in skills SA has now is articians. What did they do to cause this? They removed the Apprenticeship programs. If you want to solves SA's skills shoratge start with the easier ones. Give tax cuts to companies employing apprentices to such a degree that said employers can employ them without having to pay them a cent extra. Obviously within limits and with limitations. Start there then come up with other ideas ;)
Click to expand...

That’s a good idea! We have you on our files and are watching you for further subversive utterances.
 
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