The power of institutionalized education despite national acceptance of the NQF Inherent resistance to change in societies. The impact of how we have all experienced education How much has fundamentally changed in education ? The perceived social value of formal education.

1. MACRO & INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVE OF
OCCUPATIONAL BASED
LEARNING
BY
PROF M C MEHL
TRIPLE L ACADEMY

2. A SHORT HISTORY SINCE 1994
• A DYNAMIC POLICY ENVIRONMENT
• 1995 – SAQA ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING
THE NQF
• 1998 – THE SDA ESTABLISHING THE
SETAS
• 2002 – NQF REVIEW
• 2007 - JOINT STATEMENT: MINS E & L
• 2008 - NQF BILL & H.E. BILL

3. THE CURRENT SITUATION IN
EDUCATION & TRAINING
• Not faring well as a nation
• Scores on international tests are poor in
comparison with less well resourced
nations
• The reality of the skills crisis e.g. Eskom
• Large numbers of unemployed graduates
• Scores by school leavers on standard
ABET tests are poor
• 7.2 million people illiterate

4. EFFECTING EDUCATIONAL
CHANGE

5. VISION, POLICY & INTENT
• AN UNPRECEDENTED, ELEGANT POLICY
ENVIRONMENT SINCE 1994
• BASED ON CUTTING-EDGE RESEARCH
• INTRODUCING THE NQF AS NATIONAL
POLICY
– ENABLING LEARNER PROGRESS FROM ANY
STARTING POINT TO ANY DESIRED OUTCOME
• A TRULY INSPIRATIONAL & ASPIRATIONAL
NATIONAL VISION

6. A SHORT HISTORY OF SAQA
• Well researched policy documents from 1995
• 1997: 12 National Standards Bodies
• 1998 onward: Standards Generating Bodies
• 1999/2000: Universities withdraw
• 2001: DoE withdraws
• 2002: Slow engagement with SETAs
• 2001 onward: NQF REVIEW
• 2007: Joint Statement Ministers of Education &
Labour

7. A SHORT HISTORY OF SETAs
• SDA PROMULGATED 1998
• SETAs ESTABLISHED ca 2000
• ETQA FUNCTION CONFERRED BY
SAQA
– UP TO NQF LEVEL 4
• 1% LEVY KICKS IN AROUND 2001
• PRESENT LEVY TOTAL ca R5B/ANNUM

8. AND NOW A SHORT REVIEW
QUIZ
• HAS ALL THIS PRODUCED THE SKILLS
REVOLUTION IN S.A.?
• WHY DO WE NEED THE NQF?
• DO WE REALLY NEED THE SETAs?
• DO YOU REGARD THE SETA AS THE
“AUTHORITY ON E & T IN YOUR
SECTOR”?

9. WHY HAS THE REVOLUTION
BEEN SO DIFFICULT TO
ACHIEVE?

10. THE CONDITIONS FOR A
REVOLUTION
• Who are the revolutionaries?
• What are they revolting about?
• What are the revolutionary structures?
• How are these better than what exists?
• What benefits are there to the
revolutionaries and their followers?

11. WHAT WE UNDERESTIMATED
• The power of institutionalized education
despite national acceptance of the NQF
• Inherent resistance to change in societies
• The impact of how we have all
experienced education
• How much has fundamentally changed in
education
• The perceived social value of formal
education

12. THE REVOLUTIONARY
ELEMENTS SINCE 1994
• OUR HRD STRATEGY: BEST IN WORLD
• ELEMENTS: SAQA & NQF
• SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ACT
• ESTABLISHMENT OF SETAs
• EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT
• POLICY FRAMEWORK: REVOLUTIONARY
• AND NOW THE NEW NQF ACT!

13. SO WHAT EXACTLY
SHOULD WE BE
REVOLTING AGAINST?
HISTORICAL
INTELLECTUAL ELITISM

14. WHICH MEANS WHAT EXACTLY?
• THE PREDOMINANCE OF ONE SECTOR
OVER OUR E&T SYSTEM
• THE LACK OF RECOGNITION OF LEARNING
ALONG DIFFERENT PATHWAYS
• NO EFFECTIVE RPL
• NON INTELLECTUAL EQUIVALENCE
BETWEEN A MINER WITH 30 YEARS
EXPERIENCE AND AN EDUCATION
GRADUATE

15. WHY HAS IT PROVED TO BE
SUCH A STRUGGLE?
BECAUSE AS A NATION WE HAVE
NEVER ACCEPTED OR UNDERSTOOD
THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY BETWEEN
ACADEMIC KNOWLEDGE & LEARNING
AND WORKPLACE KNOWLEDGE &
LEARNING

16. SO LET’S STOP TIPTOEING
AROUND THE EDUCATIONAL
ISSUES
• Universities are limited in high level skills
they can produce
• Universities of Technology are little better
• To develop workplaces as sites of
structured learning is difficult
• SETA’s need to develop intellectual
credibility

17. INTRODUCE A NEW
LEARNING ECOLOGY
Based on a different Epistemology
Nature and scope of knowledge
Theory of Knowledge

18. Universities
Knowledge Production
In a Work Places
[Intellectual Capital (1993 )]
Knowledge Economy
Social Environments
Not just knowing WHAT, but knowing HOW (Skills)

19. Enter the NQF
The Need to
Codify
This Knowledge
Qualifications:
In the specific
Knowledge Production Arena
Unit Standards

20. The emergence Related to work being done
Of
Occupationally-Directed Not job description
Qualifications
And
Unit Standards
Qualification: deepen, broaden & enable

21. Experts are within the Knowledge Production
Environment
New Learning Learning “To Do” only in Active
Enablers - Workplaces
Providers – are required
Learning Facilitation :2 Components
•The Expert –In the workplace
•The Learning Enabling Expert

22. IS THERE AN INTERNATIONAL
CONTEXT FOR ALL THIS?

23. WORKPLACE LEARNING
Notice how the book "Understanding Learning at
Work” begins:
• "Learning at work has become one of the most
exciting areas of development in the dual fields of
management and education. It has moved to become
a central concern of corporations and universities; it
is no longer the pre-occupation of a small band of
vocational training specialists.
• Today we see employees extending their educational
capabilities in learning through their work. At the
same time, opportunities and problems within work
are creating the need for new Knowledge and
understanding".

24. ITS ALL ABOUT LEARNING
The book: “Supporting workplace learning for
high performance working” says:
The worker is no longer the “consumer” of
training”, but he/she becomes an active agent in
the process of learning. Learning is no longer
clearly bounded and contained in the classroom
to be transferred later to the workplace; rather it
becomes embedded in the work organization
and production process. (P. 96)

25. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS
OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE
FOR THE SKILLS REVOLUTION?

26. MoL STATEMENT
During August this year, I tabled, together with the
Minister of Education, a joint Statement on the National
Qualifications Framework. This was after a process that
– unfortunately - lasted for almost four years. We have
agreed on the establishment of a Qualifications and
Quality Council for Trades and Occupations to become a
counterpart of the Council on Higher Education's Quality
Committee and Umalusi. It will focus on providing
qualifications development and quality assurance over
trades and occupations. Whilst this development is
better late than never, its success will rely on all of us

27. REVOLUTIONARY ELEMENTS OF
THE JOINT STATEMENT
• Establishment of QCTO
• Placement under Ministry of Labour
• Quality Assurance from NQF Levels 1 – 10
• Qualifications linked to Occupations
• Recognition that various forms of learning are
required in an integrated education, training
and skills development system

28. THE VITAL ROLE OF THE QCTO
• Why did the NQF Review take 5 years?
• Because of the institutional power of the
formal educational system
• The QCTO challenges the intellectual
primacy of institutionalized education
• DoL now becomes the Department of
Learning: a Constructivist Epistemology
reigns!

29. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES
FACING THE QCTO (1)
• ESTABLISH THE INTELLECTUAL PARITY
BETWEEN WORKPLACE-BASED
QUALIFICATIONS AND LEARNING @:
– NQF 5 – 10 WITH THE CHE’s QUALIFICATIONS;
– NQF 1 – 4 WITH UMALUSI.
• ESTABLISH LEVEL 10 QUALIFICATIONS
• FACILITATE RAPID IMPLEMENTATION AND
ACCEPTANCE OF QCTO CONCEPT

30. THE MAJOR CHALLENGES
FACING THE QCTO (2)
• QUALIFICATIONS MUST BE DEVELOPED &
ALIGNED TO OCCUPATIONS:
REVOLUTIONARY!
• ORGANIZATIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR
OCCUPATIONS MUST BE REFINED AND
USED
• SCARCE & CRITICAL SKILLS MUST BE
ADDRESSED IN THIS CONTEXT
• QUALITY ASSURANCE MECHANISMS MUST
BE IN PLACE: QUO VADIS ETQA’s?

31. THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS
TO THE QCTO & THE SETAs

32. BUT WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE
QCTO?
WE NEED TO CREATE AN
INTELLECTUAL HOME FOR
WORKPLACE LEARNING

33. THE FUTURE OF THE SETAs
• [54] SETAs will also play an important role, working with
the QCTO in the design and quality assurance of work
based learning processes. They will thus continue to
work with SAQA, occupational and professional bodies
and other QCs to advance the mobility and progression
of workers in learning and employment in accordance
with the NQF objectives.
• The ANC has proposed that in order for us to resolve
these institutional and national / sector strategy issues –
we should reduce the number of SETAs come 2010. We
need to reflect on this during commissions as we have
no excuse to continue shooting in the dark as we have
previously been doing.

34. THE CHALLENGE TO THE SETAs
• AS AUTHORITIES: INTELLECTUAL POWERHOUSES
• BE THE E&T REVOLUTIONARIES
– HAVE MONEY, RESOURCES AND NOW INTELLECTUAL
LEGITIMACY
• BOARDS PROPERLY PREPARED, INDUCTED &
AUDITED
• EVERY SETA SHOULD BE FRENETICALLY BUSY
DEFINING ITS OWN QUO VADIS
• ESTABLISH A DYNAMIC LEARNING SYSTEM FOR
ITS SECTOR FROM NQF 1 - 10

35. DOES IT WORK?
A CASE STUDY: DEVELOPING SAP
CONSULTANTS
• 4 PARTIES ARE REQUIRED
– THE SETA & SAQA: QUAL. DEV. & FUNDING
– AN ACTIVELY PARTICIPATING WORKPLACE,
WITH ITS EXPERTS
– LEARNERS IN THAT WORKPLACE, EMPLOYED
OR UNEMPLOYED
– A LEARNING FACILITATION AGENCY
– BEST SAP TRAINING IN THE WORLD!

36. AND SO WHAT ABOUT THESE
PH.Ds. IN WORKPLACE
LEARNING?
A SHORT PERSONAL HISTORY

37. PROPOSALS TO
CONSIDER

38. PROJECT 1:
A major PR exercise on the QCTO
sketching the implications for
bringing the NQF alive in the
minds and hearts of all South
Africans by showing the
possibilities for every citizen.

39. PROJECT 2:
Let the SETAs stand up and be
counted (after all you don’t wait to
be invited to start a revolution!):
Define their new role;
Rationalize their number;
Launch QCTO-Related Initiatives

40. PROJECT 3:
Organize a high level
development program at NQF
LEVELS 8 – 10 for SETA top
management & stakeholders.
This will go a long way to
establishing the “academic”
credibility of the QCTO.

41. THE CHALLENGES ARE
IMMENSE
BUT THE FUTURE OF THE
COUNTRY DEPENDS ON
“OVERTURNING STRONGLY
ENTRENCHED THINGS”