Chapter Eight INTERFACE BETWEEN NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES 1 Introduction The 1998 Medium-Term Expenditure Review for Education by a sub-group on The Funding of Skills Development observes that South Africa makes inadequate provision for technical and vocational education and does a poor job of preparing its citizens for the world of work. It suggests that there are a number of factors that require attention in the short term and puts forward certain medium-term objectives which centre on improving the quality and relevance of learning programmes. The group proposes a shift in expenditure from academic to more vocationally-oriented programmes and suggests that conditional grants and earmarked funding be used to address national and provincial priorities in skills development for young adults. This chapter outlines the key education and training policy developments that have particular significance to the National Youth Service. These education and training initiatives are critical if the National Youth Service is to meet its objectives and become one vehicle which contributes to the transformation of the education and training system in line with the objectives spelled out in national policy. Key policies that will be reviewed in this chapter are the following: the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act; the National Skills Bill; the Further Education and Training Bill; the multi-year implementation plan for Adult Basic Education and Training; and the Higher Education Act. 2 South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) Act provides for the establishment of the Board which has as its central responsibility the development of the National Qualifications Framework. The first South African Qualifications Authority bulletin states that, the objective of the National Qualifications Framework is the creation of an integrated national framework for learning. Access, mobility and progression are key object ives, as is the need for enhancing quality in education and training. Attention must be given to the speedy redress of past discrimination in education, training and employment. Through these objectives, the National Qualifications Framework contributes to the full personal development of each learner and the social and economic development of the nation at large. The responsibility of the Board is also to develop of national standards and qualifications on the one hand, and the establishment of quality assurance structures on the other. This provides a mechanism to ensure that irrespective of where the education and training takes place, or what mode of delivery is used, as long as the provider is accredited by a quality assurance structure and learners are assessed against nationally registered standards, learners are able to receive national recognition for that learning. The development of standards and quality assurance structures are important because they will enable the National Youth Service to provide participants with education and training programmes which are accredited and receive national recognition. The National Qualifications Framework integrates theory and practice, or knowledge with ability; the service component of national youth service provides opportunities in all the bands of learning for learners to access accredited work experience. This means that learners will have the option of taking their learning further upon completion of the service, if they so wish. This is in sharp contrast with the previous system which, in the main, only recognised learning that took place in formal learning institutions. 3 Green Paper on Skills Development and the Skills Development Bill The Department of Labour=' Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa is intended to complement the formal education system and link skill formation to the requirements of a developing economy. A key concern is to improve the intermediate level skills base of the country and to provide labour market training for identified target groups including the unemployed, retrenched workers, youth, women, the disabled and people in rural areas. An important mechanism for such training will be the provision of learner ships which will combine structured learning and work experience and will lead to nationally recognised qualifications. The Skills Bill proposes two types of programmes: learnership programmes as well as skills programmes. The learnership programmes consist of a structured learning component, as well as practical work experience, and must lead to a qualification registered by South African Qualifications Authority. Skills programmes are occupationally-based and, when completed, will constitute a credit towards a qualification registered in terms of the National Qualifications Framework The Strategy is closely linked to the macro-economic, industrial, labour market and science and technology policies of the country. A new National Skills Authority will determine skills priorities for the future and will develop and promote a national skills development strategy for the country and link such priorities to the National Skills Fund. The National Skills Fund will be used for projects that are identified as national priorities. This will include the provision of training in areas that have growth potential, such as tourism, or other strategic priorities. Amongst the key target groups for this fund are young people that are unemployed and out of school. The remainder of the levy (80%) will go directly to the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities. Companies which provide accredited education and training will be able to draw funds from the Sectoral Education and Training Authorities for this purpose. This will be used primarily, but not exclusively, for workers at all levels in the industry. Sectoral Education and Training Authorities will have the responsibility for human resources development planning in their sector, as well as quality assurance arrangements. The final aspect of the Skills Bill that has particular relevance to the National Youth Service concerns the institutions that will be established under the Bill. These include the Skills Development Planning Unit and the Employment Services Unit, whose functions are: to provide employment services for workers, employers and training providers; to register work-seekers; to register vacancies and work opportunities; and to assist prescribed categories of persons to enter special education and training programmes; to find employment; to start income-generating projects; and to participate in special employment programmes. These proposals are significant for a number of reasons. Firstly, the Bill supports the need for the provision of education and training to young people that are out of work and out of school. Secondly, the Bill and the Green Paper emphasise the importance of linking learning with practical experience. Thirdly, the Bill requires that the education and training which is provided must be accredited and provides for structures that will be able to play this quality assurance role; and fourthly, the Bill provides a funding mechanism for such programmes. 3.1 Implications for the National Youth Service Through its programmes for out-of-school and unemployed youth as well as those programmes for young people in conflict with the law, the National Youth Service can make an important contribution to meeting the human resources development needs of the country by complementing the skills Bill through its service learning concept. Learning through service is distinct, however, from the learnership in a number of ways. It does not necessarily lead to a qualification, but rather leads to credits towards a qualification. It fulfills a dual function in that it provides young people with access to education and training while facilitating the delivery of basic services and infrastructure to communities. The National Skills Fund can make an important contribution to the funding of the education and training components of the Youth Service, where these are in line with national priorities. Finally, the proposed labour centres can play an invaluable role in providing services to young people who wish to access a programme, as well as to those that are completing their programmes and need advice as to what avenues are possible for them. 4 White Paper on Further Education and Training and the Further Education and Training Bill The White Paper and Bill on Further Education and Training are aimed at establishing a single, coordinated system, which is more responsive to the needs of learners and to the requirements of social and economic development. The Further Education and Training Bill allows for the establishment of a National Board for Further Education and Training which will monitor the performance of the further education and training system. Provincial advisory bodies will also be established to advise the MECs on relevant FET issues. A range of different institutions (schools, colleges, training centres as well as private providers) will be able to offer programmes that fall within this band, including those programmes which fall within levels 2 to 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. While some institutions may occupy specialised niches in the labour market, others may develop a broad and comprehensive menu of programmes to meet the needs of a diverse clientele of young people, adult workers and the unemployed. The new policy framework will challenge institutions to take a broad and inclusive view of their role in human resources development in the province. This will entail moving beyond traditional conceptions of their role in technical and vocational education, and reviewing their mission and goals in relation to the needs of identified target audiences and specific needs. They will have to become strongly client-oriented, place greater emphasis on learner support services, community outreach, the provision of a range of services to industry to communities, and on marketing themselves to current and potential clients. This approach will be encouraged through the move towards programme-based funding B an arrangement which includes formula funding, earmarked funding and student aid. While the norms and standards of these funding arrangements have not yet been developed, some key aspects have already been highlighted. They include a strong emphasis on redress, as well as the need to ensure that institutions can offer programmes in a range of modes of learning. 4.1 Implications for the National Youth Service The Further Education and Training Bill has a number of elements that are important in the conceptualisation and planning of the National Youth Service. Firstly, it articulates a commitment to providing education and training to those young people who have left the education system and are unemployed. Secondly, it recognises that learning programmes must be more flexible with multiple sites of delivery and a greater emphasis on open learning opportunities. Thirdly, it reorients programmes towards the needs identified in a broader human resources development strategy. Fourthly, the movement towards programmatic funding allows for a broader range of programmes that can be offered in different modes and by a range of providers. And fifthly, the Further Education and Training Quality Authority will facilitate effective quality assurance arrangements. Youth Service programmes should be integrated into the curricula of formal learning institutions in ways which assist these institutions to meet these legislative requirements. Since the formulae for the funding of further education and training institutions have not yet been developed, there is an important opening to suggest the inclusion of service into this approach. This would obviously relate to the extent that linkages between learning and service are made in the curricula. 5 Adult basic education and training policy The adult basic education and training component of the general education and training band has not yet gone through the legislative process. However, the policy document and multi-year plan suggest a similar approach to that being proposed in the further education and training process. A key aspect of the plan includes the need for an integrated approach to adult basic education and training. This can be achieved in a range of learning sites. One option is that of adult basic education programmes that are offered within the context of development programmes. The plan also proposes the quality assurance arrangements that will be developed to ensure that all programmes can be accredited. It places great emphasis on the need for effective coordination amongst government departments to improve the quality of adult basic education and training in all other programmes. It also recommends a programme to develop the capacity of adult basic education and training practitioners. This is consistent with the approach being developed in the national youth service and will ensure the effective delivery of adult basic education and training in these programmes. 6 Higher Education White Paper and the Higher Education Act The Higher Education White Paper=s identification of a number of serious deficiencies in the sector. Among them are the inadequate response by higher education to the development needs of society, the failure of the sector to lay the foundations for a critical civil society, and inappropriate policies and practices in teaching and research. The White Paper provides, inter alia, Higher Education Quality Committee, that will be responsible for quality assurance and quality promotion with respect to higher education, in accordance with the policies and criteria set out by the South African Qualifications Authority. It also provides for programmes-based funding of higher education and for system-wide and institutional governance and planning. In the Department of Education=s review of funding formulae for higher education which is currently taking place, there is a unique opportunity for encouraging institutions to explore ways in which service and learning could be combined so as to achieve the goals of academic excellence, service and the promotion of democratic citizenship in different disciplines. 6.1 Implication for Youth Service The mission of higher education, teaching, research and service, provides the opportunity for integrating the notion of service into these institutions. A report recently produced by the Joint Education Trust on Community Service in Higher Education argues that the appropriate integration of service into higher education curricula can have three important results. It can: assist in the transformation of higher education institutions towards greater social responsiveness; enable participating students to develop greater social awareness and, in the case of professional training, a greater understanding of their roles as professionals given the conditions of poverty experienced by many South Africans; and deliver quality social services to poor communities in the process. The report cites four important factors which are likely to determine whether or not these benefits are realised in combining learning with service in the higher education context. The first requirement is a close articulation between the curriculum goals and the goals of the service programmes. The second is the orientation of the institutional leadership towards achieving greater social responsiveness through teaching and research. The third is the extent to which the programmes provide a site for the realisation of specific teaching and research goals. Finally, programme design and management were found to be critical factors in the successful integration of service and learning in higher education. The report recommends that service learning opportunities should not be obligatory across the board for all students and faculty, but rather that initiatives be taken which are meaningful in academic terms and appropriate to the meeting of community need.

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