The Department of Higher Education and Training in collaboration with the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) invite members of the media to attend the official release of the first report on Skills Supply and Demand in South Africa. The release forms part of the two-day Research Colloquium on Skills Planning scheduled to take place at Birchwood Hotel on Thursday, 29 September 2016.

In 2009, the South African government prioritised skills planning through government priority Outcome 5.1.1, to “establish a credible institutional mechanism for skills planning” (DHET, 2010a).  To meet the Outcome 5.1.1 objectives, in 2012 the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) initiated a collaboration with an HSRC-led consortium (Human Sciences Research Council, University of Cape Town, and University of Witwatersrand) to establish the Labour Market Intelligence Partnership (LMIP) project.

According to LMIP project leader, Dr Vijay Reddy, the challenge for any government is to estimate and anticipate the education and skills required to support societal development, and a productive and inclusive economic growth path.

“Since 1994 there have been efforts to plan for skills needs, but these efforts were fragmented and the performance of this skills planning mechanism was imperfect as evidenced by the continued skills shortages. There was therefore a need for a more co-ordinated, coherent, and responsive skills planning system, hence the LMIP project,” added Dr Reddy.

The LMIP has conducted a number of research studies and produced research reports to inform skills planning in South Africa (www.lmip.org.za). One of the research projects of the LMIP is the report on Skills Supply and Demand in South Africa authored by Vijay Reddy, Haroon Bhorat, Marcus Powell, Mariette Visser and Fabian Arends.

The primary aim of the Report on Skills Demand and Supply in South Africa is to inform planning and provisioning of education and training, as well as to assist individuals in making appropriate career and educational choices. The report is expected to contribute to the responsiveness of the post-school education and training system to meet the skills needs of the economy and society. It is also intended to be used as a strategic resource to inform supply-side planning in post-school education and training institutions, funding norms, and the development of qualifications and programmes that are relevant to the needs of the labour market and information for career development.

Details of the event
Date: 29 September 2016
Time: 09:00 – 12:00
Venue: Birchwood Hotel and OR Tambo Conference Centre, 14 View Point Road, Boksburg
Google Map: Click Here=https://www.google.co.za/maps/place/Birchwood+Hotel+%26+OR+Tambo+Conference+Centre/@-26.1755249,28.2505227,15z/data=!4m12!1m6!3m5!1s0x0:0xa0673df49d1b3e64!2sBirchwood+Hotel+%26+OR+Tambo+Conference+Centre!8m2!3d-26.1755249!4d28.2505227!3m4!1s0x0:0xa0673df49d1b3e64!8m2!3d-26.1755249!4d28.2505227

For media enquiries contact: Adziliwi Nematandani,
0827659191
anematandani@hsrc.ac.za