South Africa’s sector education and training authorities (Setas) have set aside 37 423 learning programme opportunities in the form of 3 380 apprenticeships, 4 513 bursaries and 29 530 learnerships from which the matriculant class of 2014 can benefit, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande reiterated this week.

Responding to a question in Parliament by Econcomic Freedom Fighters MP Moses Mbatha, Nzimande added that these opportunities were available to learners who had passed matric but were not admitted to institutions of higher learning, as well as those who did not pass matric.

Further, he highlighted that the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) , through the Setas and the National Skills Fund, had committed in excess of R1.7-billion for the 2015/16 financial year to opportunities in artisan fields that would result in grants for over 16 250 artisan learners.

These opportunities were available to students who had not been admitted to institutions of higher learning.

“Matriculants who met the requirements and had an inclination to become an artisan, including a motor mechanic, plumber, electrician, chef and hairdresser, among others, may register with the National Artisan Development Support Centre (NADSC),” Nzimande added.

The DHET had also established the Central Application Clearing House (CACH) to assist matriculants who had not applied to or who had been declined by institutions of higher learning.

This service was open to capture the information of prospective applicants in January and February of each year, and was geared to redirect prospective applicants throughout the post-school education and training (PSET) system to institutions where spaces were available.

“The CACH process entails the validation of the prospective applicant’s results against the Department of Basic Education and Independent Examination Board examination data, to validate information.

“Once validated, this information is sent to each university, technical and vocational education and training college (TVET), as well as Setas on a weekly basis, to ensure that any possible unfilled space in the entire PSET system identified by institutions may be offered to a prospective applicant in his or her field of study,” Nzimande explained.

The CACH service is in its third year of operation and is “expanding constantly”.

In 2013, the placement ratio for CACH was 7% and this had increased to 21% in 2014. While this growth was moderate, it was expected to continue expanding each year through intensified interaction with institutions.

“Many universities were no longer accepting late applicants and some were now referring all their late applications to the CACH service to be redirected to other educational opportunities,” Nzimande said.

The expansion of the service brought in 30% more prospective applicants in 2014 than in the previous year. “It is now the function of the CACH service to continue to formalise the interaction between institutions within the PSET system,” he added.