MACRO & INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE OF

OCCUPATIONAL BASED LEARNING

BY

PROF M C MEHL

TRIPLE L ACADEMY

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

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

EFFECTING EDUCATIONAL CHANGE

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

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

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

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”?

WHY HAS THE REVOLUTION BEEN SO DIFFICULT TO

ACHIEVE?

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?

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

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!

SO WHAT EXACTLY SHOULD WE BE

REVOLTING AGAINST?

HISTORICAL INTELLECTUAL ELITISM

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

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

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

INTRODUCE A NEW LEARNING ECOLOGY

Based on a different Epistemology

Nature and scope of knowledge

Theory of Knowledge

Knowledge ProductionIn a

Knowledge Economy

Universities

Work Places[Intellectual Capital (1993)]

Social Environments

Not just knowing WHAT, but knowing HOW (Skills)

The Need to Codify

This Knowledge

Enter the NQF

Qualifications:In the specific Knowledge Production Arena

Unit Standards

The emergence Of

Occupationally-Directed Qualifications

And Unit Standards

Related to work being done

Not job description

Qualification: deepen, broaden & enable

New Learning Enablers -

Providers – are required

Experts are within the Knowledge Production Environment

Learning “To Do” only in Active Workplaces

Learning Facilitation :2 Components

•The Expert –In the workplace •The Learning Enabling Expert

IS THERE AN INTERNATIONAL CONTEXT FOR ALL THIS?

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".

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)

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE NEW ARCHITECTURE

FOR THE SKILLS REVOLUTION?

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

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

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!

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

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?

THE CHALLENGES IT PRESENTS TO THE QCTO & THE SETAs

BUT WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE QCTO?

WE NEED TO CREATE AN INTELLECTUAL HOME FOR WORKPLACE LEARNING

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.

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

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!

AND SO WHAT ABOUT THESE PH.Ds. IN WORKPLACE

LEARNING?

A SHORT PERSONAL HISTORY

PROPOSALS TO CONSIDER

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.

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

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.

THE CHALLENGES ARE IMMENSE

BUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY DEPENDS ON

“OVERTURNING STRONGLY ENTRENCHED THINGS”