Linda Ensor
28 August 2008
Cape Town — The cabinet has approved the broad framework for a human resource development strategy (HRDS-SA) to start working from April next year.
It will ultimately replace the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (Jipsa).
The idea was to create a more formalised, permanent structure which would adopt a far more comprehensive approach to skills development and acquisition, deputy director-general in the Presidency Alan Hirsch told Parliament's labour committee yesterday.
The cabinet approved the plan at its lekgotla last month and the government would consult with stakeholders about its implementation.
The cabinet has also approved the establishment of a strong, dedicated placement agency to match available skills with jobs more effectively, Hirsch said.
He said the Jipsa secretariat would run for at least a year after the establishment of the HRDS-SA and its structures would be incorporated into the new body to maintain the momentum of Jipsa.
Hirsch said Jipsa was always regarded as a stop-gap measure until a new human resource strategy was finalised. It was set up under the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative SA programme in March 2006 to address the skills shortage. It was estimated at the time that SA would need 50000 more artisans by 2010.
He told the committee the Jipsa joint task team had decided to add agricultural and rural development skills to those it had traditionally focus ed on .
A wide range of issues needed to be addressed in agriculture, including training workers, farmers and extension officers and funding research. A survey of skills needs and availability would be conducted and discussions held on what measures should be adopted to address deficiencies.
Hirsch said SA's agricultural sector was not competitive enough. It was not producing enough for domestic and international markets and not creating enough jobs. To do both would require a more sophisticated sector. Another major challenge in skills development was to "train the trainers".
Hirsch said the labour department and the t reasury had agreed to extend the tax allowance for learnerships to three years as was the case for artisan training.
Hirsch said while the private sector had supported Jipsa and some companies had contributed through training programmes and placements "much more remains to be done by private firms".
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When are they going to get it right 1st time,maybe i'm asking to much.