Johannesburg — IT WOULD be another year before SA's further education and training (FET) sector was re-jigged so that the colleges could take on twice the number of students they do at present, delegates to a weekend further education and training conference heard.

The government last year said it wanted the number of students to increase from about 400 000 to 1-million by 2015, to make inroads into SA's enormous youth unemployment problem.

O f the 2,8-million South Africans between the ages of 18 and 24 who were not employed, studying or in training, 2- million (71%) had not matriculated and 500 000 (18%) had not studied beyond primary school, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande said at the conference opening on Friday.

Work will begin immediately on ensuring the colleges had the requisite resources such as funding and staff to get themselves in shape for the changes that will start happening in 2012, Mr Nzimande said.

SA has a chronic shortage of artisans. Business Unity SA says the country needs more than triple the 8000 that come out of the system each year. SA lacks skills from tool-making to welding and the average age of a tradesperson in SA is over 50.

The government has for years struggled to revitalise the system, and spent a total R1,5bn between 2006 and 2008 on upgrading the colleges, but they are still in crisis, with poor results and low graduation rates. The colleges previously fell under the provincial education departments, but legislation that would officially place them under the jurisdiction of the higher education and training department was about to be tabled, said Mr Nzimande.

Mr Nzimande's department assumed responsibility for the colleges last year, after President Jacob Zuma was inaugurated, and announced a split in the education department to form two new departments, Mr Nzimande's and a basic education department under Angie Motshekga.

The conference, attended by representatives of colleges, sectoral education and training authorities (Setas), business, the higher education department and universities, agreed work was needed to change the way the colleges were funded and staffed, as well as how they made financial and programme plans and how they fit into the entire post-school education system.

Recommendations put to the conference came from task teams established in April, Department of Higher Education and Training director-general Mary Metcalfe said.

The proposed overhaul of FETs is part of a wider series of changes, the first of which is to develop a co-ordinated post- school education system comprising higher and FET institutions and the Setas, former Higher Education SA CEO Duma Malaza said.

"There are no instant solutions to these problems," department spokeswoman Ranjeni Munusamy said.

Work to take place over the next year includes research on lecturer knowledge and competency, the financial state of the various colleges, infrastructure, student needs and employer demand . The conference recommended that each college have a mix of programmes suitable to their geographical location, local labour market and community.

In addition, they should develop links with higher education institutions and local industry, the conference said.