The NQF and Skills Development inseparable and on track

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The NQF and Skills Development inseparable and
on track

• Department of Labour National Skills Development
  Strategy Conference
• Samuel B A Isaacs
• Executive Officer
• South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)
• 
  26 September 2002

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The SAQA Mandate

• To oversee the development and implementation of
  a
• National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in terms
  of the
• NQF objectives which are to
• Create an integrated national framework for
  learning achievements
• Facilitate access to, and mobility and
  progression within, education, training and
  career paths
• Enhance the quality of education and training
• Accelerate the redress of past unfair
  discrimination in education, training and
  employment opportunities and thereby,
• Contribute to the full personal development of
  each learner and the social and economic
  development of the nation at large.

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The National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS)
objectives

• Developing a culture of high quality life-long
  learning
• Fostering skills development in the formal
  economy for productivity and employability
• Stimulating and supporting skills development in
  small business
• Promoting skills development, employability and
  sustainable livelihoods through social
  development initiatives
• Assisting new entrants into employment

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Implementation Plan for Tirisano, 2001 - 2002

• Programme 1 HIV/AIDS
• Programme 2 School effectiveness and Educator
  Professionalism
• Programme 3 Literacy
• Programme 4 FET
• Programme 5 Organisational Effectiveness of the
  National and Provincial Departments
• Programme 6 Values in Education

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The HRD Strategy consists of five strategic
objectives

• Improving the foundations for human development
• Improving the supply of high-quality skills
  (particularly scarce skills) which are more
  responsive to societal and economic need
• Increasing employer participation in lifelong
  learning
• Supporting employment growth through industrial
  policies, innovation, research and development
• Ensuring that the four strategic objectives of
  the HRD Strategy are linked
• A nation at work for a better life
• for all.

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SAQAs Role and Responsibilities

• SAQA ensures that our nation has
• A standards setting system
• A quality assurance system
• A comprehensive information system the National
  Learners Records Database (NLRD)

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What are the links?

• Learnerships and skills programmes
• are underpinned and supported by
• The qualifications and standards registered by
  SAQA on the NQF
• The quality assurance processes of ETQAs
• Learner data and achievements captured on the NLRD

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NSDS Objective 1Developing a culture of high
quality lifelong learning

• 193 NQF-registered qualifications linked to 285
  learnerships
• NQF-registered standards linked to skills
  programmes
• RPL policy
• 25 SETAs accredited as ETQAs
• NLRD ready to receive learner achievements data

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NSDS Objective 2Fostering skills development
in the formal economy for productivity and
employment growth

• Further generation of standards and
  qualifications linked to learnerships and skills
  programmes joint implementation plans
• Ongoing monitoring and auditing of ETQAs

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NSDS Objective 3 Stimulating and supporting
skills development in small businesses

• Numerous applicable business qualifications and
  associated unit standards already registered on
  the NQF
• Further generation of small business
  qualifications and unit standards joint
  implementation plans

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NSDS Objective 4Promoting skills development
for employability and sustainable livelihoods
through social development initiatives

• Appropriate standards generated and registered on
  the NQF joint implementation plans
• RPL
• Quality assured education and training provision

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NSDS Objective 5Assisting new entrants into
employment

• NQF-registered qualifications linked to
  learnerships
• RPL for access to available qualifications,
  employment and further learning
• NLRD data for monitoring and future planning

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The success factors

• Systems are in place
• Joint implementation plans
• Tight project management
• Open communication
• Practices are embedded
• Risk management
• Results-based management
• Understanding of systemic change

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Michael FullanChange Forces The Sequel

• Ideas without moral purpose are a dime a
  dozen. Moral purpose without ideas means being
  all dressed up with nowhere to go. Power without
  ideas or moral purpose is deadly. Moral purpose
  ideas without power means the train never
  leaves the station. The interactive systems I
  described .. the deep meaning of collaboration
  to obtain substantial results are precisely
  systems that gain their tremendous energy through
  the fusion of intellectual, political and
  spiritual purpose.

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The NQF

• Provides a vision, a moral purpose
• Provides a basis for systemic change, setting up
  a platform for the development and
  implementation of great ideas
• Has legitimacy, transparency political power

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Michael Barber and Vicki Phillips
HIGH SUPPORT
Slow, even progresscomplacency
Rapid progressHigh performance
LOW PRESSURE
HIGHPRESSURE
StagnationUnder-performance
ConflictDemoralisation
LOW SUPPORT
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John Kotter Leading Change
The Relationship of Leadership, Management,
Short-term Results and Successful Transformation
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Results Based Management
Balancing the 3 Rs
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Risk Analysis
Low risk
Moderate risk
High risk
Inputs Activities
Outcomes
Outputs
Long-termImpact
Decreasing management control
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SAQAs achievements

• Standards Setting and Development - fully
  implemented system for South Africa
• National Standards Bodies (NSBs)
• Standards Generating Bodies (SGBs)
• Outputs
• 247 qualifications registered
• 6808 existing qualifications interimly registered
• 3796 Standards registered
• 134 registered SGBs
• 48 SGBs in formation

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SAQAs achievements

• Quality Assurance and Development
• 32 Accredited ETQAs
• Centre for the Evaluation of Educational
  Qualifications
• National Learners Records Database developed
  and installed

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Impact of SAQAs achievements

• NQF at the cutting edge, worldwide
• Wide participation in, and understanding of,
  education and training systemic change
• Greater co-operation among stakeholders and
  sectors in a coherent approach
• Improved quality and accountability

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Impact of SAQAs achievements (continues)

• Underpinning the National HRD Strategy and
  supporting the DoEs Tirisano Programme and the
  DoLs Vhutsila Skills Development Strategy
• Assurance of a world class South African
  education and training system
• NLRD assisting to monitor the education and
  training system and inform decision-making

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We are making the NQF road by walking
reflectively, accountably and boldly.
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The NQF and Skills Development inseparable
and on track

• Samuel B A Isaacs
• Executive Officer
• South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)