Leadership Intelligence Bulletin

Suspicious workers feel insecure

The government's Training Layoff Scheme announced in August – its response to the recession, aimed at curbing retrenchments and upskilling temporarily redundant workers – has failed to get off the ground fully as originally envisaged. The scheme is now being reviewed.

Read more: Training Layoff Scheme

Maths and science teachers from Nigeria

Many South Africans dread the early morning news; it is not easy to take bad news every morning with the first cup of coffee. For many still reeling from the debacles with Eskom, Armscor and Caster Semenya, as well as the national anthem fiasco, to name but a few, it was a relief to hear that a decision was taken to scrap the discredited outcomes-based education (OBE) concept – or just about.

Read more: Education rescue

International shortages loom

Driven by the twin factors of the dwindling dominance of fossil fuels in the energy-generating industry and the need to mitigate the impact of climate change by developing renewable energy resources, high demand for skills in the renewable energy industry is fast developing. While on the one hand creating an opportunity for the development of new sustainable job opportunities, a shortage of appropriate skills in this new budding industry is looming in countries across the globe. South Africa is no exception in this regard.

Read more: Energy skills

South African work permits to be extended

Changes to South African legislation dealing with immigration is on the cards – notably to help deal with some of the critical skills shortages with which the economy is battling to come to grips. Among others, consideration is being given to the possibility to extend the length of work permits for foreigners with scarce skills, said Minister of Home Affairs Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma at a recent parliamentary media briefing.

Read more: Skilled immigration

Setas and the NQF had advantages

While the Sectoral  Education and Training Authorities (Setas) have attracted much negative publicity in recent weeks for being perceived to have been wasteful and not having lived up to expectations in terms of mitigating South Africa’s endemic skills shortage, they have also delivered some results, according to the chief executive officer of the Seta for the financial services sector.

Read more: Spotlight on Setas