Fasset is more than up to the challenge

Says Cheryl James, the chief executive officer of the Finance, Accounting, Management Consulting and other Financial Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Fasset): “Having met its NSDS [National Skills Development Strategy] I and NSDS II targets, and with its new constitution and management board now in place, Fasset is looking forward to delivering against NSDS III.”

Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande has implemented uniform constitutions across all 21 Setas.

“Fasset’s new constitution was approved on 8 May 2011, ushering the way for Fasset’s re-licensing,” James explains.

One of the primary changes arising from the new Seta constitution is the inclusion of three independent board members, in a now standard 15-person Seta board.

“Fasset supports the move toward best practice and is delighted to announce and welcome Fasset’s three new independent board members: Fasset chairperson Tsakani Matshazi, Amanda Dempsey and Mopo Mushwana,” says James.

Matshazi is a qualified chartered accountant and is also currently the administrator of the Energy and Water Seta.

“An experienced chairperson, with an in-depth knowledge of our sector and the Seta environment, together with a strong board and an impressive track record for delivery over the past 11 years, means Fasset’s Secretariat is more than capable of rolling out NSDS III very successfully,” James informs.

Fasset, together with its sector, extends a warm welcome to the other 12 members of Fasset’s board, six representing organised business and six representing organised labour.

Details of Fasset’s new board, which was approved by Minister Nzimande on 10 May 2011, and which has been appointed from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2016, appear in the table below:

While transformation within the Seta environment has enjoyed much publicity recently, James says transformation has always been a central pillar of the NSDS.

“Minister Nzimande has stated that transformation ‘is about confronting the deeply interrelated challenges of class, race and gender inequalities, including confronting the HIV/Aids pandemic and being an inclusive society for the disabled.’ Since inception, Fasset has been at the forefront of driving transformation within its sector,” she observes.

While learnerships are the traditional vehicle for empowering individuals and opening up the sector to black learners and learners with disabilities, Fasset has used its Development Projects to drive transformation within its sector.

“As at 31 March 2011, just over R345.2 million has been allocated to these projects and over 13 000 learners have benefited,” the Fasset CEO informs.

Development Projects range from those that target pupils at Grade 12 level, enabling them to obtain the requisite marks in mathematics and accounting to pursue a career in the Fasset sector; to those that target learners at postgraduate level.

Fasset has pioneered projects that support unemployed finance and accounting graduates and graduates in other disciplines such as project management, human resource management and marketing – skills that are needed in the Fasset sector – as well as work readiness programmes.

The latter have achieved placement rates of well over 70%.

James concedes that statistics of 42% unemployment in the population under the age of 30, and some 2.5 million young South Africans aged between 18 to 24 who are not only unemployed, but unemployable due to very low skills levels – are cause for alarm.

“South Africans have proved that they are more than up to a challenge. Setas, in partnership with government, can make an enormous difference by driving transformation.

“Fasset, for one, is inspired and challenged by NSDS III. Echoing our minister’s words, we stand ready to continue with the transformation agenda. We do this because we understand fully that unless significant resources are directed at improving the skills of the majority of black youth, we will not achieve our goals of eradicating poverty and creating jobs,” she concludes.

Visit www.fasset.org.za