Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister Yusuf Cassim has called on sector education and training authorities (SETAs) to measure the success of skills development programmes by their impact on employment and economic participation rather than the number of learners trained or certificates issued.
Cassim said skills development must be closely aligned with industry needs to ensure that qualifications equip young people with relevant skills and improve their prospects of finding work.
“Public funding must produce measurable results. Consistent data, effective follow-up and a willingness to act on the evidence are essential to achieving this,” he said.
The Deputy Minister was speaking at the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA) Accounting Authority Stakeholder Engagement Session in Cape Town on Thursday.
He warned that South Africa cannot afford to treat skills development as a peripheral issue, given the country’s high unemployment rate.
Statistics South Africa’s second-quarter 2026 figures put the official unemployment rate at 33.6%, while unemployment among young people aged 15 to 34 stood at 47.4%.
“Skills development cannot solve unemployment on its own. However, when training is disconnected from economic demand, we risk wasting both public resources, including those generated through the skills development levy, and human potential,” the Deputy Minister said.
CATHSSETA’s mandate covers the hospitality, tourism, conservation, gaming and lotteries, as well as arts, culture and heritage sectors. Cassim said these sectors had distinct workforce requirements that needed to inform training programmes.
The authority’s Sector Skills Plan identifies challenges in filling vacancies, including a lack of work experience and suitably qualified candidates, as well as gaps in leadership, people management, conflict management and customer service.
Cassim called for stronger partnerships between training providers, employers, and public institutions to ensure that what learners are taught reflects workplace expectations.
“Work-integrated learning, internships, apprenticeships and structured workplace exposure must be meaningful components of the learning journey, not simply administrative requirements to be completed.
“CATHSSETA should strengthen its partnerships with industry to expand quality workplace placements and create more opportunities for learners to gain practical experience. This must include finding workable ways for small businesses to participate.”
Tracking learners beyond graduation
Cassim urged CATHSSETA to strengthen its monitoring of learners after they complete their programmes to determine whether they secure employment, start businesses or pursue further studies.
The authority’s track-and-trace study, which covered 319 learners and 30 employers, found that 58.5% of surveyed respondents have secured full-time employment, while others reported fixed-term or casual work.
He added that the findings must be understood in the context of the study’s sample and methodology.
“They should not be interpreted as a national employment rate or assumed to represent every CATHSSETA programme. Nevertheless, they demonstrate the value of tracking outcomes and listening to employers.
“I would like to see CATHSSETA strengthen its reporting on these outcomes and provide a clear annual account of what happens to the learners it supports. This should help us understand where programmes are succeeding, where barriers remain and where improvements are needed,” Cassim said.
Accountability for public resources
Cassim said CATHSSETA’s Accounting Authority and management also has a responsibility to ensure that strategy translated into effective delivery and that the organisation demonstrates the value of its work.
He said performance targets for learner enrolments, learnerships, skills programmes, internships and workplace learning should be assessed against the quality of training and the outcomes achieved.
“Accountability should do more than establish whether targets have been met. It should help identify what works, where delivery falls short and what needs to change.”
He acknowledged that skills development alone cannot resolve the country’s structural economic challenges and that government cannot guarantee every graduate a job.
However, he said the system can improve its responsiveness to economic demand, expand meaningful workplace placements, track outcomes more consistently and prepare learners for emerging skills requirements. – SAnews.gov.za
