Pretoria - Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa says the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) is among the most important instruments that government has to effectively tackle poverty and underdevelopment through education and training.
Addressing the second HRDC Summit in Johannesburg on Tuesday, the Deputy President said government looks to the council to initiate and coordinate the measures that South Africa needs to pursue to ensure the country has the human capital required to meet its social and economic needs.
He said the summit, which kicked off on Tuesday, is about forging partnerships for skills development.
“HRDC is the brains trust of our country when it comes to the development of the skills of all South Africans. No country can achieve economic growth without paying attention to the skills development of its people,” he said.
Through bodies such as the HRDC, South Africa is making progress in attaining the goals that it set out in the National Development Plan (NDP) - the goals of eliminating poverty and reducing inequality by 2030.
“We are making progress in transforming our economy and establishing the basis for faster job creation,” said the Deputy President.
Despite the current economic challenges facing the globe, the Deputy President said he believes there is a great deal South Africa can do to reshape and reposition its economy.
“There is a great deal we can do, and there is a great deal we are doing to significantly expand the productive capacity of our economy. We are not content merely to extract minerals and grow food. We want to manufacture, build and process.
“We want to extract more value, create more jobs and realise more development from our abundant natural wealth,” he said.
The Deputy President said with a skilled citizenry, South Africa can definitely build more, process more and do much more.
“We can develop and manufacture more products. We can be more efficient. With a skilled citizenry we can be more resourceful, more inventive, more creative, and achieve great things.
“Skills grow the economy. They create jobs. Skills raise standards of living and reduce inequality. Education and skills development are the most effective means we have at our disposal to end poverty and reduce inequality,” he said.
TVET colleges
He said one of these areas, where the impact of the council is being keenly felt, is in the expansion and improvement of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges.
“We know from experience that a shortage of artisans undermines economic growth. We have experienced this in our country where, because we had a great shortage of artisans, our economic growth has lagged behind.
“It is for this reason that we are improving the profile of the sector and investing massively in the training and employment of artisans,” he said.
The HRDC recently launched its Adopt-a-TVET College campaign to promote cooperation between industry and TVET colleges. To date, 24 out of 50 colleges have been adopted by a number of companies. - SAnews.gov.za
