Vocational training shake-up means TVETs are a great choice for 2026

With higher education application season in full swing for 2026, technical and vocational training is a better option than ever, according to expert panellists on an X Space discussion hosted by Kagiso Trust.

The new approach to vocational training is introducing reforms which panellists described as “game-changers” that will improve the prospects of graduates and meet the needs of the economy. Changes include:

• A review of courses offered by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges to make them more relevant to the world of work.
• Increased emphasis on practical skills.
• New occupational qualifications.
• Easier access to workplace training.
• A more pragmatic approach to maths requirements.
• More online courses.

Sizakele Mphatsoe, head of education at Kagiso Trust – a leading development agency – urged grade 12 students to research courses at the 50 TVET colleges around the country.

“We see TVET as a game-changer because it immediately offers practical, cost-effective and empowering pathways which will lead to stable employment as well as financial independence,” she said during the X Space on 6 March.

TVET programmes give students job-ready skills in much less time than university degrees, Mphatsoe told the hundreds of people who attended the event, titled “Skilled and sorted: How vocational training can help you secure the bag”.

She added: “[Vocational training] also ignites the passion of entrepreneurship. Instead of [students] looking forward to employment, they can immediately become employers.”

Artisan shortage

The Sasol Foundation’s Dr Cynthia Malinga, who leads the energy and chemicals company’s Technical Schools of Excellence Network, said the emphasis on university education means South Africa has too many engineers and too few artisans. This is why the foundation focuses on developing technical vocational skills in schools and TVET colleges.

“We believe that by doing that, we are in a position to develop the economy and provide the much-needed skills that every economy needs.”

Malinga praised the Department of Basic Education for extending occupational subjects to grades 8 and 9 and said she was encouraged by one of the outcomes of a foundation training programme that focused on install, repair and maintenance skills for workshop and laboratory teacher assistants.

She said there were more women than men in the programme. And particularly in electrical and welding, “girls outperform the boys because they are meticulous and very attentive to detail”, she said. “It’s important for girls to start noticing that women are very successful artisans as well.”

Two key steps

After studying entrepreneurship at a TVET college, panellist Rodney Mokoena launched the Global Application Office, which supports students as they apply for university and TVET places. He said there are two key steps for matrics:

• Consider your strengths. “Not everyone can become a doctor or a teacher.”
• Do your research. “Most of the time, students have unclear information about course requirements.”

Mokoena said someone with skills is well placed to find employment. “Vocational skills can lead to better jobs, prospects, and higher earnings. Our encouragement is that [students] must take advantage of their skills,” he said.

Department of Higher Education deputy director-general Sam Zungu described Mokoena as one of the growing number of “TVETpreneurs” emerging from vocational training, a sphere of education that’s experiencing a rebirth after years of debate and policymaking. “One of the challenges was that our programmes are not responsive, they are not relevant. Industry was complaining,” he said.

As a result, N1 to N3 programmes (equivalent to grades 9, 10 and 11) will be replaced next year by occupational qualifications managed by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO). N4 to N6 programmes will be replaced later. The aim is to “ensure that we afford young people the most relevant education” so they can find jobs or start a business, said Zungu.

The shift is supported by investment in new TVET colleges, more online programmes and modules, investment in training of lecturers, and a “centres of specialisation” model that offers industry-led training and promotes entrepreneurism.

“The model is linked to what the Germans are doing in creating a sustainable economy that is not relying on the big corporates only but also promotes small, medium and micro enterprises,” said Zungu. “The majority of young people still consider university education as the education, and we are trying as much as we can to change that.”

Putting practical skills first

Vijayen Naidoo, CEO of the QCTO, said a big feature of the new qualifications is a greater emphasis on practical skills alongside theoretical and workplace modules. And TVET colleges, not students, will be responsible for providing workplace experience.

Instead of having to write four theoretical exams at each level, students will have an “external integrated summative assessment” that will simultaneously test theoretical and practical skills. “To be a plumber, you will have to physically demonstrate everything that is required … and you must be able to give the theory behind [it],” said Naidoo.

He said TVET colleges will no longer “produce learners for unemployment” by offering irrelevant courses. “If we can develop enough qualifications that industry demands, we can guarantee a higher uptake of learners into industry,” he said.

Importantly, only the “appropriate level” of maths and science to practise a trade would be required, not necessarily a matric pass. “We want to get people through from learning to earning as soon as possible.”

Mandisa Tselane, Kagiso Trust’s head of marketing and communications, said the discussion had made clear that “securing the bag” – or earning money – did not mean conforming to a stereotype. “Please don’t follow the crowd,” she told students who joined the X Space. “Follow what it is that you think works for you, what builds your future.”