Development in vocational education and training

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Introduction

The literature review discussed in this chapter will contextualise the literature on the expression of career aspirations in technical and vocational education in South Africa, with specific reference to construction skills education. The chapter will describe the historical development of technical and vocational education and training (TVET), its contribution to economic development and its value to society. It will then proceed with an appraisal of the international perspective of TVET with reference to the educational models applied in countries regarded as the leaders in TVET education. These will include the German and Swiss dual systems, the English model, as well as a developing country perspective using Ghana. Ghana’s system is, like South Africa’s, modelled on the English system. The review will continue by describing the evolution of TVET in South Africa, focusing on its historical development and covering the changes that ensued following the introduction of separate development under the apartheid policies of the previous government, to the current state as implemented by the democratic government post-1994. I will then focus on the organisation of work in the construction industry and the impact this has on training provision for new entrants. This will be followed by a review of the changes in the structural configuration of the construction industry and their effect on training and, ultimately, the career aspirations of new entrants to the industry. This section will describe historical infrastructure delivery models, the industry arrangements that supported these delivery models and how they influenced training, and will follow the changes in the predominant project management business models of delivery. Finally, the impact of extensive subcontracting and, especially labour-only subcontracting, on training and skills development in the construction industry and ultimately the career aspirations of learners will be discussed. The chapter concludes by providing a description of current training programmes in the construction industry. This will include a description of the recognised exit-level outcomes and entry-level jobs, how they are achieved in real life, and how the changes in construction industry configurations have affected the attainment of these outcomes and learners’ aspirations. 2.2 Development in vocational education and training Vocational education and training (VET) is the branch of post-secondary education and training that provides job-related technical skills training. Vocational education covers a range of careers and industries such as the engineering and construction trades, manufacturing, retail and business-related studies, hospitality and technology. UNESCO defines vocational education as follows: Education that is designed for learners to acquire the knowledge, skills and competencies specific to a particular occupation or trade or class of occupations or trades. Vocational education may have work-based components (e.g. apprenticeships). Successful completion of such programmes leads to labour-market relevant vocational qualifications acknowledged as occupationally-oriented by the relevant national authorities and/or the labour market (UNESCO, 2011, p. 14). Vocational education is meant to provide learners with skills for employability and job readiness attributes that enable them to join the world of work. Historically, emphasis on education provisioning has been on universal primary education as espoused in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The success of universal education has led to a shift in emphasis to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to provide employment for secondary school graduates who cannot find employment on leaving school (King, 1993; McGrath, 2004, 2012; Palmer, 2007). Wallenborn (2010) also attributes the renewed interest in TVET to the success of universal primary education policies and a need to find employment for secondary school graduates. In support of vocational education, Brewer (2013) reports that primary and secondary education prepares students to undertake lifelong learning and continuous improvement, but does not impart key employability skills. It is against this background that technical and vocational education is gaining currency as a mechanism to prepare young people for occupational fields and enhance their participation in the world of work (Baraki & Kemenade, 2013). Vocational education is also seen as a catalyst for increasing the productivity and employability that will result in poverty reduction and economic competitiveness (Wallenborn, 2010).

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