Entrepreneurship thrives when youth gain vocational skills early

The Citizen

12-06-2025

TVET improvements focus on practical assessments and relevant math and science to prepare youth for trades and entrepreneurship.
Economist Dawie Roodt set the cat among the pigeons recently when he said many public universities should be converted into colleges that produce skills the economy needs.
Only 10% of young people should go to university, he said, adding that the greater economic need is for artisans.
It can easily be argued that in some respects technical and vocational education and training (TVET) is failing young South Africans, just as it would be correct to say academic education is the wrong choice for others.
Stigma
One of apartheid's many indignities was inferior technical and vocational training for black South Africans.
Ironically, the reason the stigma needs to be broken is to break the economic shackles that bind young people, and it's been done elsewhere in Africa:
Many Mauritians have technical and vocational qualifications and the government invests heavily in this sector. Economic growth in Mauritius was 4.7% last year.
Kenya has numerous TVET institutions, with a growing emphasis on public-private partnerships and the recognition of informal prior learning. Economic growth was 4.7% last year.
Ghana has reformed its TVET sector and prioritised competency-based training in key skills needed in the large informal sector. Economic growth was 5.7% last year.
Rwanda has linked its TVET system to the needs of the informal economy and seen a significant increase in TVET enrolment. Economic growth was 6.9% last year.
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In South Africa, where economic growth was 0.6% last year, moves to improve the impact of TVET include the introduction of qualifications that place greater emphasis on practical skills.
Vijayen Naidoo, CEO of the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations, told a recent X Space discussion, hosted by Kagiso Trust, that instead of writing four theoretical exams at each level, students would have an assessment that tests their theoretical and practical skills.
Importantly, only the 'appropriate level' of maths and science to practise a trade would be required, not a matric pass.
Key steps
Panellist Rodney Mokoena studied entrepreneurship at a TVET college, then launched the Global Application Office, which supports students as they apply for university and TVET places.
He said those with skills were well placed to find employment.
It's a sentiment that was high on the agenda at an event flowing from SA's 2025 presidency of the G20: the Future of Jobs Summit in Joburg last month.
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The person named at the summit as the 2025 Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year was someone whose business was built on vocational skills.
As a schoolboy, Sheldon Tatchell started cutting hair on a stoep in Eldorado Park. All he had was clippers and a chair. Today, he has more than 70 Legends barber shops in five African countries.
Speaking recently at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Tatchell highlighted the power of vocational education.
In October, delegates at last month's summit will table their Future of Job Creation Report with the Presidency, parliament, and the 21 Sector Education and Training Authorities.
There is no doubt TVET will emerge as a prominent part of their strategy, making the report a milestone in giving vocational training the status it deserves.