Abstract
Skills training for Civil Technology learners in South African schools, is an aspect entrenched in the Civil Technology policy document in order to produce skilled personnel for a sustainable economy. Practical activities through the Practical Assessment Task (PAT) are national requirements for all practical-based subjects from grades 10–12 in South African schools. The purpose of this study was to investigate the status of Civil Technology practical activities in three South African schools in the Eastern Cape Province. Purposive sampling was used to identify 41 learners and 3 teachers to participate in the study. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and observation as data collection methods were instruments used to collect data. The study has found that learners exit grade 12 without basic practical hands-on skills. Civil Technology practical activities were found to be inadequately offered in the three schools investigated. Educators should be well-trained by higher education institutions (HEIs) to conduct practical activities with learners so that these learners are equipped with marketable skills in order to contribute to a sustainable economy after grade 12. Technology teacher education and training should include regular exposure and visits to relevant industries in order for teachers to keep abreast with the latest technological developments. The supply of equipment to schools should be coupled with routine maintenance of the equipment.
Highlights
Post-apartheid South Africa provided the Ministry of Education with the opportunity to change the curriculum; one of the new subjects conceived for secondary schools, was Civil Technology, previously known as Woodworking
Barriers to the teaching and learning of Civil Technology practical activities were listed in table 1 below where respondents answered as follows: Strongly Agree SA, Agree A, Disagree D and Strongly Disagree SD
The questionnaires, interviews and observations from the three schools as discussed above have revealed that all the workshops lack equipment and material to equip learners with the technological skills required for a sustainable economy
Summary
Post-apartheid South Africa provided the Ministry of Education with the opportunity to change the curriculum; one of the new subjects conceived for secondary schools, was Civil Technology, previously known as Woodworking. Woodworking fell within Technical Education currently called Technology Education and included trades such as plumbing, bricklaying and plastering that were taught separately. Learners who studied the subject would be apprenticed, obtain a trade test certificate become artisans and entrepreneurs whereby they earned a living if they were unable to further their studies. Apprentices complete a trade test at the end of their training at the Institute for the Development of Learnerships and Learnership Assessment (INDLELA), after which they are certified if successful and recognized as artisans within the relevant industries (Department of Labour, 1998). The subject Civil Technology is designed to provide learners with a sound technical foundation that integrates both theory and practical competencies His research interests include Technology education, Educational technology/ ICT in education, Technical
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