Technical And Vocational Education And Training Colleges Research Articles

The Exploring Factors that Teachers View as Hindering Quality in Teaching and Learning at a TVET College

The overarching purpose of this study was to explore teacher views on some issues that hinder quality in teaching and learning at a TVET college. This is explored by considering challenges that face teachers in providing quality teaching and learning. A total of twenty-four lecturers participated in the study. The study adopts a mixed methods approach and enacts Karl Maton` Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) as its analytical framework. Data were collected by means of interviews, questionnaires, and document analysis. While a symbiotic relationship is expected to exist between expertise and decision-making structure in the technical and vocational education and training (TVET), there is a dichotomous gap in the two domains, which in turn compromises the quality of teaching and learning. 

Interventions for Inclusion in TVET through Private-Public Development Partnership in Ethiopia and Zambia

The study is about reconfiguring Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) through Private-Public Development Partnership (PPDP) for the inclusion of disadvantaged groups in Ethiopia and Zambia. A PPDP is a cooperation between national and foreign actors targeted at development activities and is a governmental strategy to increase the standard of TVET, including strategies to include disadvantaged learners. This article focuses on two PPDPs, one comprising a TVET college in Ethiopia and another in Zambia. The aim is to analyse and compare the curricular strategies of these two PPDPs to revamp TVET for the inclusion of disadvantaged learners. Data was generated through document analysis, interviews and focus groups. The findings indicate that both PPDPs served as an intervention to the TVET institutions, thereby including disadvantaged learners in contexts of huge inequality of opportunities. The article points to tensions relating to inclusion, particularly about how global educational policy trends contend with the realities in local labour markets and the needs of TVET graduates who will work therein.

Inquiry into Students' Perceptions of Civil and Building Construction Curricula in South African TVET Colleges

The civil and building construction programme was introduced in 2007 in South Africa as a new Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualification. This TVET qualification was intended to ensure an adequate supply of skills in priority areas such as carpentry, roof-work, plumbing, and bricklaying. However, the TVET sector in South Africa has not fulfilled the mandate of providing adequate skills for trades of carpentry and roof-work, plumbing and bricklaying. The purpose of this study was to enquire into students' perceptions of civil and building construction curricula in South African TVET colleges. This study was conducted using a mixed-method research approach and case study design comprised of two TVET colleges. Purposive and convenience sampling was used to identify one hundred and thirty students to participate in the study. The data collection instrument used for this study was a questionnaire directed to civil and building construction students. The study discovered that civil and building construction curricula content need urgent evaluation to keep up with the demand in the industry. The curriculum design of civil and building construction must be revised in line with the demand in the industry. It is discovered that civil and building construction curricula content contains a lot of theory content. This study recommends that civil and building construction curricula content be revised and updated in line with industry demand. The revision process needs to involve all the stakeholders such as the industry, TVET teachers and curriculum planners.

Effects of Entrepreneurship Education on Start-up Propensity: Technical and Vocational College Lecturers' Perspectives

This research aimed to engage the prevailing status that education in entrepreneurship is offered to college students in South Africa to enhance the learning and teaching efficiency of TVET college, which should lead to motivating and preparing graduates to start their own businesses. At the time of this study (2020), the total youth unemployment rate was 40.3%. In addition, the youth graduate unemployment rate was 55.2%. It is concerning that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college graduates face this challenge. It is significantly possible that South African TVET students will face unemployment after graduation due to the high unemployment rate and the competition in the job market from other universities. Accordingly, there is a need to transform TVET college students into entrepreneurs who can self-sustain upon completion of their studies.Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour was used to address the paucity of literature on entrepreneurial education and start-up propensity. Accordingly, a research questionnaire was structured to address the issue: "To what extent do the variables in the entrepreneurial environment (TVET colleges), in the form of knowledge of entrepreneurship, perceived self-efficacy and attitude towards entrepreneurship, affect the entrepreneurial intentions of students?" This study proved the direct relationship between entrepreneurship education, inclination, and intention to start a business.A few recommendations are made regarding investment in entrepreneurship education and infrastructure, partnering with private and public companies, and entrepreneurship as an integral part of development in the national policy framework that addresses unemployment.

Investigating TVET college educators’ experiences while transitioning from the traditional classroom to the virtual classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic

The growing utilisation of digital technologies in today’s complex and fast-changing world has taken the reality of education beyond the physical classroom. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many educational institutions to make hasty and unprecedented decisions as they switched to the virtual classroom. This study explores teachers’ experiences in transitioning from traditional teaching to virtual teaching during and after the COVID-19 college closure. A sample of seven Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educators was conveniently selected from colleges in an urban area in South Africa using a case study research design. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. In this regard, all ethical considerations were adhered to during this study. Three of the educators demonstrated a positive cognitive, affective and behavioural attitude towards transitioning to virtual learning. Six of the educators used WhatsApp and online platforms integrated into their college’s website to communicate during virtual teaching. However, challenges such as lack of support on the integration of technology into their practice, access to connectivity, provision of little or no training on pedagogical practices, unconducive home environment, students’ attitudes in the online space, lack of infrastructure and poor policy guidelines and framework for implementing virtual learning pose a threat to educators’ desires to change and support a transition to virtual learning permanently. Therefore, it is recommended that TVET education providers and managers provide adequate support and training for educators to foster pedagogical practices aimed at enhancing students’ virtual learning.

“Some of them are afraid of the language”: Perceptions of TVET college staff about the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among Engineering students

Despite the fact that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are seen as instrumental in addressing South Africa’s labour market skills shortages and high youth unemployment rate, the extremely low throughput and certification rates at these institutions prevent colleges from achieving this goal. The vast majority of students enrolled at TVET colleges come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and speak English as a second or additional language, yet English is the language through which teaching is conducted at all South African TVET colleges. Prior research has shown that there is a definite relationship between poor academic performance (AP) and learning in an additional language. Existing research of this nature has focused on schools and universities, but there is a dearth of research about the relationship between AP and English Language Proficiency (ELP) in the TVET sector. In order to address this gap, a mixed method study was conducted at one Eastern Cape TVET College to investigate whether the poor AP of National Vocational Certificate (NC (V)) Level 2 Engineering students can be related to their ELP. The initial quantitative phase of the study confirmed prior research by showing that NC (V) students’ ELP is indeed significantly associated with their throughput rate and their performance in each specific subject. This article reports in particular on the second qualitative phase of the study, which was based on interviews with TVET college staff involved in teaching Engineering students. The most significant finding is that teaching staff, who daily work at the proverbial coal face of TVET training, are from their practical experience, very well aware of the fact that there is a crucial link between the ELP and AP of their students, that they employ a variety of strategies to address associated problems, but that they feel these are often insufficient and ineffective in the face of students trying to learn in a second language. This study extends the research about the role of language as a cognitive tool in learning in the Engineering disciplines. It also provides an opportunity to rethink the hegemonic, normalised position of English in Engineering studies and consider possibilities to mobilise indigenous languages as resources for epistemological access in higher education.

“Some of them are afraid of the language”: Perceptions of TVET college staff about the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among Engineering students

Despite the fact that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are seen as instrumental in addressing South Africa’s labour market skills shortages and high youth unemployment rate, the extremely low throughput and certification rates at these institutions prevent colleges from achieving this goal. The vast majority of students enrolled at TVET colleges come from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and speak English as a second or additional language, yet English is the language through which teaching is conducted at all South African TVET colleges. Prior research has shown that there is a definite relationship between poor academic performance (AP) and learning in an additional language. Existing research of this nature has focused on schools and universities, but there is a dearth of research about the relationship between AP and English Language Proficiency (ELP) in the TVET sector. In order to address this gap, a mixed method study was conducted at one Eastern Cape TVET College to investigate whether the poor AP of National Vocational Certificate (NC (V)) Level 2 Engineering students can be related to their ELP. The initial quantitative phase of the study confirmed prior research by showing that NC (V) students’ ELP is indeed significantly associated with their throughput rate and their performance in each specific subject. This article reports in particular on the second qualitative phase of the study, which was based on interviews with TVET college staff involved in teaching Engineering students. The most significant finding is that teaching staff, who daily work at the proverbial coal face of TVET training, are from their practical experience, very well aware of the fact that there is a crucial link between the ELP and AP of their students, that they employ a variety of strategies to address associated problems, but that they feel these are often insufficient and ineffective in the face of students trying to learn in a second language. This study extends the research about the role of language as a cognitive tool in learning in the Engineering disciplines. It also provides an opportunity to rethink the hegemonic, normalised position of English in Engineering studies and consider possibilities to mobilise indigenous languages as resources for epistemological access in higher education.

Perceptions of staff and students about the NC(V) model of workplace Engineering artisan training offered by South African TVET colleges

Vocational training is a contentious issue in South Africa, where large per centages are regularly cited for unemployment statistics, and in particular for youth and post-school unemployment. Vocational study programmes at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are often seen as one possible remedy to these problems. The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) long-term objective is to increase the number of learners that will qualify as artisans, which represent a major scarce/critical skills area in South Africa. However, the throughput and certification rates of TVET students are disconcertingly low, with National Certificate (Vocational) (NC(V)) Engineering courses regularly cited as having some of the lowest rates. This article reports on a small research study on the perceptions of TVET staff and students about NC(V) Engineering programmes, conducted at two TVET colleges in South Africa. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data from NC(V) Engineering students and lecturers. The most important findings of the study include that there is a critical collaboration gap between industry and the TVET sector and that both NC(V) staff and students experience the need for addressing the (im)balance of time spent on practical versus theoretical training as part of NC(V) programmes. A clear understanding of the perceptions and concerns of TVET NC(V) Engineering lecturers and students may assist in addressing issues locally, at individual TVET colleges, and globally, at national policy and Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) level, that could in future serve to contribute to improved academic performance, including higher throughput and certification rates, of NC(V) Engineering students.

Perceptions of staff and students about the NC(V) model of workplace Engineering artisan training offered by South African TVET colleges

Vocational training is a contentious issue in South Africa, where large per centages are regularly cited for unemployment statistics, and in particular for youth and post-school unemployment. Vocational study programmes at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are often seen as one possible remedy to these problems. The Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) long-term objective is to increase the number of learners that will qualify as artisans, which represent a major scarce/critical skills area in South Africa. However, the throughput and certification rates of TVET students are disconcertingly low, with National Certificate (Vocational) (NC(V)) Engineering courses regularly cited as having some of the lowest rates. This article reports on a small research study on the perceptions of TVET staff and students about NC(V) Engineering programmes, conducted at two TVET colleges in South Africa. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect data from NC(V) Engineering students and lecturers. The most important findings of the study include that there is a critical collaboration gap between industry and the TVET sector and that both NC(V) staff and students experience the need for addressing the (im)balance of time spent on practical versus theoretical training as part of NC(V) programmes. A clear understanding of the perceptions and concerns of TVET NC(V) Engineering lecturers and students may assist in addressing issues locally, at individual TVET colleges, and globally, at national policy and Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) level, that could in future serve to contribute to improved academic performance, including higher throughput and certification rates, of NC(V) Engineering students.

A Pilot Study of Brand Loyalty in Generation Y of Technical and Vocational Education Training Colleges

Objective - In an increasingly changing and dynamic South African higher education landscape, institutions must communicate their brand to stakeholders to perceive the institution as offering quality services,to have a loyal stakeholder. However, thereseemsto be little attention devoted to the influence of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality on brand loyalty in higher education, particularly in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector. Considering this view, and noting that prior research on brand loyalty in the service sector has shown a connection between brand communication, service quality, brand satisfaction and brand loyalty, it is unknown if a similar correlation is found in the South African TVET sector. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate Generation Y students' views of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality in the TVET sector throughout the Gauteng Province of South Africa.As a result, this paper summarises the findings of a pilot study to establish the validity and reliability of a questionnaire used to examine Generation Y students' perceptions of brand communication, brand satisfaction and service quality related to brand loyalty in Gauteng TVET colleges. Methodology/Technique - The variables for the paper were derived from previously established questionnaires. A section of the questionnaire asked students about their views of a TVET's brand communication. Additionally, there were questions concerning the quality of service, brand selection and brand loyalty. Finally, all scale items were modified to be more contextually relevant.The questionnaire used a six-point Likert scale, with 1 indicating strong disagreement and 6 indicating strong agreement. The questionnaire was piloted with a convenience sample of 50 students not included in the primary study's sampling frame. Finding - The overall number of respondents (46) was insufficient to undertake extensive statistical testing. As a result, only frequency and correlation coefficients were computed. Correlation analysis revealed a substantial association between brand loyalty and the variables that influence it. All had a strong association between brand loyalty and brand communication, service quality and brand loyalty and satisfaction. Additionally, there were substantial correlationsbetween service quality and brand satisfaction and between service quality and brand communication. Correlation coefficients between constructs ranged from 0.294 to 0.781. This demonstrates that these constructs do not correspond to the same concept. As a result, all construct items were kept for use in the main study. Novelty - The results from the pilot study provides preliminary support for the hypothesised relationship between brand loyalty and its predictors. Marketers and service organisations need to recognise that the future patronage of a service organisation depends on loyalty. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Brand Communication; Service Quality; Brand Satisfaction; Brand Loyalty; Technical and Vocational Training JEL Classification: M31, I23, I29

Nature of TVET Lecturer Learning During Work Integrated Learning: A South African Perspective

The purpose of the study was to explore Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) lecturers learning through Work Integrated Learning (WIL), specifically to establish the nature of their learning and determine how the lecturers understood their learning. However, since the launch of this WIL initiative, what these lecturers learnt, and how they understand their learning has not been researched. This study sought to investigate the nature of learning of these lecturers. The study was conducted in three TVET colleges in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province. Kolb’s experiential learning theory was used to undergird the study. The research was located in the interpretive paradigm, which used a multiple case study design. A qualitative research approach was adopted. Convenience sampling design was usedto select three TVET colleges as well as industries hosting WIL lecturers. Eighteen TVET lecturers were purposively sampled from a population of lecturers in the three TVET colleges. Data were generated using semi-structured face-to-face interviews from lecturers who completed WIL and those who were on WIL during the study. The study used thematic and narrative analysis to analyse data. Findings revealed that lecturers gained practical experiences through teamwork, networking and sharing of experiences and ideas with industry personnel, diagnosis, troubleshooting, and repairing engineering components during WIL. The study recommended capacitating all TVET lecturers with practical industry skills. The findings showed that TVET lecturers did not simply go to an industry site and pick up new experiences from their practice but learnt from others. Recommendations from the study informed the discussions and policy decisions in the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Swiss-South African Cooperation Initiative (SSACI) and Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA) on this WIL initiative, and may influence provision of other forms of support necessary for the TVET sector.

The impact of emotional intelligence on behavioural factors during transition: A case of the Free State Technical and Vocational Education and Training colleges

Orientation: Numerous changes at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) requires some degree of emotional intelligence (EI) to achieve any level of efficiency, competitiveness and success.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this research is to empirically contribute to a comprehension of how a leader’s EI can be utilised to positively influence organisational behaviours during the transitional period.Design/methodology/approach: The study adopted a positivist research approach, that is descriptive in nature. A survey was conducted by providing a structured questionnaire to a sample of 310 academics and support staff of the TVET college sector in the Free State Province of South Africa. Data analysis was based on a total of 188 questionnaires collected, giving a return rate of 61%. The structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis and interpretation was conducted using a component-based approach to establish the correlation between the items.Main Findings: The SEM findings revealed that EI of Free State TVET college managers significantly affects all the dependent variables namely, organisational work commitment, employee job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork except staff morale. Emotional intelligence reflects a reasonable power of predictability toward all other variables except staff morale of the respondents.Practical/managerial implications: To ensure sustained exceptional performance, recruitment strategy for managers must deliberately incorporate EI measurements at TVET colleges.Contribution/value add: The study demonstrates empirical proof of the positive impact of a leader’s EI on organisational behaviours, thereby confirming that EI is an enabler of organisational work commitment, job satisfaction, task-oriented behaviour, teamwork, but not staff morale.

Assessing work-based values: The missing link in improving youth employability

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are intended to equip youths with work-relevant skills, but the capacity of the labour market to absorb them is limited and South Africa has high levels of unemployment. Employers argue that young work-seekers from TVET colleges may well possess technical skills but lack employability skills, including appropriate work-based attitudes and values. In response to this scenario, a team of experts designed a short, interactive programme for TVET college students to acquire an improved understanding of and insight into their own values and how these inform their behaviour in the workplace. The values selected were respect, accountability, self-improvement and perseverance. The programme’s intended outcome was to increase the participants’ awareness of the link between values and their actions so that they could improve their own decision-making and their relationships with colleagues in the workplace. Following this programme, the students were afforded a period of workplace exposure during which they were required to reflect on their experience and how workplace behaviour revealed their own and work colleagues’ underlying values. A crucial challenge for the project team was to be able to measure any impact on the participants’ understanding of the values and how this understanding might guide their behaviour. The focus of this article is on how the assessment instrument was conceptualised, designed and piloted in South Africa and Kenya. The instrument was required to measure effectively any changes in the participants’ understanding of the meaning of each value and the adjustments in their ability to apply the values in real work-based scenarios.

21st Century competencies in Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Rhetoric and reality in the wake of a pandemic

There is general agreement about the need for vocational education and training to embrace so-called modern technologies in gearing up to deliver to young people a broad range of what have become known as 21st century competencies, of which digital literacy, self-directed learning, and adaptive learning are but three. Recent Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) policies in South Africa incorporate the language of future competencies that ought to be acquired by college students through their curricula and delivered by lecturers with appropriate professional training. But in April 2020, confronted by the global COVID-19 pandemic and an immediate hard lockdown, TVET colleges went into crisis mode to try to meet a government demand that no student be left behind. While blended and remote methodologies had been employed to some extent in a few college programmes, the pandemic suddenly launched all lecturers into technology dependent teaching and learning. This article is based on a survey of conveniently selected public TVET college lecturers early in the lockdown who were under enormous pressure to continue the academic programme remotely. The snapshot I obtained was one of anxiety and consternation, but also of deep concern for students and their wellbeing under inordinately difficult conditions. Their conflicting priorities while they tried to balance remote teaching responsibilities and personal needs were illustrative of Maslow's well-known theorisation of humans and their hierarchy of needs. The limited research I conducted for this article was exploratory at a time in the pandemic when there were more questions than answers in every sphere of social interaction. My findings, therefore, do not seek to be definitive and there was full understanding that the education and training landscape was dynamic and shifting. However, what can be shared here is a moment in time to appreciate the experiences of a critical component of the TVET college sector under emergency conditions, and the distance they would have had to traverse towards official exhortations to leave no student behind.

Implementation of the technical and vocational education and training curriculum in colleges in Botswana: challenges, strategies and opportunities

ABSTRACT The study sought to establish challenges faced, strategies used as well as opportunities available for the effective implementation of the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) curriculum in colleges in Botswana. Results showed that there are no significant differences in the way curriculum is implemented in public and private TVET colleges. Results further showed that curriculum implementation by TVET lecturers is significantly influenced by the microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem factors and that the implementation is mostly done through the use of lecturer-centered teaching strategies. A number of challenges that affect the effective implementation of the curriculum were identified. Efforts by government to facilitate synergies between TVET colleges and industry hence opening up more sources of funding, and possibilities for skills development and exchange between industry and colleges were opportunities identified that could potentially enhance the implementation of the TVET curriculum.

Investigating the Effects of E-Learning as a Method of Curriculum Dissemination for Rural TVET College Students

The study investigates the effects of e-learning as an alternative form of curriculum dissemination for rural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students. This study adopted connectivism theory, which enabled lecturers to reflect and adapt to how learning has changed and the accompanying implications of designing the spaces and structures to the current mode of learning. The researcher made use of two research methods to gather data; phone interviews and questionnaires. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis and the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20.0, Office Word format. The results indicated that the unavailability of technological resources, lack of financial support from single parents’ side due to socio-economic factors, and child-headed families hinder the correct implementation of e-learning and make it difficult to reach its objectives.

An Exploration of Comprehensive Student Support Systems in Technical Vocational Education and Training Colleges for Students with Disability

ABSTRACT There has been an increase in enrollments for students with disabilities in the post-school education sector in South Africa of late. This category of students encounters numerous challenges during their time of study at institutions of learning. It is imperative therefore for tertiary institutions to establish a learning environment that addresses challenges faced by students with disabilities. The public Technical, Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector in South Africa offers student support services to the enrolled students including this cohort. The paper utilized the qualitative approach and the interpretivist paradigm to derive profound understanding of student support systems in TVET colleges for students with disability. This paper is a case study which focuses on student support systems for students with disabilities. The barriers to the effective utilization of student support services and strategies of mitigating challenges experienced by students with disabilities are explored in this paper. The case study involved student support staff (10) and students (36) from two public TVET colleges in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa on student support systems for students with disabilities. It emerged from the study that students with disability experience challenges that interfere with their academic journey and noted further that the existing student support systems in the TVET sector does not adequately address the varying needs of students with disability.

Dynamics and Complexities of Work Based Education in the Context of Technical, Vocational and Training Colleges

ABSTRACT Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Africa has undergone major institutional, structural and curricular changes over the last twenty-seven years. At the centre of these changes lie skills mismatch and poor quality of graduates who have gone through Work Based Education (WBE) experience. This study was conducted on two campuses of one of the public TVET colleges in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. This mixed-method study used purposive sampling to identify the sample size of 21 participants, which comprised campus managers, senior lecturers and WBE champions. The findings revealed that the college management is failing to give necessary support to the implementers on the ground to carry out the WBE programme. Findings also revealed that the college management seems not to fully comprehend their role in enforcing compliance with the regulation guiding the WBE implementation. The need to strengthen ties with existing host employers and to recruit new host employers to address a serious shortage in graduate placement is evident. The study recommends that a clear vision for the implementation of WBE be prioritised and communicated to all stakeholders for effective implementation of the programme.

Creation of Learning Opportunities for Electrical Engineering Students at Northern Cape Urban Technical Vocational Education and Training College

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges are currently not succeeding in developing requisite skills in Electrical Engineering Studies. The aim of this study was to investigate opportunities to learn (OTL) created for Electrical Engineering students at a TVET College. The study was conducted using a mixed method case study where 101 questionnaires were distributed to all the students enrolled for N1 Electrical Trade Theory, and interviews conducted with 6 students purposively sampled based on their performance, and with the only lecturer teaching the subject. Document analysis was also employed to source vital curriculum information for the subject. The research resulted in a number of significant findings, namely; engineering theory lessons taught were not complemented by practical work or experiments, teaching methods and learning activities did not promote active participation on the part of students, classes were composed of both young and so-called mature students, there were not enough assessment opportunities and instructional resources. The research therefore, recommends that lecturers be appropriately qualified, so that they are informed about teaching and learning methods suitable for students of mixed abilities, ages and backgrounds; and that they employ teaching methods that are learning-centred, which result in students actively creating knowledge through their own experiences. It is likely that the more a lecturer practices this type of teaching, and takes into consideration relevant contextual factors; the more s/he will enhance the creation of OTL for Electrical Engineering at a TVET college.

Dynamics and Complexities of Work Based Education in the Context of Technical, Vocational and Training Colleges

Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in South Africa has undergone major institutional, structural and curricular changes over the last twenty-seven years. At the centre of these changes lie skills mismatch and poor quality of graduates who have gone through Work Based Education (WBE) experience. This study was conducted on two campuses of one of the public TVET colleges in northern KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. This mixed-method study used purposive sampling to identify the sample size of 21 participants, which comprised campus managers, senior lecturers and WBE champions. The findings revealed that the college management is failing to give necessary support to the implementers on the ground to carry out the WBE programme. Findings also revealed that the college management seems not to fully comprehend their role in enforcing compliance with the regulation guiding the WBE implementation. The need to strengthen ties with existing host employers and to recruit new host employers to address a serious shortage in graduate placement is evident. The study recommends that a clear vision for the implementation of WBE be prioritised and communicated to all stakeholders for effective implementation of the programme.