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04 November 2016

Varsities must meet labour needs

Vijay Reddy

#FeesMustFall is a real
opportunity to rethink
the university sector’s
future and priorities

Dr Vijay Reddy, ED ESD

The current focus of the university sector is on the student protests of the  #FeesMustFall campaign. While the agenda of university reform is in the public spotlight, it gives us an opportunity to take a broader view of the university sector in order to understand the sector’s size and shape and, more importantly, the destinations of university graduates in the labour market.

Recently, the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) completed a research report titled Skills Supply and Demand in South Africa for the
department of higher education and training, as part of the Labour
Market Intelligence Partnership. Drawing on data and information
from the report, we are able to unpack the following issues.

All societies and economies are dependent on the education and skill levels of their citizens for their growth and development. The level
of education in South Africa is lower than most economically productive
countries. So, at a fundamental level, South Africa must raise the
level of education of its population to achieve an inclusive growth path.

Read the full article on the M&G online website: http://mg.co.za/article/2016-11-04-00-varsities-must-meet-labour-needs

Vijay Reddy

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