Stewart Ngandu is a Chief Research Manager in the Equitable Education & Economies division at the Human Sciences Research Council and a Principal Investigator on the multi-year DSI-HSRC Internship Programme, a R120 million rand internship intervention targeted at unemployed graduates. Stewartâ??s academic journey commenced with a Master's Science Degree in Economics, laying the foundation for a career dedicated to understanding the intricate dynamics of the South African economic and unemployment landscape as it pertains to issues around socio-economic development.
With over 18 years of experience, Stewart's research spans various areas, including employment, school-to-work transitions, labor economics, skills development, social protection, poverty, inequality, and the economics of mineral-driven economies. He excels in both the academic and practical aspects of research, including proposal writing, leading research, and designing appropriate research methodologies. His skills in quantitative data analysis and survey design have been pivotal in projects ranging from employment scenarios, economy-wide modeling, skills audits, and training needs assessments to numerous types of evaluations.
Stewart's research interests lie at the crossroads of economics with a bias towards labor economics and skills development, focusing on youth labor market transitions, employment outcomes of development interventions, and post-school education and training. His expertise also covers public policy evaluation, particularly impact and outcomes assessments, and the use of evidence in policy-making, contributing significantly to national policy formulation and implementation.
His notable research-to-policy impact achievements include serving as the Principal Investigator for the development of the 2017-2027 Tourism Human Resource Development Strategy, which is currently being implemented, and as an expert panel member redesigning South Africa's largest active labor market anti-poverty intervention, the Expanded Public Works Programme 2019-2024. His commitment to knowledge dissemination is evident in his journal article publications, book chapter contributions, and editorial role in the inaugural South Africa Social Security Review and the second volume of the same publications. Stewart's success in securing well over R60 million in research funding underscores his contribution to research with significant policy and practical implications.
