South Africa has fifty public Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Institutions spread across nine provinces to enable access for all communities, including those previously disadvantaged. If these institutions are to become the suppliers of choice for industry, quality of provision should be at the centre of their delivery. The British Council is supporting the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) to pilot a College Maturity Model that was developed in 2021 through the VET Toolbox project, which British Council is a delivery partner of. In piloting the Maturity model, a quality assurance framework will be used by colleges as an assessment tool for continuous improvement/college development.
Our Objective
Through Going Global Partnerships, we strengthen TVET institutions to become more inclusive and provide quality and relevant training to young people for their economic and social participation. The Maturity Model is student-centred and focuses on developing the colleges to better serve their students, unlocking their full potential and providing relevant skills.
Our Strategy
In June 2022, British Council South Africa supported a five-day study visit to South Eastern Regional College (SERC), Northern Ireland. The aim was to expose the delegates to the quality management system of an institution that operates under a similar quality assurance process as that of the Maturity Model. Nine delegates from the National and Regional DHET as well as TVET colleges shared best practice, knowledge and experience with speakers from the Northern Ireland Department for Economy, Education and Training Inspectorate and College representatives at SERC’s Bangor Campus. The three groups represented in the SA delegation have different roles to play within the quality assessment process and the study visit encamped all roles.
Our Impact
As a result of the visit, the delegates gained a better understanding of quality assurance, various roles within the ecosystem as well as their own role within the quality management system. Delegates are now confident in implementing the quality assessment framework.
The visit created opportunity for collaboration in common areas of interest between SA and UK institutions. The UK institution increased their knowledge of the vocational education and training operating environment in South Africa to inform their international partnership approach.
It strengthened working relationships among represented SA colleges and increased their knowledge of approaches to training delivery.
“The road to success is always under construction, however it takes conscious decision and effort. Our fears are sometimes our worst enemy. The innovation brought about by the learning revolution at SERC is impressive.” Marietta Swart, Director: TVET Monitoring and Evaluation for Department of Higher Education and Training
