AT the time of writing, we are on the
eve of the Public Hearings on the proposal of the Minister of Higher
Education & Training to reconfigure various SETAs and, if unamended, will
see the broader industry affected in two ways.
Firstly, Printing & Packaging will be assigned to a brand new SETA – the
Manufacturing SETA – along with a variety of other industries, with most of
which we have nothing in common. Furthermore, if this happens, we will find
ourselves with a brand-new administration entailing new systems, new
individuals and unknown levels of service. For many years, we have
complained of the poor, shoddy and unprofessional service that the industry
has been receiving; and the general unhappiness of both employers and labour
is well known.
However, is this a case of ‘Better the devil you know’? Will the new
administration be better or worse than the poor service we’ve grown
accustomed to? In either event, how will this affect training in the
industry?
It may not be widely known, but the new PIFSA Training Council is working on
an exciting proposal for training. If successfully extended to its logical
end, both below and above the level of apprenticeship training, this model
could revolutionise training, and the way in which the public views the
industry. It would be a great pity if the allocation of Printing & Packaging
to a new and untried SETA were to slow the momentum developing in this
regard or, even worse, jeopardise the delivery of the intended training
model.
Secondly, the proposal by the Department will see Print Media being split
away from Printing &
Packaging. This is unthinkable, as the different sectors are not different
industries and use common technology and interchangeable skills. This has
the potential for causing huge difficulties. For instance, in which SETA
will Electronic Origination and/or Rotary Offset Machine Minding apprentices
be trained? Will they be trained by both SETAs and will each SETA expect
different standards?
These are vexing difficulties and both employer organisations and labour
representatives have made submissions to the various authorities, warning of
the consequences for training should this difficulty not be corrected.
It’s sincerely hoped that those bureaucrats tasked with making the fi nal
decision fully appreciate
the difficulties they are about to impose on employers and trainees and the
consequences for skills development in South Africa.
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