Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented? What were the policy levers that policy makers put in place to implement the strategy (i.e. levy-grant system; grant regulations; SLAs; NSF and NSF funding strategy; partnerships; incentives such as SARS tax allowances.) What are the policy interpretation challenges and how have these been addressed? What structures were established to implement the strategy? What systems and processes were developed and used to implement the strategy? Were they appropriate? To what extent were the structures staffed by appropriately skilled people to implement? How was implementation managed, and what were the governance arrangements?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been effectively implemented? Where there has been effective implementation, what were the factors that contributed? Were there some aspects of policy achieved more quickly than others and if so why? Where there was deviation from the strategy what were the underlying issues and challenges? What were the accountability mechanisms? What was done when strategy was not being implemented (consequences of non-delivery)? How effective were the management and governance arrangements and what were the reasons for management and governance failures when they occurred? To what extent did the culture of implementing structures impact on implementation? What extraneous factors impacted on delivery? To what extent have the specific outputs of the strategy been achieved? To what extent was the strategy a sound one and addressed expectations and needs?

Implementation Questions: Skills planning and supply and demand forecasting To what extent is there a common understanding of what a “credible mechanism for skills planning” is? Has this been (a) established and (b) is it informing skills planning? To what extent are SSPs professionally researched, provide a sound analysis of the sector and articulate an agreed sector strategy to address skills needs? Have research needs across sectors been identified, and programmes put is place to produce required research? What capacity has been established within the Department of Higher Education and Training to coordinate research and skills planning? Are sector and nationally commissioned research and data (1) analysed, (2) validated and (3) captured in an integrated database that is (4) accessible to stakeholders?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision To what extent is there a common understanding of what middle level skills and occupations are? Have SETAs (a) researched and identified middle level skills needs in their sectors? Have they put in place strategies to address them, particularly through the use of the public TVET colleges and universities of technology and working in partnership with employers providing workplace-based training? To what extent do TVET college strategic plans include (a) engaging in skills development programmes? (b) engaging in programmes offered in partnership with employers, or, (c) building capacity for (a) and/ or (b)? Are there partnerships (including PPPs) between DHET, SETAs, employers, private providers and public TVET colleges? What are the partnerships focused on and what have they achieved? Are they resulting in increased capacity to meet industry skills needs?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision To what extent is there an increase in access to occupationally-directed programmes delivered through or in collaboration with Public TVET colleges? To what extent are SETAs supporting artisan training? How many artisans qualify annually? How many find employment? Has the National Artisan Development Project (developed by JIPSA and now located in the DHET) been planned, managed and reported on? To what extent do SETAs collaborate with TVETs to offer vocational programmes and work experience for learners? Are workers exposed to “substantial” training programmes? Are companies/organisations reporting on the impact of training provided to workers? Is the training of employed workers addressing critical skills, enabling improved productivity, economic growth and the ability of the work force to adapt to change in the labour market?

Implementation Questions: Middle level skills interventions and expansion of Public TVET colleges provision Has the capacity of TVET Colleges to provide quality vocational training been reviewed? Has the capacity of college educators to deliver programmes been reviewed? To what extent have skills development programmes, including work placement opportunities, been implemented to build the capacity of college educators to deliver occupational programmes? Are the NCV and N-courses recognised by employers as important base qualifications through which young people are obtaining additional vocational skills and work experience and entering the labour market with marketable skills? Do we have a public TVET system that is responsive to sector, local, regional and national skills needs and priorities?

Implementation Questions: Higher level skills, innovation and research Are high level scarce skills needs identified in SETA SSPs? How are these addressed? What has been done to facilitate work experience and graduate and post-graduate experiential learning? To what extent is the academic staff in universities able to offer relevant education and training at the required quality? Are university curricula responsive to the needs of industry? Do university students have the requisite attributes to seamlessly integrate into the workplace? To what extent has industry relevant research needs been identified, and what is being done to address this?

Implementation Questions: Skills for unemployed youth What role has DHET played, in partnership with stakeholders in the youth sector, to put in place training and work experience projects for young people? Is there a national strategy in place to provide all young people leaving school with an opportunity to engage in training or work experience, and improve their employability? To what extent is training and work experience being provided to unemployed young people? To what extent, and how, is the low level of youth and adult language and numeracy skills being addressed (to enable additional training)? Is there an increase in the absorption levels of young people into work/employment?

Implementation Questions: Meeting the skills needs of SMEs, cooperatives, NGOs, CBOs and trade unions Have SETAs identified skills needs of established and emergent cooperatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs? Has a national database of cooperatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs that is supported through skills development been established? Is the impact of this training being reported on? What evidence is there that co-operatives, small businesses, NGOs and CBOs that are supported with skills development are expanding and contributing to economic and employment growth? Have cross-sectoral and partnership projects been established to address skills needs along supply chains aimed at supporting economic development? Have SETAs engaged with trade unions in their sectors and identified Worker Education skills needs and strategies to address needs.

Implementation Questions: Building a capable state Have SETAS with a responsibility for public sector training conducted needs analyses in the public sector? What are government departments paying to the SETAs? Are training plans agreed between the relevant departments/entities and the SETAs, and are these reported on? Are SETAs funding training in government departments? What evidence is there of increasing public sector capacity for improved service delivery and supporting the building of a developmental state? Has DHET initiated a discussion on factors impacting provision in the public sector, and published proposals on improving the institutional framework for public sector education and training?

Implementation Questions: Career Development Have SETAs developed career guides with labour market information and information on career paths that are mapped to occupations and qualifications? How has this career information been communicated, and to whom? What evidence is there that these career guides have been used by young people and by workers to make study and career choices?

Implementation Questions: Cross-cutting themes and assumptions in the strategy To what extent have the transformational imperatives been achieved? Has there been improved coordination of support to coops including the establishment (via DTI) of a cooperative training academy? What is the nature and level of collaboration between economic development stakeholders in using skills development to support the economy? Have partnerships been developed that address cross-sectoral needs and rural development? Have there been efficiency gains that enable more to be achieved with available resources? Has the role of government and government entities in the supply of skills been expanded? Have the SETAs and the NSF been reformed, given clearer focus, and become more efficient and effective?

Implementation Questions: Cross-cutting themes and assumptions in the strategy To what extent have the SETAs and the NSF aligned their work with wider government priorities and programmes? Has the Department put in place an effective M&E framework and system? To what extent has the NSA developed their role in M&E? Has there been effective monitoring of progress and corrective action taken where parts of NSDSIII are not being achieved? Has RPL expanded? Have employed workers been able to gain qualifications that enhance their career through RPL? To what extent has NSDS III supported NQF objectives of improved quality, access, articulation and portability?

Implementation Questions: To what extent has the strategy been efficiently implemented? To what extent were processes put in place to implement the strategy efficiently? Were various alternative processes considered and the most efficient ones selected? Where the objectives were not being achieved for particular target groups, were systems adjusted? Where inefficiencies were identified were they addressed? If so, how? If not, why not? Were some structures and processes more efficient than others? What were the costs of various programmes and programme types? Was value for money achieved?