1. National Skills Conference Presentation March 2017 Pathways of TVET College learners through TVET Colleges HSRC/DHET LMIP 5 Prof J Papier, S Needham and T McBride UWC IPSS

2. Research Study
The research study was commissioned by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and DHET
The study is located within Theme 5 of the HSRC Labour Market Intelligence Partnership (LMIP) that has multi-cohort panel studies with a focus on:
Access to post-school training and education
Pathways or trajectories from school and through the post-school sector
Transitions from and through education and training into the labour market

3. Research Questions
Who accesses and progresses through the NATED qualification route?
What are the destinations of NATED graduates at key exit points?
What has been the take-up of NATED college graduates within industry?

4. Targeted Respondents
Public TVET College NATED N3 and NATED N6 Engineering Studies graduates in 2013
NATED N6 Business Studies from 2013
records obtained from DHET for 50 TVET Colleges
20 % sample achieved with respondents

5. Methodological Findings
Use of a commercial call centre together with academic inputs enables large scale longitudinal research
The lack of accurate data continues to be a problem within the TVET post-school sector
Data had to extensively cleaned and duplicates removed, which takes significant time
College graduates are difficult to track after graduation as contact details change frequently ( 58 % of sample uncontactable).
Paucity of research on the TVET sector does not allow for benchmarking/comparison over time

6. Research findings
Weighted respondents– by race

7. Research findings
Profile of respondents (2013)

8. Research findings
Weighted respondents – by age

9. Research findings
Graduates received support from colleges (45 % practical training, 42 % career guidance, 37% workplace exposure). However experiences were uneven and the base line study could not investigate in depth
17 % of graduates were continuing studies: 45 % of which were undertaking university qualifications and 24 % enrolled in a learnership.
Approx 80% of graduates studied in their home towns. For those who migrated, 73 % did so for better job opportunities.
Throughput rates for N1-N3 are just over 50% and 45 % for N4-N6

10. Research findings
Respondents by reason for enrolling at the college

11. Research findings
Weighted respondents – by qualification at enrolment

12. Research findings : Employment
52 % of all NATED graduates from the 2013 sample were employed in 2016
Male graduates have slightly higher employment rates.
Highest employment rates were from N. Cape (75 % but very low numbers), NW (59.7 %), WC (59.2) and Gauteng (56.9)
Prior Matric qualifications improves employment rates
Course of NATED study affects employment. Manufacturing (100%), Civil Engineering (42%). Public Management (62 %), Public Relations (40%)
26.5 % of employed graduates are permanently employed and 23.7% in long term contracts.

13. Research findings 2
Employment rates by gender

14. Research findings 3
Young graduates have lower levels of permanent employment long term contracts and more women are in short term contracts/internships
63% of employed graduates earn above R 3 000/pm. 20 % earned between R and 14.6 % earned more than R pm. Women earn less than men.
Engineering Studies has higher earning jobs than Business Studies.
Only 6 % of graduates were self-employed.
Over 90 % of unemployed graduates were actively seeking a job even though 29 % had been unemployed for a year.

15. Research findings 3
Percentage employed by N3 and N6

16. Research Findings 3
Employment by Employment Contract Type

17. Policy implications
DHET databases should have unitised records for appropriately disaggregated information
Critical need to establish ongoing longitudinal studies as opposed to disparate baseline studies that do not enable comparisons
A national EMIS for the post-school sector that is accessible to researchers
Specialised survey providers enable capacity for DHET to engage in longitudinal large scale qualitative and quantitative research

18. Thank you