The South African TVET Sector: A Bourdieusian Perspective

• In Event: Hope for Communities in the Margins: Life-Long Learning

Proposal

This conceptual paper aims to examine the South African Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector from its establishment to its relationships with other institutions in the post-school sector, and its interaction with the field of work. Limited integrated data on the educational and professional accomplishments of the South African TVET sector make it difficult to confidently identify the barriers both within and facing the field, the experiences within TVET colleges, and the status of their graduates as they exit the system. The paper applies a Bourdieusian framework to derive insights for creating TVET colleges that deliver on their intended mandate and provide recommendations on the TVET pipeline more generally.
The TVET sector in South Africa has been persistently plagued by various issues over the years, including low graduation rates, a reputation of being a ‘non-academic’ schooling path with the consequence that graduates are perceived as academically inferior to their university counterparts, skills training objectives which are misaligned and non-adaptive to industry needs, and a general negative image in terms of value and underperformance. Some of these issues are due to restructuring in the 1990s and others are linked to South Africa’s complex history. While these factors are by no means just country-specific conundrums, in South Africa they combine to contribute to an adverse view of the courses and programs offered by TVET colleges, thereby tarnishing the sector and casting doubt on its intended mandate.
Bourdieu’s conceptualization of education as a field and accreditation as a form of institutionalized cultural capital that can be converted as part of a bigger game with industry players ultimately speaks to the transformative power of education. However, for students in the TVET sub-field, the potential for education to become a vehicle for social mobility is undermined by the many challenges within TVET colleges and their operating context. The TVET sub-field is also struggling with contextual factors it was designed to address, e.g., improving the skills base and youth unemployment. The growth rate of unemployment among youth adds to the challenges faced by the sub-field. Therefore, any attempt at solving these must start at the government level with a clearly defined strategy and the will to implement and monitor those objectives. While several recommendations are made in this paper, it is clear that the TVET sub-field cannot solve these challenges by themselves. Industry, too, must do its part in improved and hands-on relationships in concert with the willingness to accept students for practical training. Universities should assist in enhancing TVET lecturer competencies and their overall development. These players have significant roles to perform in ensuring a more inclusive, productive, and meaningful TVET sector.

Author

• Linda Ronnie, University of Cape Town