South Africa’s Higher Education Sector Embraces a Skills Revolution
In a decisive move to address persistent youth unemployment and skills mismatches, South Africa’s higher education and training system is undergoing a fundamental reorientation. The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), under Minister Buti Manamela, has placed the “skills revolution” at the centre of its 2026/27 strategy. This shift prioritises practical, workplace-aligned training over traditional degree pathways alone, aiming to better equip graduates for the demands of a rapidly changing economy.
The approach builds on longstanding challenges in the post-school education and training (PSET) system, where many qualifications have historically failed to translate directly into employment. Recent policy statements emphasise collaboration between universities, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs), and the private sector to close these gaps.
Budget Anchors the New Direction
The 2026/27 budget allocation of R149.2 billion for higher education and training provides the financial foundation for this transformation. Minister Manamela’s Budget Vote speech outlined three interconnected priorities: digital transformation, the skills revolution itself, and reshaping the overall size and structure of the PSET system. These areas are designed to work together, ensuring that funding supports both immediate skills needs and longer-term system resilience.
Key targets include expanding occupational qualifications, scaling apprenticeships and artisan development, and strengthening workplace-integrated learning opportunities. Five regional industrial skills compacts are planned to align training with specific economic sectors, while employer participation agreements through SETAs aim to increase industry input into curricula and placements.
TVET Colleges Take Centre Stage
TVET colleges are positioned as critical engines of the skills revolution. The department aims for 60 percent of WorldSkills South Africa competitors to come from public TVET institutions, spanning thirty skills areas. This focus reflects a broader recognition that vocational and technical pathways can deliver faster employment outcomes than many traditional university routes.
Efforts are underway to improve institutional capacity, including enhanced artisan training and testing linked to occupations in high demand. Partnerships with industry are being strengthened to ensure that TVET programmes remain responsive to labour market signals.
Universities Adapt Their Role
Traditional universities are also being encouraged to integrate more practical, skills-oriented components into their offerings. While research and advanced degrees remain important, there is growing emphasis on programmes that combine academic rigour with workplace experience. Digital skills, entrepreneurship training, and AI literacy are emerging as cross-cutting priorities across institutions.
Reforms seek to balance the system’s size and shape, ensuring that enrolment growth aligns with both student demand and economic absorption capacity. Governance improvements and reliable data systems are repeatedly highlighted as prerequisites for success.
Photo by bill wegener on Unsplash
Private Sector Partnership Essential
Minister Manamela has stressed that the skills revolution cannot succeed without substantial private sector involvement. Recent engagements have secured commitments from business to provide placements, apprenticeships, and curriculum input. This collaborative model aims to ensure that training directly addresses employer needs rather than operating in isolation.
Sector Education and Training Authorities are expected to play a stronger coordinating role, facilitating employer participation agreements and aligning sector skills plans with national priorities.
Digital Transformation as Enabler
Digital transformation underpins much of the new strategy. Reliable data systems, online learning platforms, and AI-enhanced training tools are seen as vital for scaling delivery and improving outcomes. The minister has warned that weak governance or unreliable data will undermine both the skills revolution and digital ambitions.
Investments in digital infrastructure and capacity building at institutions are intended to support more flexible, responsive training models that can reach learners across urban and rural areas.
Addressing Graduate Unemployment
Youth unemployment remains a central concern driving the policy shift. By focusing on occupations in high demand and strengthening the link between education and employment, the department hopes to reduce the number of graduates who struggle to find relevant work. Workplace-integrated learning and apprenticeship expansion are key mechanisms for achieving this.
Regional industrial skills compacts are designed to tailor solutions to local economies, ensuring that training investments generate tangible job opportunities rather than generic qualifications.
Challenges and Governance Priorities
Implementation faces familiar hurdles, including institutional capacity constraints, funding pressures, and the need for stronger coordination across multiple stakeholders. The minister has repeatedly emphasised that no skills revolution can rest on weak governance. Improved accountability, transparent data, and effective oversight are therefore positioned as foundational requirements.
Reforms to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and other support mechanisms are also under discussion to ensure that financial aid aligns with the new skills-focused priorities.
Photo by Jean Gerber on Unsplash
Future Outlook and International Context
South Africa’s approach resonates with global trends toward competency-based and work-integrated education. By prioritising skills that support industrialisation, beneficiation, and emerging sectors such as green energy and digital technologies, the country aims to build a more competitive workforce.
Success will depend on sustained political will, consistent private sector engagement, and the ability to measure and adapt outcomes in real time. If executed effectively, the skills revolution could mark a turning point in aligning higher education and training with the needs of both learners and the economy.
