Scepticism hampers skills acts

GETTING EVERYONE in industry Ôon boardÕ to accept the need for training at all levels is one of the major tasks facing the government and training establishments, but achieving this in an era of change which has created uncertainties is far from simple, says Transport Minister Dullah Omar. "There are still a large number of stakeholders in industry as a whole who are not active in this respect, and we need to get to them and explain that our development depends on new technologies and the establishment of niche markets," he told a breakfast gathering of Transport Education and Training Authority (Teta) in Johannesburg last week. The Skills Development and Skills Development Levies acts addressed the need to increase the quality and relevance of skills in the workplace, he said, and improve competitiveness and productivity for the economy. "But few people out there accept the value of these acts. There has been inadequate communication on the matter. When these levies are placed before business, they are met with scepticism. Some employers feel ambushed by them, and others feel exploited. But they simply do not understand the value of the acts. "The money collected does not go into government coffers. It is aimed at providing a high level of education and training, and proportions of these levies are reclaimable. It is not merely a matter of collecting and disbursing levies. The key result we want to achieve is a skilled workforce." Companies in the transport sector are in a position to put their education, training and skills development projects into top gear as a result of R28 million having been made available in Teta discretionary grants, said chief executive Piet Bothma.