STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS 2004
Govt to fast-track skills training
Zibonele Ntuli
21 May 2004
President Thabo Mbeki told Parliament on Friday that the government would speed up the process of developing the skills of South Africans, and also focus on identified shortfalls in this regard.
In his State of the Nation Address at the first joint sitting of SA's third democratic Parliament, President Mbeki said the government would ensure adequate funding of technical colleges and proper alignment of courses offered.
"By the end of the year, we will compile a register of all graduates so as to link them up with the Umsobomvu Fund, learnerships, and other schemes and institutions that would help them to start their own businesses or get jobs", Mbeki said.
He said that since last year's Growth and Development Summit, the government had reached the figure of 64 000 learnerships.
"We have already studied our experience in this regard. Arising from this, we will engage all the Sector Education and Training Authorities (Setas), to
increase the uptake of learners and improve the focus on skills that are in short supply", Mbeki said.
Mbeik added that Cabinet would soon finalise SA's immigration regulations, in order to ensure that the country accessed the scarce skills it needed from the rest of the world.
Source: BuaNews
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