The regulatory framework (including the NSDS III) within the skills development fraternity, and the socio-economic development priorities of South Africa pose a demand for institutional ALIGNMENT and positioning for skills development system, including FET Colleges.

CONCEPTUAL AND STRATEGIC REFERENCE:

1. The Green Paper for Post-school Education and Training is to ensure alignment and coherence between the post-school education and training system, on one hand, and the country’s development agenda expressed in the NGP; the Industrial Policy Action Plan II; the HRDS and the Major Government Infrastructure Projects. It also emphasizes a need for FET Colleges to provide for both General Vocational Qualifications (NVC) and also more focused Occupational Programmes including Learnerships and Apprenticeships.

2. The NSDS III which is the framework for skills development promotes institutional ALIGNMENT of FET Colleges for production required by the development agenda of the country.

3. The New Growth Path – Accord 1 emphasizes a need to improve the role and performance of FET Colleges as government’s preferred training providers for skills training programmes:

With programmes that are responsive to labour market needs.

4. The National Plan for Skills Development and the Role of FET Colleges presented to the FETCs Principals by the President and the Minister of the DHET on 04 April 2012 emphasized the need to ensure that FET Colleges are central to the development of skills for the economy and progressively become the preferred training providers for skills training programmes, supported by the skills levy.

The Expected Competence of the FET Sector

1. Creative strategic capability and leadership.

2. Understanding and implementation of the concept of articulation.

3. Building partnerships with SETAs, industry and other role players.

4. Implement work placement strategies.

5. Increased access to, and diversity of programmes and qualifications.

6.Increased access to workplace learning as part of, or following successful completion of a qualification as well as for the purpose of continuous lecture development.

7. Improved learner performance.

8. Improved quality of examinations and related systems.

9. Vibrant and responsive Colleges to regional economic needs.

NSDS III Delivery Outputs:

Output 1: Establish a Credible Institutional Mechanism for Skills Planning.

Output 2: Increase access to programmes leading to intermediate and high-level learning.

Output 3: Increase access to occupationally-directed programmes in needed areas and thereby expand the availability of intermediate level skills (with a special focus on Artisan Skills).

Output 4: Increase access to high-level occupationally-directed programmes in needed areas.

Output 5: Research, Development and Innovation in human capital for a growing knowledge economy.

Canton offers therefore professional and specialized corporate support services to enable institutions within the skills development fraternity to align and respond accordingly to these performance requirements for Quality and Responsive Skills Development Provision by all stakeholders, especially SETAs, Public and Private FET Colleges, and Private Training Providers…