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The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) has reminded all skills development stakeholders of the need to comment on the draft Regulations regarding the National Skills Authority (NSA). The Regulations were apparently issued just prior to the shutdown, and obviously were not the priority for anyone.
Now the deadline to submit your comments is the 11th October 2020. (You will notice the original April deadline in the Gazette.)
The Government Gazette lays out the background for requiring the Regulations.
The NSA is required to conduct investigations in terms of the Skills Development Act, and it is envisioned in the White Paper on Post School Education and Training (PSET).
However, there have not been Regulations setting out how this should be done, and the NSA has - it appears - experienced difficulty in pursuing investigations. Sector Education & Training Authorities (SETAs) have resisted, and delayed, and it seems generally obstructed the purpose.
Therefore, the Regulations are to provide the NSA with the powers to conduct investigations, from how to respond to complaints & assess whether they are reasonable, powers of entry, and how to conduct the investigations - preliminary and formal investigations.
There are also the details of how an aggrieved party may object to a report.
That will be my personal submission.
The objections are to be lodged to the NSA Secretariat. That is too close to home for my liking - I think that there should be a specific independent authority identified to handle an objection.
While I welcome the fact the NSA will be investigating, I am also not sure what exactly the complaints are that will be investigated. For example scroll through skills-universe & you will find numerous unhappinesses with SETAs. Are the NSA going to investigate every one of those?
If so, I suggest that will require a team that will surely bring down the unemployment rate somewhat.
Anyway, that's my take. Please take the opportunity to submit your comments - before 11 October 2020.
See the documents attached:
* request for comments letter from the DHET, and
* the Government Gazette of the draft Regulations.
