Mr Livhu Nengovhela: NEET Generation is a leadership challenge

Leaders challenged to respond to meet the needs of the 2.8 million people of the NEET generation.

Mr Livhu Nengovhela, CEO of the Mining Qualifications Authority spoke on the 4^th of March 2010 at the Regenesys Leadership Exchange. This forum creates a platform for exchanging views about leadership and leadership challenges in the country.

He identified that there is a group that is best described as the NEET generation. NEET stands for Not in Education, Not in Employment and Not in Training. Of concern is that 2,8 million people of the estimated 6,8 million young people currently between the ages of 18-24, fall into the NEET generation.

The NEET generation is 41% of the generation that in 10-15 years will be expected to drive the economic powerhouse of the continent. Of those falling outside of the NEET generation, only 88,000 are in higher education; 700,000 are in matric; and 991,000 are in grade 10 or 11.

Mr Nengovhela identified a number of key factors that contribute to the leadership challenges in education including that skilled South Africans (both black and white) are still leaving the country; too few learners are doing maths and science and that are too many dysfunctional schools.

Universities and Universities of Technology were also lambasted for not producing the relevant skills required by the economy. On a larger scale Mr Nengovhela contends that there is still not enough money being made available to fund priority skills such as engineering and science qualifications. The NQF Act (2009) and the refocusing of the skills landscape through the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Higher Education is aimed at unlocking the challenge from a governmental perspective through streamlining the education process.

SETAs and the skills education agencies remain critical in driving a response to the skills challenges, however more practical approaches are necessary in the short, medium and long term.

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