National / Education Department hopes weight placed on technical skills at school will cut demand for university places New ‘three-stream model’ adds a technical occupational stream, which has a greater emphasis on practical training than the vocational stream does BL PREMIUM

The Department of Basic Education hopes its new "three-stream model" for boosting technical skills at school level will make studying at Technical and Vocational Education Colleges (TVET) more attractive and reduce demand for university places, Parliament heard on Wednesday.Basic education has historically channelled learners into two streams: an academic stream that led to the national senior certificate (matric) ,and a technical vocational stream that led to a qualification within the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). After Grade 9, learners could either stay at school or transfer to TVET colleges.The three-stream model, which the department began piloting in 2017, adds a technical occupational stream, which has a greater emphasis on practical training than the vocational stream. It also directs more resources into the provision of technical skills, which the National Development Plan (NDP) says is essential if SA is to produce more artisans and boost employment.In a discus...