FASSET ANNUAL REPORT

SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS Service delivery environment FASSET plays a crucial role in identifying sector skills needs and addressing them through FASSET programmes. On the demand side FASSET does the following: 1. Conduct labour market research and develop Sector Skills Plans (SSP); 2. Develop Strategic Plans (SP), Annual Performance Plans (APP) and Service Level Agreements (SLA) with the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology; and submits quarterly reports against set targets. • Addresses scarce and critical skills (PIVOTAL) through the implementation of various learning programmes (e.g. Learnerships); • Facilitates easy access and different entry points through articulation and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL); • Collaborates with the relevant Quality Council, especially the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations; and • Assesses occupations to ensure quality and provision of learning programmes. The role of research FASSET conducts research relevant to skills development in the sector, allowing for the implementation of appropriate interventions to meet scarce skills, education and training needs. The research team successfully updated the SSP for the 2020/21 period and completed a number of additional research assignments including one pertaining to Covid-19 impacts. This strong performance in terms of research outputs will stand FASSET in good stead for its new strategic planning cycle. What is noteworthy is that the SSP identified a number of new digital and ICT-based On the supply side FASSET does the following: • Addresses sector skills needs and priorities;

skills and professions emerging in the sector. This updated SSP provided essential knowledge for the SETA’s Board to make decisions concerning the allocation of funding and interventions needed to meet both sectoral and national priorities in an unprecedented situation. Sectoral Priority Occupations and Interventions (SPOI) skills list was decided on by the FASSET Board during its engagements in Q2 of 2020. This includes discretionary grants enabling the graduation of a number of students with historical debt, and a project: that addresses scarce and SPOI skills. Flowing from its 5-year SSP (2020–2025) FASSET identified the following four strategic focus priorities for which relevant projects are to be implemented in the 2021/22 financial year and beyond: • The need for a long-term and holistic view of the skills pipeline; • Ensuring that new entrants to the sector reach professional status in the sector; • Strengthening the capacity of the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and improving the absorption of TVET learners into the labour market; and • Supporting population group transformation of the sector. These four priority areas are intrinsically linked to FASSET’s strategic impact statement which is to facilitate the timeous and relevant upskilling of the sector. As we face a pandemic with significant consequences not only for the health of the population but also for economies across the world; we believe that Government will have a role to play. It must ensure that the adoption of advanced technologies in SA is inclusive by making provision for tools, infrastructure and on-boarding of new systems in schools and HEIs. Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs)

FASSET Annual Integrated Report 2020/21

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