MQA NEWSLETTER

MEET THE MQA’S NEW CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER, DR. THABO MASHONGOANE.

six (6) years. Subsequent to that, he qualified as an artisan, where after he was employed as an instructor at a technical college, followed by the role of lecturer for engineering trades. Later he worked as the head of division responsible for sixteen (16) different trades. The move to the National Skills Authority (NSA) was a natural one for Dr Mashongoane when he was appointed first as the deputy director for the FET policy planning and curriculum development at the national Department of Education (DHET), then as Executive Manager for the NSA under the Department of Labour, until he was transferred to the Department of Higher Education and Training where he occupied the same portfolio of Executive Manager. His stint at the NSA saw Dr Mashongoane progressing to occupy the role of Executive Officer responsible for co-ordinating the work of the NSA, advising the DHET Minister on strategic policy matters including the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) that ended on 31 March 2020, and monitoring the performance and governance of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) as well as the nine (9) Provincial Skills Development Forums (PSDFs). As a learned officeholder with numerous degrees, masters and doctoral qualifications in varied fields including teaching and technical fields, education and human resources, business administration and business management, Dr Mashongoane’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge as well as his quest to further his expertise, has led him to pursue a graduate diploma qualification in monitoring and evaluation. Dr Mashongoane’s passion for education espouses one of the MQA’s values, that of continuous learning. If his dedication to further his knowledge is any indication, the MQA has gained an asset in Dr Mashongoane.

Dr Thabo Mashongoane, the new MQA Chief Operations Officer (COO)

The MQA welcomed its new Chief Operations Officer (COO) recently and the proud new inductee had some words to share. As he enters his new position at the MQA he hopes to be a “democratic leader whose decisions are informed by contextual issues whilst clinging to the vision”. He holds steadfast that his role will be informed by his conscious adoption of a situational leadership slant in addressing matters. In his role, his aim will be to build a formidable MQA Operations team that is effective and watchful of the mining and minerals sector, as well as training trends. The working relations between the MQA and the sector should be enhanced further with prompt and timeous communication by the MQA team. Stakeholder engagement should be strengthened with an effective communication strategy. In the short-term, the MQA should identify and start delivering against the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan (ERRP) Skills Strategy interventions aimed to catalyse economic activities in the mining and minerals sector. The MQA should be responsive to the needs of the sector. Being responsive should include achieving the National Skills Development Plan (NSDP) 2030 objectives, the Economic Recovery and Reconstruction Plan Skills Strategy interventions, while simultaneously addressing the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and digitisation skills needs for the sector. Dr Mashongoane has had an illustrous career that began in the automative industry as a Fitter and Turner apprentice in 1983. He later progressed to occupy the role of a quality assurance instructor and inspector for

Dr Thabo Mashongoane

M I N I N G Q U A L I F I C AT I O N S A U T H O R I T Y

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