Impact Assessment of National Skills Development Strategy II: scarce skills information dissemination: a study of the SETAs in South Africa

Abstract

The broad aim of this study is to evaluate how information on scarce skills is disseminated by SETAs to various roleplayers in the economy, and (if possible) the impact of this dissemination on study/training choices of students, learners and workers. Section 1 of the study provides an introduction. Prior to analyzing dissemination strategies, Section 2 considers the magnitudes and types of scarcities reported in the 2007 and 2008 National Scarce Skills lists. We find that changes in absolute numbers of scarce skills between the two lists are primarily the result of changes in occupations included in the two lists. Occupations with high numbers of scarce skills in the most recently published National Scarce Skills list (2008) are engineering and artisan-related occupations, education-related occupations, call centre operators, community and personal service workers (welfare support workers, nurses, security officers, dental assistants, funeral workers) and other science-related occupations. Furthermore, managers across a spectrum of occupations are in short supply according to the list, while certain types of clerical and administrative workers, sales workers, machinery operators and drivers, and technicians and trades workers are also undersupplied. Perceived scarcities are thus widespread across a variety of occupations and industries.