Impact Assessment of National Skills Development Strategy II: the NSF as a mechanism to address skills development of the unemployed in South Africa

Abstract

The general approach to the study was to conduct a statistical overview of the information on training opportunities contained in the National Skills Fund Disbursement Information System (NSFDIS), complemented by five provincial case studies focusing on best practice projects, in order to deepen the perspective on the dynamics of training. A number of pertinent issues had an impact on the design and analysis of this study. First, the impact of the transfer of the NSF from the Department of Labour (DoL) to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in November 2009, which caused substantial re-arrangements in terms of communication, administration, and management regarding current and future training initiatives. Second, the absence of data in the National Skills Fund Disbursement Information System on the placement of beneficiaries. Third, limitations in terms of project content and data content in records maintained at provincial level.