Introduction: the shifting understandings of skills in South Africa since industrialisation

Abstract

During the Mbeki presidency, skill has come to be a central theme of government concerns with improving social and economic performance and explaining weaknesses in implementation. Whilst not quite reaching the "spinned" simplicity of Blair's "education, education, education" in Britain, skill has taken a key role in official accounts about international competitiveness, economic growth and poverty reduction. The authors are particularly interested in unpacking the notion of skill as ways of supporting the national project and suggesting how best to deal with the issue of skill in South Africa.