The envisaged dual system of vocational education and training in South A frica: assessing the potential thereof from a comparative perspective

Abstract

The aim of this research was to assess the potential of the envisaged dual system of vocational education and training in South Africa from a comparative perspective, namely, the German prototype and the many attempts to transplant this to other countries. The dual system in Germany is outlined and assessed, followed by an evaluation of attempts to export it to other countries. Subsequently, the motivation for and details of the envisaged dual system in South Africa are discussed, before extrapolating, in the concluding section, the implications of the experience abroad for South Africa. The population dynamics, economy, the mobile employment market and low prestige accorded to vocational education do not bode well for a dual system in South Africa. On the other hand, building the qualifications attained in the dual system into the National Qualifications Framework, and empowering would-be learners from designated groups by means of the Equal Employment Act, could create a dual system that could be exemplary for other developing countries, and even for Germany.


(South African Journal of Education: 2003 23 (2): 145-151)