Sector Skills Plan – Scarce & Critical Skills

The Sector Skills Plan (SSP) of the AgriSETA was signed off by the Governing Board and submitted to the Department of Labour at the end of November 2006 of which feedback is awaited. From the submitted SSP, the Scarce & Critical Skills for the sector have been “taken out” and and re-drafted into an easy to read guide. This guide will be distributed widely in the Agri sector.Scarce and critical skills is also the main topic to be discussed during a roadshow in February/March.

A reminder, to those who have not registered for the upcoming roadshows.

YOU ARE INVITED!!!!

Stakeholders are invited to the AgriSETA Roadshows to be held during February/March 2007. The main aim of these roadshows would be to discuss scarce and critical skills shortages identified within the agri Sector. Discussions will include strategies to address and assist stakeholders in the participation of identified initiatives in this regard. We will try to provide as much opportunity in the afternoon for comments, questions and feedback from stakeholders.

We would like stakeholders to communicate their needs to AgriSETA in order to achieve our National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) targets with regards to the elimination of scarce and critical skills. We would like to hear from YOU!

In preparation, please read through the Sector Skills Plan of AgriSETA on our website www.agriseta.co.za under the Skills Planning menu Details of the roadshows are as follows:

Province	Region	Venue	Number for  directions	Date	Time
Eastern Cape	Port Elizabeth	Bookes Hill Suite Hotel		20 Feb 2007	9h00-16h00
Western Cape	Stellenbosch	Stellenbosch Lodge	(021) 888 0100	22 Feb 2007	9h00-16h00
Kwa-Zulu Natal	Durban	Protea Hotel Umhlanga	(031) 561 4413	27 Feb 2007	9h00-16h00
Gauteng	Pretoria	Manhattan Hotel	(012) 392 0000	8 March 2007	9h00-16h00
Free State	Bloemfontein	Bloemfontein	(051) 444 4321	13 March 2007	9h00-16h00

ROADSHOW: SCARCE AND CRITICAL SKILLS IN THE AGRI SECTOR PROGRAMME

1. Tea & Coffee   / Registration	09h00 - 09h30
2. Welcome	09h30 - 09h45
3. Presentation 1: NSDS and AgriSETA targets	09h45 - 11h30
4. Presentation 2: Addressing Scarce and Critical skills in     AgriSETA (including funding options)	11h30 - 13h00
5. Light Lunch	13h00 - 13h30
6. Stakeholders: questions and answers session	13h30 - 16h00

Based on requests received, we have also decided to discuss the newly developed learning material for the primary agricultural sector, which is now available for general use.The above programme will be slightly adjusted to accommodate a presentation on Learning Material.

Presenter Johann Engelbrecht - AgriSETA Skills Planning Manager.

To register Click here for the Confirmation of Attendance Form and either email to myra@agriseta.co.za or fax (021) 945 4253.

Thus far 100 modules have been placed on the website. This project will come to an end at the end of February 2007. For those who were not able to download all the learning material, cd’s will be available. As stated above, the learning material will also be discussed during the roadshow.

Land Rights

Although in the embryo stages, a proposal has been developed with the involvement of the Commission for the Restitution of Land Rights. This proposal , once ratified by the governing structures of AgriSETA and the Commissioner, will be sent to the National Skills Fund and calls for R200 million funding to enable the SETA and the Commissioner to implement skills development programmes on those projects where agricultural land claims have been settled.

Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET)

More than 16 000 learners have been approved to participate in ABET programmes. Of those approved, 11 000 have been assessed in order to place them at the appropriate learning level. 7 500 learners are already “bums on seats” and participate in either a computer assisted mode of learning or normal face to face training.

Bursaries, Internships, Workplace experience and Apprenticeships (BIWA)

All the BIWA guidelines, contracts and administrative processes are in place. For the 2006/7 financial year, most allocations have been done. Should there be urgent requests for funding, this will still be taken into consideration.

On top of the allocations made, the following have also been budgeted for in the new financial year:

• 100 bursaries
• 100 internships
• 100 Workplace Experience grants
• 50 Apprenticeships

Soon a specific announcement for applications for the above funding will be made in order for funding to “kick in” after 1 April 2007. Further details will also be found under the Discretionary Grants menu on our website.

Mandatory Grants

Note for the 2007/2008 financial year, closing date for application for Mandatory Grants will be on 30^th June 2007. For further information on registration, please contact Amandie Gerber, the Grants Co ordinator on amandie@agriseta.co.za

ABALONE FARM RUNS HIGHLY EFFECTIVE LITERACY PROGRAMME

Abagold,the biggest Abalone farm in the southern hemisphere, held a graduation ceremony on Friday 26 January at which 15 employees received certificates for successfully completing an adult literacy course.

Abagold’s training manager, Mynhardt van Dyk, says “We identified a need amongst our employees for basic literacy training and, after much research, implemented a multimedia approach to Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) developed by adult education specialist Media Works. Our employees haven’t looked back and have made a huge success of the programme, to the extent that we have had to set up another training center to accommodate demand for the training.

Mynhardt says the Hermanus-based company employs many people who have little or no experience of the intricate and sophisticated world of mariculture and abalone rearing. He says it is quite a challenge to equip newcomers with the necessary skills in a short space of time. Equally important is the need for ongoing education and training to upgrade the levels of competence of staff and keep up with technological innovation. However, it is very difficult to implement training when the learners are illiterate or semi-literate.

Media Works’ Michelle Stanfield says, “This is Abagold’s second graduation ceremony since it first implemented the literacy programme in 2005. Last year, 14 learners received graduation certificates and 11 learners are awaiting their results. Through the dedication and resourcefulness of Abagold’s facilitators, Mynhardt van Dyk and Sarah Mofokeng, Abagold has created a benchmark in ABET learner portfolios by developing its own abalone industry-related learner worksheets.”

These people, and many more around South Africa, are being given the opportunity to acquire literacy skills as a result of projects being run by the AgriSeta and the Department of Agriculture. AgriSETA has purchased a national site license from Media Works, giving the Seta the right to use its ABET material countrywide. The AgriSETA is providing the Media Works ABET programme to members free of charge and across the board. Once the learners have completed one ABET level, they qualify to progress onto a programme being run by the Department of Agriculture, which allows them to further their education. Abagold is not only the first abalone farm in South Africa to implement ABET, it is also the first farm to have embarked on the Department of Agriculture programme, testimony to the hard work of learners and facilitators at Abagold! Michelle concludes: “The commitment of this abalone farm to the Media Works/ AgriSETA/ Department of Agriculture project is a source of pride to the industry as well as the wider community.”

POULTRY LEARNERS RECEIVE NATIONAL CERTIFICATE

A unique programme funded jointly by the Swiss SA Co-operation Initiative and AgriSETA has enabled 26 young unemployed learners to achieve the National Certificate: Poultry Production at NQF level 3. The training was undertaken by the KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute (KZNPI), a Pietermaritzburg-based NGO which also assists graduates with job placement.

Representatives of the Swiss South African Co-operation Initiative and AgriSETA congratulated the 26 learners recognized for the achievement of the National Certificate: Poultry Production (NQF level 3) at a ceremony held recently in Pietermaritzburg. This programme, which was run by the KwaZulu-Natal Poultry Institute (KZNPI) as a learnership for unemployed students, was the first of its kind in the country.

  The programme was funded by SSACI and AgriSETA.
The First Lady of KwaZulu-Natal Mrs Zama Ndebele is President of the KZNPI. The training programme aims to equip participants with strong practical skills and sound theoretical knowledge. A noteworthy feature that is proving successful is the post-training support, which includes connecting commercial poultry farmers with newly qualified job seekers. The next Learnership is planned for 2007. The KZNPI also offers short courses for extension officers, supervisors, emerging farmers, trainee farmers and farm managers.KZNPI depends on voluntary funding from donors and poultry producers. The organisation was established in 1992 to meet the anticipated need for skills development and other essential services in the poultry industry.

Jayesh Bhana (left) of the Swiss-South African Co-operation Initiative (SSACI) and Ms Nana Xulu (second from left), P.A. to the First Lady of KZN Mrs Zama Ndebele, congratulate Fortunate Zondi and Ayanda Mkhize, two of the 26 students who received their National Certificate in Poultry Production at a ceremony held recently. With them is Mr Fano Luthuli, Project Coordinator Skills Planning at AgriSETA (far right).

Sub Sector Committee Meeting dates:

Tobacco

Sub Sector	Date	Venue
Fibre, Tea & Coffee	5 February 2007	Port Elizabeth (08h30)
Seed & Pest Control	6 February 2007	Pretoria (13h30)
Tobacco	7 February 2007	Pretoria (09h00)
Red Meat	7 February 2007	Pretoria (14h00)
Poultry	8 February 2007	Pretoria (10h00)
Sugar	13 February 2007	Durban  (10h00)
Grain	14 February 2007	Pretoria (10h00)
Milling	14 February 2007	Pretoria (14h00)

For more information of the Sub Sector Committee Meetings, please contact Myra Hoffman on myra@agriseta.co.za or (021) 949 4885.

CONTACT:

Tel: (012) 325 1655
Fax: (012) 325 1624/77
Email: info@agriseta.co.za
Website: http://www.agriseta.co.za