NACI-CHE Task Team

Mandate:

NACI-CHE Task Team is a collaborative effort between the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) and the Council on Higher Education (CHE). The Task Team was conceived after a meeting between the former Ministers of Education and Science and Technology in May 2008 in which human capital development for science, engineering and technology (SET) was discussed. The Task Team was formulated on a needs basis to develop action oriented advice on the production of science, engineering and technology human capital by the higher education sector. The mandate of the Task Team is to explore new approaches in dealing with country’s crucial needs for SET human capital.

Background:

It is widely recognized that skills shortage in South Africa are a significant factor inhibiting the country from achieving the 6% targeted growth rate set in the accelerated and shared growth initiative. In many respects the education sector, in particular higher education is often blamed for the country’s inability to overcome the skills problem. Some critics point to an inefficient education system that is still characterized by remnants of apartheid era poor planning in respect of representation of Africans in certain fields of study. Others point to a system that has failed to balance improved quality with access to education.

The NACI-CHE Task Team is a dedicated resource within NACI that will identify gaps in current efforts within the higher education sphere and suggest new approaches in dealing with the country’s crucial needs for SET human capital. As a point of departure the Task Team will gather data for analysis and assessment in the following themes:

• Analysis of enrolment patterns vs. the needs of the economy and society;
• Investigation into the employability of post-graduates and the associated absorption rate of the economy;
• Improved utilization of the supervisor capacity in higher education, science councils and the business sector and improved matching of post-graduate students and mentors; and
• Future capacity constraints of the higher education system.

Institutional Arrangements and Governance

The Task Team consists of members recruited and appointed by a steering committee. The steering committee is constituted of representatives from the Department of Science and Technology, Department of Higher Education and Training, the National Research Foundation, the National Advisory Council on Innovation and the Council on Higher Education. The chairperson of NACI and the CEO of the CHE are ex officio members and co-chairpersons of the Task Team.

Task Team Members:

NACI Secretariat:

CHE: