Private sector has its say on skills development

THE issue of skills development was tabled by the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) at a workshop last week, following up on the National Tourism conference held in October last year. Two areas of focus where noted from the workshop for particular consideration by the National Tourism Skills Development Forum (NTSDF). Firstly, it was noted that workplace skills plans are no longer required from SMMEs, despite the fact that they account for almost 90% of the tourism sector. This has left a gap in terms of skills development information and industry knowledge. The industry said that workplace skills plans need to be re-introduced across the sector, with the process made simpler for SMMEs. The second area of concern related to government interdepartmental cooperation. Industry stakeholders at the workshop felt that the delivery of Theta could not be separated from what the Department of Education and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism are doing in terms of education and training. Input from the workshop will be collated to include the private sector’s input in the national discussion and planning processes on skills development. The final document will also be circulated to the industry for additional input before tabling at the NTSDF. Sue Lewitton (suel@nowmedia.co.za)