Positioning TVET Lecturer Identities at the Centre of TVET Lecturer Education and Training in a Post-COVID-19 Context

ABSTRACT

The Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college sector in South Africa is seen as central to skills development and the revival of the economy. However, the sector remains one of the weakest in the post-school system. This chapter provides a synopsis of the evolution of the post-apartheid college sector context in South Africa, the nature of the new programme offerings for pre- and in-service training as well as increasing moves towards professionalisation of the sector. This discussion is presented against the backdrop of the broader policy context in the country, specifically considering the different needs of current TVET lecturers, who range from unqualified;academically qualified, but without workplace pedagogy;trained for the schooling sector;to the ideal—those who are both academically and professionally qualified. While this rather lopsided continuum is not unique to South Africa, the way it is being addressed is important to articulate and reflect on. The changes in the management and governance of the colleges prior to the establishment of the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and the impact these changes had on lecturers’ job security and conditions of employment are key factors that we will explore in our contribution. The college sector lost lecturing staff during this time, further reducing its capacity to meet the training needs of the country. While seemingly intractable problems such as slow uptake of newly introduced qualifications for TVET lecturers and compliance oriented continuing professional development (CPD) programmes can be overcome, the impact of COVID-19 on this sector should not be underestimated. Of course, this uncertain future also offers an opportunity to make changes that may previously have been politically unpalatable. In this chapter, we try to imagine what a more explicitly conceptualised workplace pedagogy would comprise to produce a pipeline of well-trained and professionally orientated TVET lecturers. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.