Abstract
The improvement of artisan training programs has been a key priority for the South African
government. In 2010, this focus prompted the Ministry of Education to lead a delegation to
Germany and Switzerland to observe their artisan training programs. This initiative was driven
by the desire to strengthen local Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
colleges and significantly increase the number of graduating artisans. Thereafter, two pilot
projects were launched at two South African TVET colleges between 2013 and 2017 to test the
viability of the European training style. The completion of the two pilot projects saw the
establishment of a Centre of Specialisation (COS) as a faculty withing the TVET college
structure. Following the establishment of the COS, a third pilot project was launched between
2019 to 2023to further explore the adoptability and viability of the European training model in
19 TVET colleges selected by the Ministry of Education across South Africa’s nine provinces.
What is homogeneous within the findings of all three pilot projects is that the TVET colleges
seemingly confronted similar challenges, namely: framework development, responsibility
sharing, contracting, and the financing model. In this context, the research investigated the
readiness of TVET colleges to facilitate the roll-out of the third dual system apprenticeship
pilot program. It aimed to revisit the learnings from the initial two pilot projects (2013-2017)
and examine how these insights were adopted, thereby informing the colleges’ readiness for
implementing the third dual system project. The study was conducted in three South African
provinces—Free State, Gauteng, and Limpopo—at four TVET colleges involved in piloting
various artisan programs. Using convenience sampling, semi-structured interviews were
qualitatively analysed to capture the perspectives of COS college management, drawing on
historical experiences to narrate the factors that informed the readiness of these institutions for
the third pilot project.
Data analysis was conducted using both Atlas.ti software and manual coding (excel sheets)
methods, through which codes and themes were generated to interpret the findings. This was
intended to correlate the meaning in its context from the interview feedback to that generated
by the software which proved highly beneficial which provided the researcher a more profound
comprehension of the data. The research found that college readiness was attained through
expression of interest, accreditation processes, the use of checklists, and expert guidance
aligned with the introduction of the third pilot. The pilot framework was developed through
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collaboration with all stakeholders, a responsibility matrix was established, contracting was
formalised through MOUs or SLAs, and financing was made available to support the project.
The study concludes that all four colleges were moderately ready to pilot the third dual-system
project. It recommends increased efforts in alignment, management knowledge sharing, and
information centralisation.