Abstract
M.Ing.
The low level of living standard of South Africa's black population is a characteristic of its history. The economic growth and development of any country rely on its factors of production. The main factor of production that can not be neglected is its labour force. The labour force of South Africa is plagued by its history, where the strategy of the past government of that era was to ensure that the black population remains uneducated. South Africa has however moved beyond its past and is looking into the future where its people can live in harmony. The majority of the population fall between the ages of 15-35 classified as youth. Unfortunately the highest unemployment rate occurs amongst the black youth of South Africa. The challenge South Africa faces is to alleviate poverty and the high rate of unemployment. The focus is to boost the work force by changing the skills profile of the people, which is currently enforced by the government through the Skills Development Act. The study undertaken indicated that to achieve a better life for all a paradigm shift in the educational system of the country must be initiated. A much needed technical skills development is required. However the long term remedy could be to ensure that the schools provide quality learners who will be able to be utilised in the work place. Another important factor of production is technology innovation, the only set-back is that there is a small community of engineers in the country and the enrolment figures for this field of study are not promising. One of the root causes of this is the low percentage of mathematics and physical science learners completing school. As a result there are a low percentage of learners moving into a technical field of study especially engineering. One of ways to unlock South Africa's economic growth is an investment in its people and engineers are the most suitable custodians. The engineer can drive technology which is one of the portals to techno-economic growth. While humanity shares one planet, it is the planet on which there are two worlds, the world of the rich and the world of the poor. Raanan Weitz, 1986. We cannot rebuild our society at the expense and standard of living
of ordinary men and women. We cannot develop at the expense of social justice. We cannot compete without a floor of basic human standards. Nelson Mandela The school in many underdeveloped countries is a reflection and a fruit of the surrounding underdevelopment, from which arises its deficiency, its quantitative and qualitative poverty. But little by little, and there lies the really serious risk, the school in these underdeveloped countries risks becoming in turn a factor of underdevelopment. Joseph Kizerbo, former Minister of Education, Burkino Faso