According to Statistics South Africa, unemployment was at 26.6% in July 2016. And what is even more unsettling, the unemployed youth of South Africa was measured at 53.7% during the same month. As you can see, more than half of our country’s legacy cannot land a job. You will be aware that companies are under pressure to comply with new legislative requirements. It is not a mere suggestion anymore. But if you look at the startling facts, you might just reach the same conclusion as we do. Companies now have a moral obligation to eradicate the country’s current crisis. What do we recommend? Hire a young matriculant for an entry-level job, implement learnerships and thus improve the lives of the young persons who cannot study further by themselves due to a lack of finances. When you have a better understanding of the NQF, you can drastically improve the abilities, skills and life-quality for our people by creating a ladder of learning. The National Qualification Framework, abbreviated as the NQF, is a system used for “the classification, registration, publication and articulation of quality-assured national qualifications”, according to the act of 2010.
Building a Ladder of Learning using the NQF
Using the knowledge of the various new levels of the NQF, you can easily create a ladder of learning for all of your employees.
For example, an unemployed and inexperienced person with only a Grade 12 certificate could join a Contact Centre Support NQF 2 level programme for agents where, upon graduating, they would earn a minimum of R5000 per month. This person could then advance to a Contact Centre Operations NQF Level 4 programme for team leaders or supervisors, with an average salary of R12 000 per month. Eventually, he or she could progress to a Contact Centre Management NQF 5 programme. Top Contact Centre managers could earn a salary of up to R1 million annually.
Keep in mind that this same scenario could apply across many industries, where learners enter the workplace on entry-level programmes – whether in Retail, Tourism and Hospitality, IT, Sales and Marketing and a host of other qualifications. Through continuing on the ladder of learning in their career, concurrently working and learning, they can easily advance themselves into high-earning management positions within a few years.
In short, the NQF brings hope for the future to many South Africans. A young person who could not afford higher learning will one day be able to afford the university fees for their own children. It all starts with learnerships and the NQF ladder.
Do you need help with developing your company’s NQF ladder? Contact us today and we can help you to help others.
I-Fundi Article by Susan Long