5.2 Partnership with workplaces and WIL

5. Interview results from lecturers

Theorizing STEM Education in the 21st Century

the classroom/workshops

Lecturer: "No, it's just theory".

he/she is not a professional teacher.

integrating theory and practice.

gration of theory and practice.

mostly based on textbook.

quantities using calculators.

on their own".

too short.

practical".

follows:

84

results are organised in term of these four elements.

Interviews were conducted with lecturers of students at the three colleges. The participants responded to questions related to (1) vocational pedagogy and didactics, (2) equipment and materials in the workshops, (3) integration of theory and practice and (4) partnership with workplaces and WIL. Therefore the themes of

5.1 Vocational pedagogy and didactics and integration of theory and practice in

The lecturer teaching electrical engineering responded that there was no inte-

The teacher says that there are no workshops for practical. The teaching is

Lecturer: "I teach them theory most of the time, and the practical they must do

The type of practical the teacher was referring to was calculations of electrical

The teacher who was teaching Computer Practice N5 in the same college states that students spend much time in the practical of the computer, because theory was

However, the teacher complained that the content of the subject she was teaching was outdated because it was never revised since 1999. It is not surprising why employers cannot employ most students from colleges because of this mismatch of knowledge and skills [1] [16]. This mismatch was also confirmed by the teacher as

Lecturer: I am only concentrating on the textbook, for example financial management students they are doing computer practice they are doing calculations yet when they go to the corporate they come back saying what we teach them it's not relevant to their work place due to the system each company may use as individual. The teacher states that she requires continuous professional development because

For instance, the teacher said: "More training for me because I am not a profes-

At the third college, the lecturer who was teaching Electrotechnics emphasised

Lecturer: "Sometimes you see now in the class I do have machines. Even there you can check I do have machines. My subject is based too much on machines and other components of electrical. I do bring some, like conductors that I do have, whatever subject it requires based on the chapter which I'll be teaching".

The lecturer in this subject (Electrotechnics) also stressed the fact that the content is outdated, and it is going to be reviewed. The NATED curriculum taught at TVET colleges was introduced by the apartheid regime and has not being reviewed. [21] argues that too much bureaucratic red tape and unnecessary detail

sional teacher so I don't know how to deal with the behaviour of students".

that he was always bringing practical components when teaching, as a way of

Lecturer: "Our theory is very short so most of the time we concentrate on

The researcher asked: "Is there any practical you do on your subject?"

I asked the teacher the question: "Do you have practical?" The lecturer/teacher responded: "No, I mean calculations".

On the issue of partnership and WIL, the lecturer mentioned that she/he was not involved in that; however the teacher said that partnership is much relevant especially in the subject he/she was teaching because it is a practical subject.

The teacher responded: "No, I am not involved in that field, but I know sometimes companies offer our students learnership".

The lecturer mentioned that workplaces for students to do practical are very rare.

Lecturer: "Yes, and we don't have places that you can go do practicals".

The lecturers continues: no, no we need that, we need it and who ever can help us and the students would like it, they keep on asking me always, they say why we are not placed, and I got no answer. It is clear that these colleges do not have equipment and materials, because they do not do practicals.

#### 5.3 Observation of training workshops

The study made observation in the practical workshops and during teaching. The observation schedules included (1) workshop/learning environment layout conducive for teaching and learning vocational subjects, (2) all material and equipment fully functional, (3) safety kits and utilities visible for all, (4) adequate working spaces provided around electrical power supply for normal operating and maintenance tasks in the workshop, (5) availability of materials to be used relevant for instruction and (6) natural and artificial lighting promoting effective functioning of practical lessons.

The above pictures show some training venues for students in the Electrotechnics and Automotive occupations, respectively. The materials observed that are used for practical are not corresponding with the latest technologies. For instance, most students are still trained using vehicle carburetor, while modern cars are using fuel injectors. It is not surprising that majority of youth trained from TVET colleges are not employable at most workplaces. Employers are complaining that the current education graduates are not work ready [21]. In a study by [21], in an interview, a manager uttered that education should "…give us a finished package" or "at day one be absolutely perfect". There is shortage of public/private training providers to provide knowledge and skills, education and training for the fourth industrial revolution such as IoT, AI, cloud computing, 3D printing and robotics/coding/programming [21].

A study by [22] indicates that one-third of industry experts in the USA had no confidence that education and training would evolve rapidly enough to match demands of technological advancement by 2026.

### 6. Conclusion

This chapter succeeded in presenting a review of literature demonstrating that rapid technological advancement is the major driver of the economic growth and has raised living standards enormously across the globe. From the review of literature, it can be concluded that there is a need for targeted TVET occupational skills, which are responding to the changing technological world. There are a number of recommendations made from the empirical findings presented in this chapter. It is concluded from the findings of this study that vocational pedagogy and practical skill training are not responding to workplaces and lead to high unemployment of youth. It is recommended that there should be massive upskilling and reskilling of TVET college teachers in various occupational fields. The findings also revealed that there are minimum or no practical activities at most of the colleges, hence no integration of theory and practice in vocational subjects. This study found that the curricula offered at the TVET colleges are irrelevant and require urgent review in order to respond to the current workplace. The teachers/lecturers at colleges require reskilling and upskilling to keep abreast with the latest technological development. Financial support from SETAs and related funders is required urgently to reskill TVET/CET college lecturers with fourth industrial revolution occupational skills. Short courses within occupational skills such as plumbing, welding, CNC programming, 3D additive manufacturing, robotics and IT are required at massive skills to combat unemployment, inequality and poverty. Bureaucratic red tapes and long procurement process should be removed if the country is serious about the fourth industrial revolution.

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Although this study does not claim to be generic with the results, the empirical conditions can be found to be similar in many TVET/CET colleges in the country. More clinical studies are required at TVET colleges, as this study did not cover all colleges and their campuses in the nine provinces. The researcher acknowledges some good reform and transformation in some colleges, however very small, given the majority of youth with no relevant skills for employment.
