Education levels
Eighty-one per cent of graduates had already achieved a Grade 12 certificate before achieving their N2, N3 or NSC. In other words, for many learners, embarking upon a programme leading to the achievement of an N2 or N3 certificate constituted a regression to a level of learning lower than their highest level of achievement in the logic of the NQF. This both underscores the apparent value accorded technical qualifications by learners, who view their achievement as the gateway to the world of work, and
constitutes an oblique comment on the failure of the schooling system to prepare learners adequately for entry into the labour market.
The profile of graduate responses by qualification type achieved in 1999 is shown in Table 3.5.
Table 3.5: Qualifications achieved by technical college graduates in 1999
Qualification Percentage
NSC 9.0
N2 48.4
N3 42.6
Total 100.0
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Crucially, 66 per cent of respondents to the graduate tracer survey went on to achieve a qualification after 1999 and 35 per cent were still studying at the time of the survey.
Although the bulk of these were still within the college sector (studying at N4 to N6 level), 13.6 per cent were enrolled in university and technikon programmes. This clearly has salience for the policy debate regarding the future of N4 to N6 qualifications. If these are to be discouraged and the emphasis placed upon technical qualifications at NQF level 5 within technikons, then the transition rate from college to technikon would have to increase significantly.
When asked for their motivations to further study, a quarter of graduates studying further cite achieving a higher qualification as one of their main reasons for doing so, while 22 per cent cite improving their chances of finding a job as the main reason for further study. A cross-tabulation of qualification type with reasons for studying further supports
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Table 3.6: Choice of field of study for N2, N3 or NSC, in descending order of popularity
Field of study Percentage
Electrical engineering (heavy and light current) 58.9
Mechanical engineering 19.4
Secretarial 5.7
Grade 12 3.7
Construction 3.3
Administration (public and business) 2.9
Other 1.8
Financial management 1.0
Art & design 0.7
Marketing 0.5
Hospitality & associated industries 0.5
Hair care 0.4
Cosmetics 0.4
Grade 10 & 11 programmes 0.3
Clothing production & textiles 0.2
Educare 0.2
Interior decorating 0.1
Personnel (including human resources and public relations) 0.1
Music & dance 0.0
Tourism 0.0
Total 100.0
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the argument. However, these answers leave much of the complexity of individual motivations hidden. In particular, it would be interesting to know the complex relationships between these two motivations that lurk behind our request for them to select ‘the most important reason’.
Study choices
The fields of study in which graduates achieved their N2, N3 or NSC qualifications are outlined in Table 3.6.
As is evident from Table 3.6, the engineering studies programmes (electrical and mechanical engineering, and construction) are overwhelmingly the most popular, accounting for 81.6 per cent of study choices.5Nearly six out of ten graduates achieved their qualification in electrical engineering alone. That tourism should be the least popular programme indicates the extent of mismatch between college provision and market demand with regard to a major growth industry in the national economy.
The male-female breakdown for each field paints the following dichotomies (Table 3.7):
The main trend that emerges from these findings is that while male learners tend to pursue technically-oriented programmes in colleges, female learners follow other pathways (the predominance of female learners in general education programmes at Grade 10 and 11 reinforces this dichotomy). However, it is worth noting that female subscription to the electrical branch of engineering is notably heavier than to the
mechanical branch and to construction. Strikingly, while financial management is strongly female-oriented, the reverse is true of marketing. This paradox contradicts popular opinion, which regards financial management as a male preserve and marketing as an increasingly female domain. A disaggregation by population group reveals little variation in preferences between study areas. However, there is far more white participation in the less popular subject areas. This may be a function of both historically better access to and
Table 3.7: Choice of field of study, by gender
Field of study Male Female
Electrical engineering (heavy and light current) 75.4 24.6
Mechanical engineering 91.6 8.4
Construction 85.0 15.0
Financial management 28.5 71.5
Marketing 89.0 11.0
Hospitality & associated industries 26.3 73.7
Hair care 6.6 93.4
Grade 10 & 11 programmes 28.7 71.3
Music & dance 0.0 100.0
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knowledge of the labour market amongst the white population. The relatively low white enrolments in engineering programmes (electrical, mechanical, and construction) is also probably indicative of the extent to which white learners intent on obtaining a
qualification in engineering enrol in technikons and universities rather than technical colleges, aided by their typically higher Grade 12 scores in Mathematics and Science.
The extent of support for the reasons advanced in the questionnaire for these study choices (learners could select more than one reason) is indicated in Table 3.8.
The discrepancy between study choice based upon notions of finding employment (23.5 per cent) and study choice based upon interest in the field (61.1 per cent) is striking. While in itself commendable, the fact that nearly two-thirds of learners at the outset of their technical college education made a choice of study direction largely on the basis of interest in the field, and, concomitantly, that fewer than a quarter chose their area of study because they thought it would lead to their finding a job, is an oblique comment on the extent to which either their schools or their families prepared them for college study, and ultimately upon the career guidance system in place in the school and technical college sectors.
Employment status
Thirty-four per cent of graduates reported being either employed or self-employed, whether full time or part time. When the 35 per cent in further study are considered, this suggests 31 per cent were unemployed or economically inactive for other reasons.
However, it is probable that an important determinant of further study is an inability to find employment. Therefore, the overall picture of student labour market placement remains negative. This, however, needs to be placed in the contexts of both massive South African youth unemployment and international rates for college to employment transition.
A disaggregation of the data by population group reveals a striking discrepancy between the percentages of employed white (58 per cent) and African graduates (21 per cent). On the face of it there would seem, based upon these statistics, to be discrimination against Africans in recruitment practices, though clearly there may be other factors influencing this phenomenon beyond the scope of this study.
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Table 3.8: Reasons for choice of field of study, in descending order of extent of support
Reason Percentage
I was interested in it 61.1
To get a job 23.5
It was the easiest programme/course for me to study 7.7
Other 3.6
My family wanted me to [study in this field] 2.0 The programme/course I wanted to study at the college was full 2.0
Total 100.0
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The percentage of self-employed graduates employing other persons is low across all four population groups, only two per cent for white graduates and 1.4 per cent for African graduates. This finding is unsurprising given the recent graduation status of this cohort;
the percentages of recent graduates in sustainable, qualification-related self-employment tend to be low universally (McGrath & King 1995). However, the percentage is low in comparison with other African countries, where most of the officially unemployed would be engaged in some informal-sector activity, whether employing others or not (McGrath
& King 1995).
A disaggregation of employment status data by gender reveals, unsurprisingly, a bias towards employment of males over females. While 30 per cent of males are employed by a company/organisation, only 21 per cent of females are thus employed.
What the analysis in the preceding paragraph does not take into account, however, is the occupations in, and levels at, which male versus female graduates are employed. The next section, which focuses on sectoral and occupational activity of graduates, addresses this issue.
Employment experience
Of the 34 per cent of graduates in employment after achieving their N2, N3 or NSC, the majority (65 per cent) worked6 in the private sector, while roughly equal proportions (15 per cent and 19 per cent) worked for or within the state and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) respectively. There is very little evidence of self-initiated enterprise, only one per cent of graduates having been self-employed. For 73 per cent of graduates, it was their first job.
Almost identical proportions of those graduates who were employed were in permanent (41 per cent) or in temporary contract (40.8 per cent) employment. Twenty-seven per cent of those employed worked a 33 to 40-hour week; 36 per cent worked a 41 to 48-hour week; and 14 per cent worked more than 48 hours per week. One in ten graduates worked for eight hours or fewer per week. Thus, the considerable majority were in full-time work situations, although it is possible that, for some, this was through working in more than one job.
Employment by sector
The percentages of graduates employed in the different officially recognised sectors7are indicated in Table 3.9.
There is an over-representation of certain sectors here when compared to overall national statistics. Mining/quarrying, electricity/gas/water supply and manufacturing are particularly over-represented, as would be expected given their reliance on technical skills. Of more concern is the positions occupied by graduates in these sectors, and whether their skills enhance the productivity of the organisations or companies in which they work.
Employment by occupation
The discussion now turns to the occupations of the technical college graduates in the survey. More than a third of graduates did not know how to categorise their occupation.
Following a post-coding exercise to re-categorise the ‘Unsure’ responses in terms of the
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nine Standard Occupation Classification (SOC) categories (Stats SA 2001b), however, the picture presented in Table 3.10 emerges.
Table 3.10 suggests that the bulk of employed graduates do seem to be in technically- related areas: as technicians, craft workers and operators. These account for 61.9 per cent
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Table 3.9: Sectors in which technical college graduates are employed
Sector Percentage employed in the sector*
Manufacturing 18.9
Wholesale/retail/repairs/hotels 17.7
Electricity/gas/water supply 15.1
Community/social/personal services 14.3
Mining/quarrying 11.4
Construction 7.8
Financial/insurance/real estate/business services 7.1
Transport/storage 4.7
Agriculture/hunting/forestry/fishing 1.8 Other 1.1**
Total 100.0
* Almost a fifth of respondents (19.4 per cent) could not identify from the list provided the sectors in which they worked. A post-coding of their verbal responses according to the nine SIC sectors has produced the results in this table.
** The ‘other’ category here accounts for the percentage of invalid responses to the question.
Table 3.10: Occupations of technical college graduates
Occupation Percentage employed in that occupation
Legislators, senior officials and managers 0.9
Professionals 1.4
Technicians and associate professionals 20.5
Clerks 11.8
Service workers, shop and market sales workers 15.8 Skilled agricultural and fishery workers 0.9
Craft and related trades workers 25.7
Plant and machine operators and assemblers 15.7
Elementary occupations 3.5
Unsure 3.9*
Total 100.0
* As in the case of the SIC categories, the ‘Unsure’ category here reflects the percentage of invalid responses to the question.
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of respondent employment, as opposed to only 32 per cent of employment in the economy as a whole. Moreover, 28 per cent of the rest are in areas clearly related to the business studies element of college activities.
However, in terms of status and income, these occupational categories do form a rough hierarchy and it is significant that there are racial differences in which segments the employment of respondents is concentrated. For whites and Indians, the biggest
occupational group is technician, but for coloureds and Africans it is craft. From a gender perspective, it is apparent that old divisions are still present. For female graduates, the two most common areas of employment are as clerks and service and sales workers.
While 31 per cent of female graduates are clerks, the figure is only six per cent for male graduates. Equally, while 28 per cent of female graduates are service and sales workers, only 12 per cent of male graduates occupy such positions.
Given these stark gender differences, it comes as no surprise to discover from a CHAID analysis that of all the possible variables affecting the outcome of Question 3.8 (‘What is/was your occupation?’), gender emerges as the strongest predictor of a graduate’s occupation. This suggests that gender is not only the strongest discriminating, but also the strongest discriminatory, factor in employee occupation amongst technical college graduates.
A cross-tabulation of the sectors in which technical college graduates work and their occupations reveals the following. From a sector perspective (looking at the top five sectors employing technical college graduates):
• Nearly half of the graduates employed in the manufacturing sector (47 per cent) are employed as plant and machine operators and assemblers, a quarter (26 per cent) as craft and related trades workers, and 13 per cent as technicians and associate professionals.
• Two out of five workers employed in the wholesale/retail/repairs/hotels sector (41 per cent) are employed as service workers, shop and market sales workers, as one might expect. Nearly a quarter (22 per cent) are employed as craft and related trades workers, 17 per cent as technicians and associate professionals, and 15 per cent as clerks.
• About two out of five workers (43 per cent) employed in the electricity/gas/water supply sector are employed as craft and related trades workers and as technicians and associate professionals (39 per cent), and eleven per cent are employed as plant and machine operators and assemblers.
• A third of workers in the community/social/personal services sector (34 per cent) are employed as technicians and associate professionals, and nearly a quarter each as clerks (23 per cent) and service workers, shop and market sales workers (23 per cent) respectively.
• In the mining/quarrying sector, just under half of all graduates are employed as craft and related trades workers (49 per cent), a quarter are employed as plant and machine operators and assemblers (27 per cent), eleven per cent are employed as service workers, shop and market sales workers, and ten per cent are employed as technicians and associate professionals.
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Two deductions can be made from these findings:
• There is a fairly close match between the occupations and the sectors in which graduates are employed.
• Only in the community/social/personal services sector, the major state employer, is there a significant percentage of graduate employees at the clerical level (23 per cent).
Income levels of employed graduates
The monthly income of employed graduates is outlined in Table 3.11.
Most of the graduates fall into the low-income bracket. While in one sense this is unsurprising, given South Africa’s poverty levels, in another sense one might have expected college-leavers with an N-certificate to earn more than they do. While four out of five graduates earn less than R3 000 per month, more than a third (36.4 per cent) earn less than R1 000 per month.
A comparison with workers in the general population, moreover (Stats SA 2001a), reveals that two-thirds of workers with a diploma/certificate with a Grade 12 earn more than R2 500 a month, and that 47 per cent of workers with a diploma/certificate with a Grade 11 or lower earn more than R2 500 a month. Since the majority of technical college graduates would fall into these two categories, the comparison suggests that a lower percentage of college graduates than of workers in the general population with comparable qualifications earn more than R2 500 to R3 000 per month.
This suggests that an N2 or N3/NSC qualification is not highly regarded by the
marketplace and/or that a large proportion of technical college graduates are employed in occupations for which their college education has not adequately prepared them. Indeed, notwithstanding the fairly close fit between sector and occupation reported above, 45 per cent of those employed indicated that their job was not appropriate to their college qualification. Thirty-eight per cent claimed that they took the job because they could not find employment better linked to their level of education. Moreover, 36 per cent of respondents who were self-employed (albeit this is a small group) cited not being able to find a job in the field in which they were trained as their chief reason for working for themselves.
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Table 3.11: Gross monthly income of employed technical college graduates
Income Percentage
Less than R1 000 36.4
R1 001 – R3 000 45.0
More than R3 000 18.6
Total 100.0
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From a population group perspective, the percentages of African and white graduates earning less than R1 000 per month are markedly different: 42 per cent and 27 per cent respectively. But while 59 per cent of white graduates earn between R1 001 and R3 000 per month, only 38 per cent of African graduates earn this amount. This means that very similar percentages of African and white graduates earn less than R3 000 a month (80 per cent of Africans, and 86 per cent of whites) and, concomitantly, that more African than white graduates earn more than R3 000 per month (14 per cent of whites and 20 per cent of Africans).
Juxtaposed with the earlier comment about apparent racial differentials in recruitment, this suggests that while African graduates find it more difficult to get a job, once they have one they are remunerated at least at the same rate as their white counterparts.
A disaggregation of income data by gender reinforces the levelling picture. While 33 per cent of male graduates and 47 per cent of female graduates earn less than R1 000 per month, 47 per cent of males and 40 per cent of females earn between R1 001 and R3 000 per month. This means that while 13 per cent of female graduates earn more than R3 000 a month, the percentage of male graduates earning this amount is only 20 per cent. While the gender differences are more marked than the population group differences, the trends are similar.
The conclusions drawn in this latter part of the study about the match between technical college training and employment leads directly into the following discussion, which focuses on graduates’ experiences of their college education and the extent to which it prepared them for later life, especially finding a satisfactory job.