Education and Skills Development
Reddy
Dr Vijay Reddy
Executive Director

The ESD programme researches education, skills development and capability enhancement at the individual, institutional and systemic levels. It is unique in its ability to harness research work both across and at the interface of these three areas as well as across multiple levels of provision.

   RESDI newsletter, November 2010 issue out now
 

The latest edition of RESDI explores post-World Cup South Africa's renewed commitment to get down to work, it considers teacher shortages and new education pathways in terms of post-schooling opportunities.

Education and skills development promote individual, social and economic development and are key to the exercise of citizenship.

High-quality education and appropriate competences and capabilities held by both individuals and firms are a prerequisite for growth, development and citizenship, which in turn can afford more people the opportunity to learn, more firms to enhance their capabilities, and for both to contribute to a productive society.  For these reasons, the research within this programme focuses on national priorities related to both an Improved Quality of Basic Education for all, and a Skilled and Capable Workforce to Support an Inclusive Growth Path.

Themes

A set of transversal themes lend coherence to the programme:

  • Education and training for development, with an emphasis on understanding how contexts, policies, institutions and systems shape and distribute educational and training opportunities
  • Ensuring equitable access for individuals to basic, intermediate and high level learning and skills
  • Skills and capability development in educational institutions and firms in the context of changing technological opportunities and a knowledge-based economy
  • Transitions through education and from education to the world of work

The research undertaken spans both private and public institutions.

Projects

Projects will concentrate on investigating the four themes at four levels:

  • Schooling and Education, from grade R to 12 and adult learning, with a focus on acquisition of knowledge, skills and capabilities through teaching and learning. Research includes teachers and teaching, achievement outcomes, assessment practices and assessment and accountability systems. Research will include both public and private institutions and the area of psychological assessments will be explored under this theme.
  • Intermediate skills and capability development, focuses on the technical and vocational education and training delivered through institutions such as FET Colleges (both private and public institutions), as well as learnership and apprenticeship programmes and ABET programmes.
  • Higher Education and High Skills development, focuses on access and success in higher education institutions (private and public) and firms. With the changing role of universities, research is undertaken on the developmental role of universities. and includes a study of professions.
  • Training and capability development in firms, in local, national and global contexts.