• South Africa lacks clear pathways from education to skilled employment

• 3.4 million youth not in employment, education or training

• Weak coordination and implementation hinder training and job transition efforts

South Africa’s transition from education to employment remains out of reach for millions of young people, despite a proliferation of government initiatives. Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Buti Manamela said so this week at the 2026 National Education Summit in Sandton.

Speaking to policymakers, academics and industry representatives, Manamela gave a blunt assessment. The country is not short of young people, he said, but of pathways into skilled work. Around 3.4 million young people are not in employment, education or training. The crisis, he argued, goes beyond unemployment. It reflects a failure to build clear career pathways.

The minister outlined targets, including 37,000 enrolments in artisan training programs and more than 200,000 workplace learning opportunities. Experts, however, cautioned that implementation remains weak. Professor Mary Metcalfe, a former director-general of education and public policy specialist, described the vision as ambitious but poorly understood by the public. Vocational pathways, she added, remain unattractive, with university education still dominating family aspirations.

The Quality Council for Trades and Occupations reported a surge in accreditation requests, from 25,000 to 66,000 in one year, overwhelming the system. Fewer than 10% of students in N6 technical programs obtain their diplomas, largely due to a lack of workplace experience. Manamela acknowledged the issue, saying the problem is not a shortage of programs but their fragmentation, with too many initiatives and too little coordination.

The figures reflect a broader structural gap. The economy requires about 30,000 artisans each year, but the system produces only 20,000, a shortfall the minister said is weighing on growth. Between 2014 and 2024, the youth employment rate fell from 30.5% to 27.7%. In 2024, 43.2% of young people were neither employed nor in training. In the first quarter of 2025, unemployment among 15- to 34-year-olds reached 46.1%, up from 36.9% a decade earlier. The summit concluded with a call for closer coordination between government, industry and training institutions.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou