Degrees of disconnection: realigning education to drive South Africa's economy

WE ARE A nation of firsts and paradoxes. The first on the continent to industrialise and the last to align our education system with our economy. The most connected generation in our history is also the most unemployed.

- NOMVULA MABUZA

South Africans are not confused about what is broken. Ask a teacher, an employer, or a young job-seeker and they will all tell you the same thing: how we prepare people for work no longer works. It is not a lack of money or effort. It is the absence of a system that speaks to our economy, our people and our moment in history.

The data confirms this disconnect. According to Statistics South Africa, only 7% of Grade 12 learners qualify for STÉM-related degrees despite growing demand for engineers, technicians and digital specialists.

Youth unemployment is 45.5% and nearly half of university students never complete their qualifications.

Among those who do, many emerge with degrees that fail to meet market demands-contributing to a paradox where employers can't find skilled workers. At the same time, thousands of young South Africans remain unemployed. This is not just an education problem. It is a systemic failure of alignment. The economy is demanding skills in logistics, renewable energy, welding, ICT, agritech and infrastructure maintenance, yet our institutions continue to produce graduates in fields with limited absorption capacity.

The result is visible across industries: vacancies remain unfilled while communities sink deeper into frustration, dependency and disillusionment. This is more evident than in the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system. TVET colleges are meant to function as engines of economic inclusion, providing job-ready training aligned with sector needs.

However, most suffer from outdated curricula, limited industry partnerships and low completion rates. A 2022 DHET review found that over half of enrolled TVET students drop out before completing their programmes.

Many cannot secure employment among those who do graduate due to poor employer confidence in the system. Compounding this is the digital divide.