Skills Development Act, 1998 (Act No. 97 of 1998)

The National Skills Development Plan 2030 published by the Minister of Higher Education and Training on 7 March 2019 recognises that “South Africa’s skills base is too low to support the country’s socio-economic goals. The workforce is also not keeping pace with the skills required to remain competitive in an increasingly knowledge-based economy”. This supports the call to action stated in the White Paper for Post-school Education and Training: Building an Expanded, Effective and Integrated Post-school System approved by Cabinet on 20 November 2013 and released by the Minister of Higher Education and Training on 15 January 2014 which notes in the Executive Summary that “Re-establishing a good artisan training system is an urgent priority; the current target is for the country to produce 30 000 artisans a year by 2030”. The National Apprenticeship and Artisan Development Advisory Body hereinafter referred to as NAADAB is a statutory advisory forum between government, organised business and organised labour that deliberates on national apprenticeship and artisan development legislation, policy, advocacy programmes, curricula, research and knowledge management amongst other matters in order to advise the Minister on suitable solutions for the apprenticeship and artisan development system. The reason is to meet the policy provisions of the National Skills Development Plan which aims to achieve the National Development plan of producing 30 000 artisans by 2030 and produce highly skilled quality artisans who will contribute meaningfully to the economy of South Africa.