Conference to celebrate 10 years of REAL
The Minister for Higher Education and Training, Blade Nzimande, and the Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi will address the conference.
The lead ministers responsible for preparing and assisting youth to access the labour market, for enabling workers to develop the skills they need to remain in employment, and for creating a productive and healthy workplace, the Minister for Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande and Minister of Employment and Labour, Thulas Nxesi will be addressing a conference being held at the University of Witwatersrand on 17 and 18 August.
The conference, which will be opened by Vice-chancellor Prof. Zeblon Vilakazi, is organised by the Wits-based Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL).
The conference will showcase researchers from the Centre, students, and policymakers who are grappling with finding solutions to improve the quality of education and training, and to strengthen the alignment between education and work in order to support inclusive employment and increased productivity within the context of the changing world of work.
Conference theme
The theme of the conference is “Reflecting on 10 years of researching education and work” and forms part of the University’s centenary celebrations and also marks the 10th anniversary of the REAL Centre.
REAL Centre director Dr Presha Ramsarup explains that the conference provides an opportunity for the Centre to reflect on its contribution over the last ten years toward researching the complex relationship between education and work, and the role of education and skills in social and economic growth and development. In addition, the conference provides a platform for the key stakeholders in the skills ecosystem to explore some of the underlying assumptions as to the role that skills and education can play in addressing unemployment and supporting industrial transformation.
Our work
Dr Ramsarup highlights the importance of these efforts observing that, “the youth unemployment crisis is compounded by the existential threats of the climate crisis, a changing world of work, and growing inequality, in a continent in which few people are employed formally.” She adds that, “youth unemployment is typically seen as a problem to be solved through skills and education interventions. Our cutting-edge research shows that this overly simplified view and the plethora of interventions based on it will continue to fail. We argue that skill formation, including all education, training, and skills development in preparation for work, should not be treated as a stand-alone system but as integral to the country’s social and economic institutions, including its industrialisation trajectory, labour markets, and broader socio-economic and cultural factors.”
This focus forms part of REAL’s commitment to exploring what skills are needed for a just transition in ways that challenges the rising inequality.
This work is very closely linked to the work being undertaken by the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor: Climate, Sustainability and Inequality, led by Professor Imraan Valodia. This initiative, being driven by Valodia, seeks to deal with the twin challenges of climate sustainability and inequality as part of a just transition to a green and sustainable economy. Valodia points out that “this is the biggest transition humanity has to make and if we do not do it, we will undermine the very fabric in which we live.” It is for this reason, he explains, that the University created this position and the work that REAL is doing in relation to exploring the skills needed for such a just transition are critical.
The in-person event will be held at the University of Witwatersrand on 17 and 18 August. The programme is available here.
Click here to RSVP
For more information: Contact Palesa Molebatsi on 081-7755446 or Kate Mlauzi on 071-5665735.