On 19 February 2026, the CERE hosted the fourth Expert Seminar, featuring Prof. Stephanie Allais from the University of Witwatersrand. The seminar was titled “Why is 'demand-led' vocational education elusive? Insights from South Africa”.
The Elusive Promise of Demand-Led TVET: A Perspective from South Africa
The presentation examined two key institutions established to support skills development: the Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and the public TVET college system. Both were designed to strengthen employer engagement and provide insight into sectoral skills requirements. However, rigid and overdesigned regulatory frameworks, complex qualification arrangements, and unrealistic expectations have limited their effectiveness.
Drawing on South Africa’s experience, Prof. Allais suggested that current reforms often mimic institutional forms found in 'collective skill formation' systems, such as those in Germany and Switzerland, but lack the necessary underlying conditions. The result is a resource-intensive system that fails to deliver improved learning outcomes for individuals or strong provider institutions, nor does it contribute to national development goals.
The seminar concluded with a discussion on the transferability of international TVET reform models, and on the risks of applying a 'global toolkit' without paying attention to the local political economy, historical legacies and institutional capacity. Other questions addressed the functioning of TVET colleges and labour market conditions affecting South African youth.
The full recording of the seminar is now available for viewing:
Drawing on South Africa’s experience, Prof. Allais suggested that current reforms often mimic institutional forms found in 'collective skill formation' systems, such as those in Germany and Switzerland, but lack the necessary underlying conditions. The result is a resource-intensive system that fails to deliver improved learning outcomes for individuals or strong provider institutions, nor does it contribute to national development goals.
The seminar concluded with a discussion on the transferability of international TVET reform models, and on the risks of applying a 'global toolkit' without paying attention to the local political economy, historical legacies and institutional capacity. Other questions addressed the functioning of TVET colleges and labour market conditions affecting South African youth.
The full recording of the seminar is now available for viewing:
This regular seminar brought together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to discuss a pressing issue in the reform of vocational education in South Africa. Stephanie Allais, Research Chair of Skills Development and Professor of Education at Wits University, examined nearly three decades of reform efforts to build a demand-led TVET system in South Africa.
Her thought-provoking presentation explored the institutional, political and practical challenges of aligning skills development with labour market needs, and the implications of these insights for vocational education policy worldwide.
Prof. Allais argued that, despite almost three decades of policy reforms aimed at creating a demand-led Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, South Africa's skills development institutions continue to function sub-optimally. Employers remain dissatisfied, reporting that the system fails to deliver the skills they need, even though unemployment among working-age adults exceeds 40%.
Her thought-provoking presentation explored the institutional, political and practical challenges of aligning skills development with labour market needs, and the implications of these insights for vocational education policy worldwide.
Prof. Allais argued that, despite almost three decades of policy reforms aimed at creating a demand-led Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system, South Africa's skills development institutions continue to function sub-optimally. Employers remain dissatisfied, reporting that the system fails to deliver the skills they need, even though unemployment among working-age adults exceeds 40%.
19 February 2026
Stephanie Allais
What the experience of South Africa tells us is that global TVET reforms cannot simply be transplanted: when adopted in highly formalized ways, they risk producing institutional mimicry instead of real change, exposing both the logic and the limits of the Global Toolkit.
