Post-school education has the potential to help break the
intergenerational cycle of poverty by increasing young
people’s employability and earning potential. Yet few
youth access education and training after school and even fewer
successfully complete their qualification.
In the 2011 Census, youth aged 25 – 29 with a college qualificationi
are 14% more likely to be employed than those who have only
completed matric, and those with a university qualification are
36% more likely to be in employment.ii Similarly, a college-qualified
youth earns 60% more than someone with a matric and those with
a university qualification earn nearly 1.5 times more.iii Although
these figures may fluctuate with the demand and supply of skills,
they illustrate the benefits of studying after school.
The majority of young people in South Africa do not, however,
enrol in post-school education. Only 8% of youth aged 15 – 24 are
in any type of post-school education (university or college).1
What
are they doing? Figure 9 shows that 77% of 15 – 19-year-olds are
in formal schooling (many repeating grades with little chance of
completing matric),2
with only 4% choosing the vocational route.
For 20 – 24-year-olds, 16% remain in school, 12% are in postschooling
education, 21% in employment, and 51% are not in
employment, education or training (NEET).
This suggests that South Africa’s youth are not being equipped
with the necessary skills to successfully find employment. While
it is widely recognised that improving the schooling system is
critical (see essay on p. 34), an effective post-schooling education
and training system can provide a range of potential pathways that
enable youth to make the transition from mainstream schooling to
the work force.