In Conversation With Mandisa Tselane – Head of Marketing and Communications at Kagiso Trust.
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Meet the cream of South Africa’s future artisans at the National Skills Competition.
South Africa’s best technical and vocational students and teachers will take part in the 2025 National Skills Competition from 8–9 October in Johannesburg. Members of the media are invited to attend.
Kagiso Trust, in partnership with the Sasol Foundation, the Department of Basic Education, and the Department of Higher Education and Training, supported by various sponsors, hosts the Skills Competition to celebrate excellence and expand access to career pathway opportunities for young South Africans.
Sizakele Mphatsoe, who leads the Trust’s education programme, says the competition positions technical and vocational education (TVET) as a credible and aspirational career pathway.
“It is a showcase for industry-relevant skills that open doors to employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for young people from rural and marginalised communities,” she says.
13 trade categories
The 289 contestants in the National Skills Competition are the winners of provincial heats in which learners from technical schools, TVET college students from Centres of Specialisation, and teachers showed off their skill competencies in 13 trade categories.
“These include automotive, fitting and machining, welding and metalwork, electrical power systems, electronics and digital systems, bricklaying and construction, plumbing, woodworking and rigging, engineering graphics and design, and computer-aided design,” says Mphatsoe.
Dr Cynthia Malinga, who leads technical education development at Sasol Foundation, adds: “Skills in each of these categories are vital to the economy, and the competition aims to contribute to the National Development Plan goal of producing 30,000 artisans annually by 2030.”
Tasks in the competition are based on real-life industry-based scenarios, an approach that strengthens the link between education and employment and helps to close the gap between what learners are taught and what industry requires.
South Africa’s best technical and vocational students and teachers will take part in the 2025 National Skills Competition from 8–9 October in Johannesburg. Members of the media are invited to attend.
Kagiso Trust, in partnership with the Sasol Foundation, the Department of Basic Education, and the Department of Higher Education and Training, supported by various sponsors, hosts the Skills Competition to celebrate excellence and expand access to career pathway opportunities for young South Africans.
Sizakele Mphatsoe, who leads the Trust’s education programme, says the competition positions technical and vocational education (TVET) as a credible and aspirational career pathway.
“It is a showcase for industry-relevant skills that open doors to employment and entrepreneurship, particularly for young people from rural and marginalised communities,” she says.
13 trade categories
The 289 contestants in the National Skills Competition are the winners of provincial heats in which learners from technical schools, TVET college students from Centres of Specialisation, and teachers showed off their skill competencies in 13 trade categories.
“These include automotive, fitting and machining, welding and metalwork, electrical power systems, electronics and digital systems, bricklaying and construction, plumbing, woodworking and rigging, engineering graphics and design, and computer-aided design,” says Mphatsoe.
Dr Cynthia Malinga, who leads technical education development at Sasol Foundation, adds: “Skills in each of these categories are vital to the economy, and the competition aims to contribute to the National Development Plan goal of producing 30,000 artisans annually by 2030.”
Tasks in the competition are based on real-life industry-based scenarios, an approach that strengthens the link between education and employment and helps to close the gap between what learners are taught and what industry requires.
