Vocational sector has timely boost as STADIO launches the Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Teaching
STADIO Higher Education’s School of Education has recently introduced an Advanced Diploma in Technical and Vocational Teaching to build lecturing capacity in the South African vocational sector.
Prof Patrick Bean, the Executive Head at STADIO is delighted with this new qualification. “At STADIO, our purpose is to empower the nation by widening access to higher education, while our vision is to be a leading Higher Education Provider, offering qualifications aligned with the needs of societies, students, and the world of work – we are satisfied that this qualification feeds into both these aspirations,” he said.
The vocational sector is driven by 50 multi-campus, state-run and more than two hundred privately registered Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Colleges across South Africa. The sector is further bolstered by many Technical, Commercial and Special High Schools where young people are prepared for the world of work. This AdvDip (TVT) is the vehicle through which the sector may be grown, as new lecturers and teachers will be prepared to join colleges and schools. Most importantly, however, is that current professionally unqualified lecturers and teachers may become professionally qualified.
Neville Rudman, the Programme Coordinator for the AdvDip (TVT) at STADIO School of Education says, “Many believe that one of the best ways of reducing unemployment and improving people’s quality of life is to provide them with practical skills-based learning that prepares them for the world of work and leads to a better paying job.” He believes that while most TVET College lecturers and vocational teachers hold the required academic credentials to teach their subjects, a large percentage often lack the professional teaching qualification which ensures that they can bring the best out of their students and learners.
South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030 aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. According to the plan, South Africa can realise these goals by drawing on the energies of its people, growing an inclusive economy, building capabilities, enhancing the capacity of the state, and promoting leadership and partnerships throughout society. Government has outlined ambitious plans to grow the TVET sector to 2.5 million students by 2030, creating the need for even more qualified TVET lecturers. “STADIO School of Education’s new Advanced Diploma in TVET is a direct response to this,” adds Rudman.
South Africa’s TVET colleges and vocational schools are crucial in the battle to address the high levels of unemployment and poverty that are prevalent in our country. Their capacity to impact these twin challenges is directly linked to the quality of lecturers and teachers who stand in front of students and learners who want to access the wide range of vocations and trades offered by these institutions. Rudman believes that professionally qualified lecturers and teachers will positively impact the through-put rates at these institutions.
Dr Leanne Browning is the Head of the STADIO School of Education. She is equally excited about this new programme and said, “The AdvDip (TVT) will be delivered to students via STADIO’s online distance mode and works in the same way as the School’s Postgraduate Certificate in Education, which prepares graduates to become schoolteachers. The programme has been designed to allow graduates to study at their own time and pace, either full-time for a year or part-time over two. It is a much more affordable option as it eliminates the need for students to travel to and from campus and allows working students to study part-time.” She believes further that this new Advanced Diploma is ideal for unemployed graduates desperately wanting to upskill and find work – they can now embark on a distance learning qualification to become professionally qualified lecturers at one of the country’s many TVET colleges or teach vocational subjects in Technical, Commercial or Special High Schools.
STADIO’s new distance learning Adv Dip (TVT) will be available from June 2022 and graduates of any college or vocational school-linked discipline can enroll, if they have a 360-credit, NQF Level 6 Diploma, or an appropriate 360-credit NQF Level 7, Bachelor’s degree. For more information or to enrol, please visit www.stadio.ac.za