Government has launched a new strategic plan to align education and skills development with the demands of a technology-driven economy and tackle high unemployment.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile said rapid changes in how people learn and work, driven by technology, shifting demographics and economic pressures require a renewed focus on skills and human development.
Speaking at the 5th Human Resource Development Council (HRDC) summit in Johannesburg on Thursday, he said South Africa must rethink both job skills and broader human development to respond to a changing world.
The strategy identifies four catalytic goals with the potential to unlock system-wide impact:
- Improving early learning and schooling outcomes, recognising that foundational capabilities determine life opportunities.
- Improving the employability of youth who are not in employment, education, or training, especially through short courses, work-based learning, and entrepreneurship.
- Enhancing the responsiveness of the post‑school education and training system, particularly to skills demanded by the green, digital, and care economies.
- Building a capable, ethical, and developmental state, without which no reform can be sustained.
“Together, these catalytic goals are designed to trigger system-wide impact, to ignite renewal, and to ensure that our people live and work with dignity in a changing world.
“South Africa does not suffer from a shortage of plans. Our vulnerability lies in implementation gaps, weak coordination, and uneven ownership, which hinder the effectiveness of existing plans and prevent us from achieving our development goals,” the Deputy President said.
The summit marked the launch of the Reconceptualised Human Resource Development Strategy (HRD Strategy) 2025–2035 and its implementation framework, the Master Skills Plan (MSP) 2025–2030.
The strategies aim to reform the country’s skills development system, reduce unemployment, and better align education with economic needs.
“The Strategy and the MSP are explicit; they are living instruments, and their custodians will be held accountable over the next decade. These instruments will guide and energise our collective efforts to advance human resource development over the coming decade.
Mashatile appealed to the HRD Council, supported by its Secretariat and Standing Committees, to now intensify its role as convener, monitor, and problem‑solver.
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“We need to get things done with no procrastination. Reports to Council must help unblock constraints, leverage partnerships, and demonstrate real progress on the ground. The idea of living and working in a changing world is about agency.
“It is about ensuring that South Africans, especially the youth, are not passive victims of change but active shapers of their futures. Our responsibility is to keep development pathways open, relevant, and dignified,” the Deputy President said
He emphasised that today’s dynamic and uncertain world increasingly depends on human and social capabilities such as analytical thinking, communication, creativity, collaboration, resilience, and adaptability.
“Automation and AI are transforming industries at a speed that often exceeds the ability of education and training systems to respond, leading to a growing skills gap that threatens workforce readiness and economic stability.
“At the same time, South Africa’s youthful population is reshaping workplace culture and expectations, while climate change is redefining how and where people live, learn, and earn, necessitating a shift in educational approaches to better prepare individuals for these evolving challenges,” the Deputy President said.
He pointed out that in this environment, technical competence alone is no longer sufficient.
“Ethical leadership, critical thinking, and social capabilities are now equally essential. Our challenge, therefore, is not simply one of skills alignment but of capability expansion as well.
“While recent labour force data offers modest encouragement, it also reveals a sobering truth. Millions of discouraged work seekers, particularly young people, have disengaged entirely from the labour market. For them, exclusion from work represents not only an economic loss but also a loss of dignity, purpose, and hope,” the Deputy President said.