In response to a DA parliamentary question, the Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Blade Nzimande, revealed that the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA), has been without a Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the past six years.
The DA will now write to Minister Nzimande to enquire why the appointment of a new CEO has taken six years to fill and to demand that the vacancy is filled urgently.
According to their website “CHIETA contributes to sustainable development through facilitating the provision of skills for growth in the chemical industries sector”.
However, in the absence of a CEO to provide clear direction and leadership, the CHIETA will, before long, follow the trajectory of the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), the Safety and Security Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SASSETA), and the Wholesale and Retail Sector Education and Training Authority (W&RSETA), which are all currently under administration following serious allegations of corruption.
The DA has long held that, although SETA’s play an important role in providing much-needed skills, in recent years it has become a financial drain in the public sector, with millions wasted on irregular and fruitless expenditure.
The DHET must prioritise fixing the issues at SETA’s to prevent a complete collapse of the skills development sector.
Our youth, especially the lost generation, need skills in order to participate in the economy, and in the absence of an effective model to provide skills for jobs, SETA’s must simply work.