Skills for Green Jobs: South Africa, An Updated Country Report
Final Report
15th September 2017
This Update Report has been prepared by OneWorld Sustainable Investments for the ILO joint EMP/Skills-Green Jobs Programme and Research Project ‘Skills for Green Jobs II’.
In 2010, OneWorld completed a country case study on South Africa (SA) for the ILOCEDEFOP’s Skills for Green Jobs: A Global View Report. The report explored opportunities for developing skills as a result of climate change interventions and the green economy development in SA and considered new skills that might emerge from these drivers. It also examined opportunities for retraining people diverted from industries that decline because of climate mitigation policy decisions. The 2010 report found that policy was inconsistent and market forces were more effective in driving change. However, it also found potential for policy to direct significant structural changes, given a cohesive approach towards green skill anticipation across sectors.
The current report updates the 2010 case study with subsequent and planned future developments, focusing on key policy drivers and emergent greening policies and strategies. The report highlights the extent to which SA’s skills response is effectively organised to meet the challenges associated with greening the economy, based on training planning, institutional frameworks, and delivery channels. Its key finding is that SA is not ready for a comprehensive approach for green skills development, primarily because the overarching policy framework does not enable this. Recommendations include addressing information gaps and definitions for green skills development, strengthening green skills development in the NSDS, and scaling up M&E systems and programmatic interventions, including in municipalitie
