Further Education for Unsuccessful Grades 9 to 12 School Leavers in South Africa

Statistics released by the Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), (2002 to 2009) reveal
that 60% of learners entering Grade 9 leave school without attaining Grade 12 certificates. These
learners do not qualify for employment because employers prefer well-trained experienced
employees. A limited number (12 500 annually) of learner ship and apprenticeship opportunities are
also out of reach because they have to compete with better-qualified candidates. High unemployment
rates (25.3%) and very high youth unemployment (48%) signifies their bleak prospects. The poor
success rate of these learners, attempting further education at FET colleges, implies
inappropriateness of the existing curricula at these colleges to address their educational needs. Their
educational foundation, primarily based on language, mathematics and science proficiency, is
insufficient for progress in mainstream further education at schools or Further Education and Training
colleges. The aim of this study is therefore to investigate the educational situation and propose a
curriculum for a specific field, which can serve as an example for further research and establishment
of appropriate curricula over the spectrum of learner aptitudes and interests. For this purpose, the
field of engineering was selected to reduce the research to manageable size, uniform characteristics
and a specific curriculum focus. Addressing their quest for skills and qualifications can be met with
transdisciplinary practicum-based education obviating the linguistic-logic-mathematical predilection of
mainstream education.