7 Exploring the Value of the Capability Approach for Vocational Education and Training Evaluation: Reflections from South Africa

Abstract

In the late 1990s, South Africa was faced with the triple challenge of reforming the Apartheiddivided institutional landscape of vocational education and training (VET) institutions; addressing equitable access to skills; and reorienting its skills development system to the nation's insertion into the global economy. A wave of institutional reforms was enacted and a large programme of evaluative research followed in its wake. Whilst this body of work was both valuable and necessary, as significant practitioners in this programme we can see several of its limitations. Thus, we counterpose an alternative approach to evaluation that draws on the insights of the capabilities approach. By putting the needs of people first -rather than the needs of the economy -the capability approach brings to the forefront of VET evaluation the importance of social justice, human rights, and poverty alleviation. Such an approach pays better attention to what individuals and institutions value and are seeking to do, whilst retaining the economic rationale as an important part of such analysis; and insisting on the continued salience of evaluation for the improvement of delivery and outcomes.

High Acceptability of HIV Self-Testing among Technical Vocational Education and Training College Students in Gauteng and North West Province: What Are the Implications for the Scale Up in South Africa?

“…The role of the TVET initiative is to strengthen the contribution that public and private colleges play in further developing South Africa and allowing the South African labour force to better participate in the economy since vocational training aimed at helping the students to acquire the skills they need to go out into the job market and position themselves as skilled—rather than dispensable–labour. TVET colleges are also intended to address increasing levels of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, and growing poverty [ 15 , 16 ]. According to the audit-client report compiled by the Human Science Research Council of South Africa the national enrolment demographics of TVET colleges in in the country is 96% African black students, age distribution of the students shows that there are students of a younger age since up to 30% of students are older than 24 years of age, 0.2% disabled students [[ 15 ]].…”

“…According to the audit-client report compiled by the Human Science Research Council of South Africa the national enrolment demographics of TVET colleges in in the country is 96% African black students, age distribution of the students shows that there are students of a younger age since up to 30% of students are older than 24 years of age, 0.2% disabled students [[ 15 ]]. The student population in TVET colleges come from families with poor backgrounds [[ 16 ]]…”

Felsőoktatási LLL: új kihívások és megoldások – A modellváltás és COVID pandémia hatásai = University Lifelong Learning: New challenges and solutions - impacts of Covid-19 pandemic and model-shifts

“…A "felhatalmazás" téma érdemi vizsgálata egyelőre hiányzik a szakképzésben. Fontosnak tartom kiemelni, hogy a képességszemlélet azáltal, hogy az emberek szükségleteit helyezi előtérbe a gazdaság szükségletei helyett, a társadalmi igazságosságra, az emberi jogokra és a szegénység enyhítésére helyezi a hangsúlyt a szakképzés értékelésében is (Powell & McGrath 2014;Benke & Rachwal 2022).…”

Pathways of Early Childhood Development practitioners into higher education: A capabilities approach

“…The capabilities approach has been used to evaluate educational interventions and conditions for learners to achieve educational success (Hoffmann, 2005;Walker & Unterhalter 2007;Wilson-Strydom, 2011;Powell, 2014;Powell & McGrath, 2014).…”