This document provides a progress update on green skills research projects conducted by Rhodes University and funded by various organizations. It summarizes several completed research studies that examined issues related to skills development and occupations in South Africa's environmental sector. The studies used both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate topics like alignment of skills supply and demand, barriers faced by black women in postgraduate education, effectiveness of internship training programs, and pathways for environmental careers. The document also outlines a current study on green skills needs in the mining industry. It discusses the methodological framework used and some early findings around future skills requirements based on scenarios for the coal industry.

1. Presented by Dr Eureta
Rosenberg and Ms Vuyo Mofu
Progress Update:
Green Skills Research

2. • Focus: Rhodes – SETA Collaborations
• History
• CATHSSETA supported studies
• MQA supported study
• Some findings
CONTENTS

3. Progress Update: Green Skills Research
Presented by Dr Eureta Rosenberg, Rhodes
Associate and Ms Vuyo Mofu, MQA
Day 1 | 3 March 2015

4. If we don’t know what they are?
How can we produce
the skills we need ....

5. Background
• Rhodes University Environmental Learning Research Centre
• Historically strong in teacher education research and qualitative research
• In 2009 engaged by DEA for the Environmental Sector Skills Plan (ESSP)
• In parallel with development of the Biodiversity Human Capital Development
Strategy (SANBI & Lewis Foundation, 2009)

6. CATHSSETA Biodiversity HCD Research Project
• Building a cadre of HCD skills specialists to seed the expansion of HCD
expertise into sector organisations and universities, and, through their
research:
• Refine and develop new research methods for sector skills information, that
can then be used on an ongoing basis by service providers
• Develop baselines or updates on current information
• Study issues that are bottlenecks in our understanding
• Evaluate pilot skills initiatives to inform further rollout, adaption or step-
changes
• Produce practical reports
• Strengthen recognised centers of expertise in biodiversity HCD.

7. Example 1:
Supply & Demand Alignment
• Researcher: Leanne McKrill
• Supervisor: Prof Heila Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: CATHSSETA
• Status: M.Ed. Completed
• Focus: Employers say skills are scarce, and students say
they cannot find work – Why? Investigation of two ‘scarce
skill’ occupations: Wildlife Vets and Wetland Ecologists
• Findings: Mentors are key enabling factors who help
individuals to find opportunities to gain workplace
experience and to network within the industry.
Of concern is that two top university programmes providing
freshwater ecologists have closed down.
• A PHOTOGRAPH
OF THE
RESEARCHER
IN THE FIELD IF
POSSIBLE

8. Example 2:
Black Women in Post-Grad
• Researcher: Aphiwe Dotwana
• Supervisor: Prof Heila Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: CATHSSETA
• Status: M.Ed. Completed
• Focus: A disproportionate number of black female
Honours students in the Life Sciences do not transition
from Honours to Masters – why?
• Findings: The majority of black females in the study did
not intend to continue to a Masters after their Honours.
They intended to work to support their families. Most felt
that the sector has no work opportunities, does not pay
well and that access to information about the sector was
very limited. A few wanted to continue to Masters degrees
because they wanted to specialise and to change the
situation at home by studying; they felt they would get
better job opportunities with a Masters.

9. Example 3:
Training in Internships
• Researcher: Morakana Madiba
• Supervisor: Prof Heila Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: CATHSSETA
• Status: M.Ed. Completed
• Focus: The role of training in incubators or
internships, focusing on the development of GIS
skills in the Groen Sebenza programme
• Findings: A 12 months period spent by the GIS
incubants in the Groen Sebenza programme was
not enough to prepare them towards full
participation in biodiversity occupations. Internship
training is not a passing, insignificant episode in the
lives of the incubants (specifically those from
disadvantaged communities), it is a ‘real source of
hope’. A model is recommended.

10. Example 4: Pathways
• Researcher: Presha Ramsarup
• Supervisor: Prof Heila Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: SAQA
• Status: PhD, to be completed in 2015
• Focus: Two scarce skill occupations –
• Environmental Engineer and Environmental Scientist – the institutional pathways and
supply platforms that support them (career guidance; qualifications, occupational framings,
skills planning) and the learning and work transitions of professionals in the occupation.
Findings: The nature of environmental learning pathways (as educational and occupational
progression) and the mechanisms that enable and constrain them. There is a lack of
mechanisms for analysing demand for environmental occupations, and contradictions in the
supply-demand relation of emerging environmental occupations.

11. Example 5:
Green Economy Access
• Researcher: Mumsie Gumede
• Supervisor: Prof Heila Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: CATHSSETA
• Status: PhD underway
• Focus: Understanding the educational and skills
elements that enable educationally marginalised
youth to gain access to the green economy.
• Key finding regarding methodology: The initial
work has shown that there is a need to identify a)
the green economy pathways, b) access
opportunities and mechanisms for youth, and c)
transitioning tools and support processes.

12. Methodological Findings
• We need a broad ‘toolbox’ of research approaches including
– quantitative analysis (e.g. graduation throughput rates from HEMIS data;
quantities and spread of qualifications on offer; numbers of job opportunities)
and
– sociological analysis that probes reasons and causes, not all of which are
obvious or immediately visible.
• We need to study ‘transition mechanisms’: socially, culturally, economically and
politically shaped factors that influence opportunities and the decisions, movement
of agents in the system.
• We need to research at multiple levels in systems: making the links between macro-
level policy - and system-related issues, and micro- level experiences of people in
the skills system.
• Methodologies must be able to analyse the dynamic nature of supply and demand –
macro, meso and micro level issues are not ‘static’, but are themselves changing,
e.g. in relation to the introduction of new incentives, and the wider societal transition
to a greener, more just and sustainable world order.

13. MQA Study:
Green Skills in Mining
• Researchers: Dr E Rosenberg, Dr M Togo, Ms P Ramsarup,
Mr A Mphinyane, Prof H Lotz-Sisitka
• Funded by: MQA, research specialist Ms V Mofu
• Status: Contract research to be completed in March
•
Focus: What green skills does Mining need, how are they
developed, what are the challenges? Coal case study.

14. Methodological Framework

15. Early Findings
• Sector analysis: Climate change and resource
constraints guide coal industry scenarios (e.g. SACRM,
2013). Calls for investment in clean coal and water
efficient technology, requiring high level R&D skills
• Value chain and occupations: Green skills are
required right across mine planning, operations and
closure; and in beneficiation. Competencies required are
not just technical; also engagement and integration.
• On the ground: ‘Small mines’ with limited human
resources affect vast tracts of land and water –
challenges and opportunities for skills development

16. Coal Mining
Core Business
Associated Green Skills
Occupations &
Employers
Nature of skills
(top up, new, )
Note on
scarcity
Training
Providers
Mine Closure
Activity in the
Value Chain:
Reclamation
Evaluate requirements for
prime agricultural land
reclamation in
Mpumalanga coal fields –
characterise agricultural
sites; determine minimum
standards; model
standards; communicate &
involve stakeholders
Data Sources: Policy and
Framework documents e.g.
Mining and Biodiversity Guideline,
Job Adverts, Site Visits
Data Sources: MQA, EMIS,
QCTO and ETDP SETA
Data Sources: Chamber of
Mines, MQA, QCTO and OFO

17. Message:
• More green skills research needed – build on the start
• Join us for the green skills conversation on 5 March

18. Thank You