South Africa—Technical Assistance to the Education for Employability (E4E) Sector Reform Programme

Although South Africa devotes a relatively high proportion of its gross domestic product (GDP) to education and training, the country faces challenges such as high dropout rates, low pass rates, and high youth unemployment rates.

The Education for Employability (E4E) Sector Reform Programme seeks to improve education and employment prospects for young South Africans. E4E supports the government’s efforts to improve the quality of basic education, vocational training, and job placement services from early childhood through teenage years.

Our team supports the National Treasury and three key implementing government departments in the design, administration, and implementation of E4E. The project develops institutional capacity as well as provides management and operational support.

Sample Activities

• Strengthen the Department of Employment and Labour, Department of Basic Education, and Department of Higher Education and Training to deliver the outcomes of E4E.
• Improve collaboration and increased coordination between the three departments and the National Treasury towards the achievement of more inclusive, equitable, and quality education and employment prospects for South African young people.
• Provide programme management and operational support, including secretarial support for the governance structures, coordination, and alignment of systems among the three involved departments and other stakeholders, including the grants implemented by civil society and coordination of donor support to establish connections with other projects.

Select Results

• Delivered working sessions with the Departments of Employment and Labour, Basic Education, and Higher Education and Training, to refine business plans, policy dialogues, programme implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
• Improved collaboration and increased coordination between the three departments and the National Treasury toward achieving more inclusive, equitable, and quality education and employment prospects for young South Africans.
• Provided programme management and operational support—including secretarial support for the governance structures, coordination, and alignment of systems—among the three partner departments and other stakeholders.