The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), the largest employer body representing 8 500 businesses across South Africa’s automotive value chain, has welcomed the announcement of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Departments of Basic Education and Higher Education and Training. The agreement aims to improve subject-choice guidance, enhance learner preparedness, and create smoother transitions into post-school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programmes.
The MoU was unveiled last week during a media briefing on the state of the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector and preparations for the 2026 academic year. Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela highlighted the weakening STEM pipeline as a key structural challenge facing the country.
“Current trends show increasing enrolment in Mathematical Literacy rather than pure Mathematics, stagnant performance in Mathematics and Accounting, and limited growth in Physical Sciences,” Minister Manamela explained. “As a result, many learners are excluded from high-demand programmes in engineering, ICT, advanced manufacturing, and other technical fields due to inadequate subject-level preparation.”
Louis van Huyssteen, National Training Director at the RMI, emphasised that these challenges are felt particularly acutely in the automotive and mobility sectors.
“The automotive aftermarket, like many technical industries, relies on a strong STEM foundation,” van Huyssteen said. “When learners are steered away from core subjects such as Mathematics and Physical Science without understanding the long-term consequences, it limits their access to artisan training, apprenticeships, and future-focused technical careers.”
He noted that the MoU marks a shift toward earlier, more informed career guidance, and stronger alignment between schools, colleges, and industry.
“This initiative is not just about university access,” van Huyssteen added. “It’s about preparing learners for a range of post-school pathways, including TVET colleges, occupational qualifications, and workplace-based learning. These pathways are essential to building the artisan and technical skills base our economy urgently needs.”
Minister Manamela described the MoU as a medium- to long-term structural intervention designed to address systemic challenges in the education and training ecosystem. He also stressed that South Africa’s PSET system is deliberately differentiated, comprising universities, Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges, Community Education and Training (CET) colleges, occupational qualifications, and workplace-based learning – forming a single, integrated system.
The RMI has long advocated moving away from a university-centric approach, arguing that TVET and CET colleges are central to tackling unemployment, inequality, and skills shortages.
“Modern vehicles are increasingly complex, with advanced electronics, diagnostics, and alternative propulsion technologies,” van Huyssteen explained. “Strengthening TVET colleges as sector-focused skills hubs, with industry-aligned curricula and modernised workshops, is critical if South Africa is to remain globally competitive.”
The Minister also highlighted the newly established Just Energy Transition Skills Desk, which links learner demand with priority economic sectors such as renewable energy, construction, grid infrastructure, and electric mobility – areas that intersect directly with the evolving automotive landscape.
As institutions gear up for the 2026 academic year, the RMI has urged learners and parents to seek credible career guidance, make informed subject choices early, and consider vocational and occupational pathways as respected and future-proof options.
“If we want a resilient economy and sustainable job creation, we have to fix the pipeline from school to the workplace,” van Huyssteen concluded. “This MoU is an important step in the right direction, and industry stands ready to support its implementation.”
