Further Education for Unsuccessful Grades 9 to 12 School Leavers in South Africa | Chapter 03 | Current Research in Education and Social Studies Vol. 3
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 i...