THE LIMPOPO COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND TRAINING COLLEGE
The Limpopo Community Education and Training College (LCETC) is one of the nine Public Community Education and Training Colleges established in terms of Section (3) (1) (b) of the Continuing Education and Training (Act No.16 of 2006) and Government Gazatte No.38571 of 16 March 2015 to serve the communities of the Limpopo Province. Its purpose is to target out of the school youth and adults who wish to pursue further learning and improve their skills for employability and/or progression to opportunities in other institutions of higher learning. As another purpose for its establishment. With an estimate of 3.1 million illiterate adults in South Africa, LCETC is readily available to help young persons or adults in the province who would like to finish their education or improve their basic education by being equipped with reading, writing and numeracy skills as its other purpose.
PROGRAMMES OFFERED AT THE COLLEGE
As intended by the White Paper on Post-School Education and Training (2013), the LCETC basically offers variety of programmes at this stage which falls under the following categories; Pre-Literacy, Post Literacy, Amended Senior Certificate (ASC) variety of short skills programmes.
Literacy Programme
Literacy Programmes are ideal for students who want to continue with their education and be lifelong learners. These include Adult Education Training courses for sub-levels 1–3. In these sub-levels students mainly study numeracy and languages that aim at equipping the with foundational numeracy and literacy skills that they need to further their academic studies.
Post Literacy Programme
As a post-literacy programme, ABET Level 4 is offered which leads to General Education and Training certificate for Adult Basic Education and Training (GETC-ABET). The GETC-ABET qualification at National Qualification Framework (NQF) Level 1 with ID No. 71751 provides adult learners with fundamental basics in general education learning. The purpose of this qualification is to equip learners with foundational learning by imparting them with knowledge, skills and values through various learning areas in the programme. The qualification comprises of the following learning areas groupings:
- Fundamentals;
- Core; and
- Electives.
Electives are important in skills development. They allow students to choose unit standards that are related to occupational learning relevant to learner’s area of interest or specialisation.
To acquire a GETC-ABET qualification, students need to obtain a minimum of 120 credits at ABET Level 4. An achievement of 120 credits should be obtained from learning areas in the Fundamentals, Core and Elective categories according to the below rules of combination.
Amended Senior Certificate
Adult learners who are 21 years and older and further have on the following requirement will qualify for admission to ASC programme;
- a General Education and Training Certificate (GETC).
- a Grade 9 school report (or the old standard seven), stating that they have passed Grade 9 or Standard 7.
- a recognised equivalent qualification obtained at NQF Level 1 which requires two official languages.
- with an incomplete Senior Certificate qualification.
- with an incomplete National Senior Certificate and whose School-Based Assessment (SBA) validity has expired.
Only in exceptional cases, out of school youth, who are 18-21 years old and who could not complete their school education due to circumstances beyond their control, as verified by the Head of Department in the Provincial Education Department.
The subjects listed below which are part of the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement of the National Senior Certificate, will be offered as part of the amended Senior Certificate. The subjects will in essence be the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements of the National Senior Certificate, excluding the School-Based Assessment (SBA) component. Each candidate must offer six subjects in order to qualify for the amended Senior Certificate
To qualify for ASC candidates, students have to select six from a list of 14 adapted National certificate subjects from languages, general, commercial and science streams. Regrettably, the last intake for ASC students in 2020.
Skills/Occupational Programmes
Besides the Adult Education and Training academic programmes, the College also runs some of the following short skills programmes;
- Jam Making
- Atchaar Making
- Pottery
- Flowering and decoration
More skills programmes are going to be introduced in due course.
Community Development Programmes
Related to occupational skills programmes, although not accredited, are community Development Programmes (CDPs). In the context of the College community development is understood as way of promoting participative democracy, sustainable development, rights, economic opportunity, equality and social justice, through the organisation, education and empowerment of people within their communities, whether these be of locality, identity or interest, in urban and rural settings”. In the context of LPCET, community development programmes will be implemented with the aim of seeking to empower individuals and groups of people with the skills they need to effect change within their communities. Variety of CDPs, aligned to the needs of the local communities, will offered as short courses which comprises of a day to a few days workshops and they will be non-credited as from 2020.