EDUCATION REFORM: Government phases out outdated qualifications to boost graduate employability

In a bid to improve graduate employability and align education with workplace needs, the Department of Higher Education and Training has reviewed 1,475 pre-2009 “legacy” qualifications as part of a major transition towards occupational qualifications that include practical work experience.

The Department of Higher Education and Training is phasing out older qualifications and replacing them with new occupational programmes that include workplace training designed to better prepare graduates for the world of work.

The move affects a range of qualifications that predate the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) Act of 2008.

Speaking on Thursday, 11 June 2026, Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela said the transition formed part of broader efforts to modernise South Africa’s post-school education and training system.

The announcement follows recent student protests and public concern that older qualifications could lose their value. Manamela dismissed those fears, stressing that qualifications already awarded remain valid and recognised.

“Let me state from the outset that this transition is not about invalidating qualifications that people have worked hard to achieve,” Manamela stated. “Every qualification that has already been awarded remains valid, recognised and recorded on the National Learner Record Database,” said Manamela.

Manamela said that 1,475 “legacy” qualifications registered before the National Qualifications Framework Act came into effect had reached the end of their registration periods and had been individually assessed.

The qualifications under review include National Accredited Technical Education Diploma programmes such as N4 to N6 certificates offered at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in fields including engineering, business management and tourism.

The review also covers older apprenticeship qualifications that have not kept pace with developments such as automation, renewable energy and digital technologies, as well as fragmented short-course unit standards that do not lead to modern occupational designations.

However, not all of these qualifications are being discontinued immediately. Following consultations with stakeholders, Manamela said 630 qualifications would be granted enrolment extensions, while others were deregistered because of low enrolment numbers or because they had been replaced by newer occupational qualifications.

The department said students currently enrolled in affected programmes would be allowed to complete their studies through transitional arrangement