The research reflected in this volume indicates that in South Africa there
are almost three million youth between the ages of 18 and 24 who are
not in education, training or employment - a situation which points not
only to a grave wastage of talent, but also to the possibility of serious
social disruption. The authors in this work paint a picture of the enormous
reservoir of human talent which exists in the country, but is not provided
with the means to develop.
Responding to the Educational Needs of Post-School Youth attempts not
only to sketch the scope and extent of the current post-school educational
crisis, but also to explore possible solutions through collaboration in the
higher education sector. The findings reported here are a result of three
distinctive but linked research components conducted by the Further
Education and Training Institute (University of Western Cape), the Centre
for Higher Education Transformation, and the Southern Africa Labour and
Development Research Unit (University of Cape Town). The research was
funded by the Ford Foundation and the project conducted in consultation
with the Department of Education.
