Imagine a dusty field in the Karoo, comprehensively strewn with plastic bags – the so-called national flower blooming as if it were the height of spring. Years ago, legislation arrived that required you to pay for those bags at the grocery store.

Are the million bags accusing the legislation itself of failing?

No. The problem lay in how it was implemented, and in some of the unintended consequences.

But here’s the thing: today, we’re doing better. We’re no longer drowning in plastic quite as we once were.

The same is true for education.

In 1994, South Africa’s new democracy inherited an educational system designed to fail most of its citizens. Fragmented, underfunded, and built for exploitation, it left the poor excluded almost entirely, marginalised, and vulnerable to scam institutions and broken promises. Fly-by-night colleges were everywhere, and the system was a breeding ground for inequality.

So began the long road of reform.

We’ve seen a series of laws and frameworks aimed at fixing this, from SAQA to the introduction of OBE. Was OBE a bad idea? No. The concept was noble, but execution was the Achilles’ heel. That’s been the story of so much of our past: good intentions meet the hard, gritty reality of implementation.  Shall we throw up our hands – is change just too difficult?

No.

There are no better places for the majority of us to live, and love, and work, than here in South Africa.  It’s up to us to make it work.

Now, we stand on the shoulders of these reforms, looking at the QCTO—the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations.

Like the plastic bag legislation, it’s a necessary response to the mess we inherited, and it’s far from perfect. But here’s the truth: we are making progress. And what does progress look like? Relevance. Inclusivity. Standards. Scalability.

A Better Alternative

Yes, the QCTO is challenging. It’s not simple, nor is it a quick fix. But consider this: nothing worth doing ever is. The transformation of an entire national educational system is one of the most monumental challenges a country can face. And guess what? We’re facing it.  We’re making it happen, one qualification at a time.

Every policy, every qualification, every accredited course is a step away from the chaos of the past. The QCTO offers a more unified, credible, and integrated approach to skills development. It ensures that training is aligned with real-world occupational needs, rather than a patchwork of qualifications that leave learners stranded in an ever-shifting maze of requirements.

It’s time to believe in the QCTO—not because it’s perfect, but because it’s better. And because, quite frankly, there is no alternative that comes close.

The Real Work

But here’s where it gets real: progress won’t happen by sitting on the sidelines. The QCTO journey needs our active participation. Professionals in industry and in education and training must get behind it, push it, and drive it. Only through use, feedback, and continuous engagement will we refine the system and make it the best it can be.

We’ve come too far to turn back now.

Enroll people in these programmes. Trust the process. Yes, it has its warts and all, but so did every other attempt to change education in this country.

The difference? This time, we have the collective will and a framework that can work—if we work with it.

So, here’s the call to action: Get with the programme!

The future is waiting, and the QCTO is part of the path to a better, more inclusive educational system for all South Africans. It’s not about quick fixes—it’s about steady, meaningful progress. Let’s step up and own it.

Epilogue:

There’s a terrible tendency in South Africa to be cynical of state initiatives, but I recently attended an INSETA-funded workshop on revision of certain qualifications in the framework for financial planners.  It is going to work because we will make it work. Our will is strong, our minds smart enough.