Resource Mobilisation
Sectoral Colleges | Sector Skills Training | Agriculture Education and Training | Resource Mobilisation | Extension and Advisory services | Career Awareness | Reports | Policies | Strategies
About Resource Mobilisation
The sub directorate focuses on three major programmes namely: Coordination of international training programmes, mobilization of resources nationally to support major AET projects and promotion opportunities and careers in Agriculture
The International training programme of the Department of Agriculture (DoA) is implemented in terms of the internal and external training programme policies. The international training opportunities that are received from international countries are aligned to the DoA International Training Strategy of 2006. The major objective of the International Training Strategy is to guide the process of the co-ordination and implementation of international training opportunities. The DoA International training programme is implemented by using the following methods: Staff/student exchange programmes, industrial placements, under and post-graduate studies, short courses, conferences, seminars and capacity building interventions in joint technical co-operations with other countries. The objectives of the DoA international training programme are as follows: development of the competency of human capacity in the sector, facilitation of training in subject areas where the South African agriculture sector is lacking, development of skills that will enable South Africans to become leaders in their fields and the acquisition of skills that will make people in the sector capable of addressing development issues.
Mobilisation of resources nationally is implemented in terms of the AET strategy. The strategy declares that innovative and effective measures need to be developed in securing additional resources that will assist in addressing the challenges facing AET in South Africa . The Resource Mobilisation programme aims at soliciting of resources nationally for the support of AET projects and beyond. The aim is to support and augment those major projects which do not have enough financial resources
The DoA Career Awareness Programme was established in 2004. The programme is directly addressing the Agricultural Education and Training (AET) strategic goal number 2 (two) which aims at enhancing equitable access and meaningful participation in AET for all South Africans. Embedded to this strategic goal are 3 (three) strategic objectives which are: removal of all barriers that prevent or limit access to AET; improvement of the image of agriculture as a career and livelihood of choice; and encouraging further studies and research in agricultural sciences (especially of critical skills in short supply). The aim is to produce highly qualified scientists and add to the agricultural science knowledge base.
Since its inception in 2004, the DoA Agricultural Career Awareness Programme has been implemented through two methods, namely: a pilot project in 2 (two) provinces, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Northern Cape (NC), which targeted primary and high school learners with good pass rates in mathematics and physical science. Furthermore, the selected schools had to be situated next to an Institution of Higher Learning with facilities for agricultural activities and must have been previously disadvantaged. The second approach is a career awareness unit that focuses on promoting agriculture as a career of choice to school going youth especially from the previously disadvantaged communities and endeavor to change the negative perceptions that exists towards agriculture.