Posted on June 21, 2010
The cultural sectors provide for a sense of identity and continuity, thus promoting respect for cultural diversity and human creativity. We have also witnessed successes in South African creative arts and cultural heritage. Internationally, cultural expressions from the country, especially the Film, Music and Heritage industries have been widely recognised. We have a number of World Heritage sites that are listed by UNESCO, a milestone for a new democracy like South Africa. We have been awarded the most prestigious awards in terms of Literature, Film and Music. The South African Advertising industry is considered the best in the world in terms of creative content. The proposed SETA does not seem to take these successes and growth of the industry, instead the industries are now facing dismantling that causes one to wonder what exactly informs the proposal.
PROPOSED SETA | PROPOSED CHANGE |
---|---|
INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND TECHNOLOGY (ICT SETA) | Transfer Broadcasting from MAPPP-SETA to ICT SETA |
MANUFACTURING SETA | Requires a new SETA development. Amalgamate Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather SETA (CTFL), FETA sub-sectors, Furnitire, Timber Products and MAPPP sub-sectors Printing, Packaging and Publishing |
SERVICES SETA | Transfer of Advertising & Media sub-sectors from MAPPP-SETA |
CULTURE, SPORTS, TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY SETA | Amalgamate Arts and Crafts sub-sector from MAPPP-SETA and strengthen Sports sub-sector focus within Tourism Hospitality Education and Training Authority |
In terms of the proposed landscape for skills development, the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), under the leadership of Dr. Blade Nzimande has proposed that Advertising and some forms of Media be placed with the Services SETA. Advertising has Visual Arts at its core and will be completely marginalised at the Services SETA, where a wide variety of unrelated sectors ranging from hairdressing to human resources management and even housekeeping are placed. This defeats the purpose of the value-chain approach that informs SETA-formation. Broadcast Engineering would be misplaced, without Film, Radio and Television and other forms of electronic media at the proposed Information, Communication and Technology (ICT SETA). Publishing on the other hand has been proposed for inclusion in the manufacturing process. It can be argued that this sub-sector is more related to Literature which involves a level of creativity than manufacturing which is more related to book-binding and the printing processes of publishing.
The existing arrangement within the MAPPP-SETA has proven not to be sustainable as it has caused a lot of tension with the Printing and Packaging industries. I would like to argue here that the creative process is not limited to the business of printing only, many other value chains also begin with a creative process. For example, the construction value chain begins with a creative process in the form of architectural activities. It is with this in mind that all the Sector Industry Codes (SIC) need to be looked at to identify those that fall within the creative process but have been placed elsewhere in the SETA landscape. It is with this in mind that a new SETA, concerned with the cultural or creative process be established so as to engage effectively with skills development in the sector. In addition to the 28 SIC codes from MAPPP-SETA, 4 can be drawn from CETA, 2 from ETDP SETA, 1 from HWSETA, 3 from ISETT, 3 from LGSETA, 2 from MQA, 2 from SERVICES SETA and 4 from THETA to form this new SETA as illustrated in the table below:
SETA | (SIC) | MAIN ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION |
---|---|---|
Construction Education and Training Authority | ||
05 | 50243 | Conservation, restoration and refurbishment of buildings, structures, etc. |
05 | 88210 | Architectural and engineering activities and related technical consultancy |
05 | 88212 | Architectural activities |
Education, Training and Development Practices Sector Educatin and Training Authority (ETDP SETA) | ||
07 | 96310 | Library and archives activities |
07 | 96311 | Provision and operation of libraries of all kinds |
Health and Welfare Sector Education and Training Authority | ||
11 | 33531 | Traditional healing services |
Information Systems, electronics and Telecommunication Technologies (ISETT) | ||
12 | 75202 | Television and radio signal distribution |
12 | 75203 | Cable TV services |
12 | 96131 | Providing radio and television transmission signals |
Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) | ||
14 | 96001 | Recreational, cultural and sporting activities by local governments |
14 | 96313 | Provision and operation of libraries of all kinds by local governments |
14 | 96321 | Museum activities and preservation of historical sites and buildings by local governments |
Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging (MAPPP) | ||
15 | 09003 | Production of craft art |
15 | 09004 | Production of traditional art |
15 | 09005 | Production of functional wares |
15 | 09007 | Production of souvenirs |
15 | 32410 | Publishing of books, brochures, musical books and other publications |
15 | 32420 | Publishing of newspapers, journals and periodicals |
15 | 32430 | Publishing of recorded media |
15 | 32490 | Other publishing |
15 | 32600 | Reproduction of recorded media |
15 | 36504 | Designs, manufacture and displa of illuminated signs and advertising displays |
15 | 88310 | Advertising |
15 | 88311 | Activities of advertising agents |
15 | 88313 | Commercial design |
15 | 88940 | Photographic activities |
15 | 96110 | Motion picture and video production and distribution |
15 | 96112 | Related industries - film and tape renting to other industries, booking |
15 | 96113 | Film and video reproduction |
15 | 96123 | Bioscope cafes |
15 | 96132 | Production and broadcast of radio and television broadcats content |
15 | 96140 | Dramatic arts, music and other arts activities |
15 | 96141 | Activities of artists and entertainers |
15 | 96142 | Activities of theatre and entertainment technicians |
15 | 96143 | Production of 'live' theatrical and artistic events |
15 | 96144 | Activities of ars councils and other related institutions |
15 | 96190 | Other entertainment activities n.e.c |
15 | 96200 | News agency activities |
15 | 96492 | The activities of casting for motion pictures, television and theatre productions |
Mining Qualifications Authority (MQA) | ||
16 | 39210 | Manufacture of jewellery and related articles |
16 | J39211 | Jewellery and related articles composed of precious metals, precious and semi-precious stones and pearlsTransfer |
Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SERVICES) | ||
23 | 90001 | Marketing services |
23 | 09002 | Marketing communications |
Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA) | ||
25 | 96000 | Recreational, cultural and sporting activities |
25 | 96320 | Museum activities and preservation of historical sites and buildings |
25 | 96322 | Provision and operation of monuments and historical sites |
25 | 96334 | Activities of conservation bodies |
It is acknowledged that it is difficult to measure the economic viability of this sector, due to the informal nature of its operations. Practitioners tend to work independently as freelancers or within NGOs and academic institutions. In addition to this, practitioners are not organised into unions but are instead members of informal networks and associations. Organised labour and organised business are the main agents of SETA governance and the absence of these groupings within the creative and cultural industries is posing a challenge in relation to development of skills. Continuous engagements with the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) as well as the department's institutions such as the National Arts Council (NAC), the National Heritage Council (NHC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) amongst others are encouraged to ensure sustainability of this imagined creative/cultural SETA. The few existing unions such as the South African Script-writers Association (SASWA), the Creative Workers Union (CWU) would need to organise a formidable workforce that can participate effectively in Skills Development initiatives. Public Hearing Sessions for the proposed SETA landscape are scheduled to take place between the 14th to the 18th June 2010; the Minister will thereafter announce the final landscape during the Skills Development Conference that is scheduled to take place in October 2010.
Xolelwa Kashe-Katiya is the Deputy Director of the Archival Platform