Reimagining higher education as an engine of economic growth

South Africa faces a structural problem defined by high youth unemployment, graduate exclusion from the labour market, slow economic growth and declining industrial capacity. Despite having universities and technical and vocational education and training colleges across the country, these institutions largely function as centres of teaching and certification rather than engines of direct economic participation. The national policy proposal I have submitted to the presidency, the treasury and the department of higher education and training seeks to fundamentally redesign the role of higher education in South Africa’s economy. The policy reform proposal argues that universities and technical and vocational education and training colleges should no longer be viewed only as educational institutions but also as productive economic hubs that generate employment, support enterprise creation, drive industrialisation and stimulate local economic development. South Africa already possesses many of the assets required for transformation, including campuses, workshops, land, laboratories, a student population, technical skills, procurement budgets and research capacity. The problem is that these assets are underused and do not contribute sufficiently to national economic growth and job creation. At the centre of the proposal is the idea that higher education institutions must perform five integrated national functions: educate, employ, produce, innovate and industrialise. In this model, students would not only study towards qualifications, but would also participate in structured work opportunities through campus enterprises, apprenticeships, production systems and entrepreneurial programmes while completing their studies. The proposal seeks to close the gap between education and economic participation by ensuring that institutions themselves become employers and enterprise ecosystems. The proposal highlights that South Africa’s universities and technical and vocational educati