Green-Skills-System-Capacity-Development-Proposal-to-the-Green-Fund

The South African Government has announced its intention to embark on a low-carbon,
sustainable development path that will create significant numbers of jobs in a
green economy (RSA, 2012, RSA 2008, Montmason-Clair, 2012). There is agreement
that between 300 000 – 400 000 green jobs can be created in South Africa (ILO, 2011,
DBSA, 2011; Borel-Saradin &Turok, 2012; UNEP, 2013). Green growth presents a
new approach to economic growth. It does not replace sustainable development but is
a means to achieve it (OECD, 2011, Death, 2014, CEDEFORP, 2011). The South
African Green Growth Accord (RSA, 2010), the National Development Plan (RSA,
2012) and the National Framework for Sustainable Development (RSA 2008) all
speak to the need to utilise the country’s natural resources like water, energy and
biodiversity wisely, to move towards clean energy generation and to rehabilitate
degraded ecosystems, in the process unlocking new economic growth and
employment opportunities. Death (2014) in his analysis of the South African Green
Economy, suggests that there is a need to consolidate the commitment to the Green
Economy in South Africa “… as South Africa faces many challenges in pursuing a
transition to a more sustainable development path, yet has been cited as a global green
economy leader”. He suggests too that the transition to a green economy in South
Africa should ideally be pursued in a manner that does not produce “…new power
relations of inequality and injustice”. Central to this would be the manner in which
the green economy opportunities also contribute to capacity building and skills
development in South Africa in a sustained, socially just manner. The South African
government have recognized the need for green skills development, but there is a
need to substantively expand and improve the system capacity for coherent,
coordinated green skills development.