The South African TVET sector: a Bourdieusian perspective

ABSTRACT Limited integrated data on the educational and professional accomplishments of the South African TVET sector make it difficult to confidently assess its efficacy. In particular, there is a need to identify the barriers both within and facing this post-school educational field. This conceptual paper therefore asks the question: What factors enable or block the TVET pipeline in South Africa? To derive these insights about the relationships between different elements of the sector, as understood through existing research, a Bourdieusian framework – drawing on his concepts of field, illusio, and institutionalized cultural capital – is applied with the aim of constructing a representation of the field of publicly-funded TVET colleges in South Africa. While several recommendations are made in this paper, it is clear that the sector cannot solve these challenges by itself. Industry and universities have significant roles to play in ensuring a more inclusive, productive, and meaningful TVET sector.