A qualification can no longer be viewed simply as a certificate that guarantees employment. In a South African economy shaped by high unemployment, technological disruption and rapidly changing skills requirements, tertiary education must give people something more enduring: the ability to adapt, solve problems, continue learning and turn opportunity into meaningful economic participation.
That is the message from Duncan Park, registrar at Mancosa, who believes the value proposition of tertiary education is evolving alongside the world of work.
“Tertiary education cannot guarantee employment or entrepreneurial success. What it can do is significantly strengthen the foundations from which people pursue those outcomes,” says Park.
Education remains a powerful economic enabler
South Africa's unemployment challenge inevitably shapes any discussion about the value of further study. Park argues that the distinction between a guarantee and an enabling factor is therefore important.
A qualification does not automatically produce a job. Nor does completing a business programme automatically create a successful entrepreneur. However, Park points to the substantial difference in employment outcomes between younger South Africans with post-school qualifications and those without formal post-school training.
The broader lesson is difficult to ignore. Education continues to improve a person's prospects, even when it cannot determine the eventual outcome.
That matters particularly in an economy where employment opportunities are intensely contested. Tertiary education should therefore be understood not as a promise of success, but as one of the mechanisms capable of expanding the opportunities available to individuals.
Knowledge alone is no longer enough
The expectations placed on graduates have also changed. Historically, tertiary education enjoyed a significant advantage because universities and colleges were repositories of specialised knowledge. The internet has fundamentally altered that relationship. Information that once required access to an institution, lecturer or specialist library can increasingly be accessed within seconds.
“Knowledge has been democratised. That does not make academic knowledge unimportant, but it does change what tertiary education needs to offer,” says Park.
Employers and entrepreneurs increasingly need capabilities that cannot simply be retrieved through an online search. Adaptability, resilience, emotional intelligence, critical thinking and problem-solving have become central to navigating a working environment characterised by constant change.
Completing a qualification can help develop and demonstrate those attributes. The process requires commitment, discipline and the ability to work through challenges over an extended period.
For Park, that development is increasingly part of the real currency of tertiary education.
Lifelong learning is becoming non-negotiable
The idea that people can complete their education, enter a profession and rely on the same body of knowledge for the remainder of their careers is also becoming increasingly unrealistic.
Technology changes. Regulations change. Industries evolve. New platforms emerge and established business models are disrupted.
This makes lifelong learning essential. “The pace of change means individuals have to keep their knowledge current. If people stop learning, there is a genuine risk that the world of work simply moves beyond what they know,” Park says adding that it is crucial for tertiary institutions to equip students with the ability to adapt, and to drive their own continuous development and learning. “Given the pace of change in the world, tertiary education providers need to be sure that students have the skills and attributes as graduates to continue learning, developing and growing as they navigate their work and life.”
That does not necessarily mean repeatedly committing to multi-year qualifications. Formal degrees and diplomas remain important, but short courses and targeted upskilling programmes provide another route for professionals and entrepreneurs who need specific capabilities without stepping away from their responsibilities for extended periods.
The objective should be continuous development rather than treating education as something that ends at graduation.
Work readiness requires stronger industry connections
Tertiary education institutions have responsibilities in this transition too. According to Park, institutions cannot operate as isolated academic environments while expecting graduates to enter workplaces seamlessly. Curricula need to remain relevant, which requires continuous engagement with employers, industries and communities.
Industry relationships allow institutions to understand what organisations actually expect from graduates. Community engagement is equally important because it helps institutions identify the economic and skills requirements developing around them.
This approach is particularly relevant to Mancosa's emphasis on employability. Its Career Centre provides students with support extending beyond formal academic content, including CV development, interview preparation and connections with potential career opportunities.
Alumni networks can provide another important bridge. Graduates already operating within different industries understand both the qualification and workplace expectations, creating valuable connections between students, institutions and employers.
“There is no responsible institution that should promise somebody a job simply because they enrolled for a qualification,” Park says. “The responsibility is to make graduates more capable, more employable and better connected to opportunities.”
Entrepreneurship needs skills and business knowledge
The same principle applies to entrepreneurship. Technical competence can create the foundation for a business, but being excellent at a trade does not necessarily mean somebody already possesses the knowledge required to operate an enterprise.
A skilled mechanic, for example, may understand vehicles exceptionally well while still needing to develop capabilities around taxation, payroll, labour obligations, administration, finance and managing employees.
Business education can bridge that divide. Qualifications in business administration, alongside targeted learning opportunities, can help entrepreneurs understand the different functions required to move from possessing a valuable skill to building a sustainable organisation.
Yet Park cautions against treating exceptional entrepreneurial success stories as universal blueprints.
Popular examples of entrepreneurs who left university before becoming enormously successful can obscure the far more complicated reality of entrepreneurship. Successful founders frequently experience repeated failures before finding an idea, market or business model that works.
Education cannot eliminate that uncertainty. It can, however, strengthen the adaptability, perspective and resilience entrepreneurs need to respond to it.
Tertiary education must widen the door
Perhaps the most important measure of tertiary education's value is who it allows to progress.
Mancosa sees strong demand at undergraduate level, including for higher certificates that can provide skills-based learning while creating pathways towards further qualifications. These routes are particularly important for students whose school results may not initially provide direct entry into degree programmes.
Park believes tertiary education should not exist exclusively to select people who have already demonstrated exceptional academic performance.
“The real value of tertiary education is also about finding people who are not currently exceptional and giving them the opportunity to become exceptional,” he says.
Academic performance at school does not occur in isolation. Young South Africans can face difficult home circumstances and broader social pressures that influence their results. A disappointing matric performance should therefore not automatically define someone's long-term academic or professional potential.
Alternative entry pathways can give those students another opportunity to demonstrate what they are capable of achieving.
A qualification should be the beginning
For Mancosa, the future of tertiary education ultimately lies in moving beyond a narrow definition of academic success.
Institutions must still impart credible disciplinary knowledge. But they must simultaneously develop graduates who can think independently, respond to uncertainty, communicate effectively and continue learning long after completing their formal studies.
That means maintaining meaningful relationships with industry and communities, ensuring curricula remain relevant and giving students access to employability support alongside academic development.
It also means recognising that education serves people at very different stages of their development. Some are entering tertiary education directly from school. Others are established professionals looking to advance, while entrepreneurs may need new capabilities as their businesses grow.
The common thread is opportunity. Tertiary education cannot control economic conditions, guarantee employment or remove the risks inherent in entrepreneurship. What it can do is equip people to navigate those realities with stronger skills, broader perspectives and greater resilience.
“In a world where knowledge and industries are constantly changing, education has to be about more than what somebody knows on graduation day,” concludes Park. “Its lasting value is in developing people who have the capacity to keep learning, adapting and creating opportunities throughout their lives.”
