Dr David Fretwell's major areas of interest and expertise are in human capital development with a special emphasis on Education, Training, and Labour/Employment issues. He is currently the President of “Scarcliffe Associates” which is a private consulting firm. Scarcliffe Associates focuses on international human capital development. He was a Lead Employment and Training Specialist in the Human Development Department of the European and Central Asian Region at the World Bank. His work there included sector analysis, project design and project management primarily with assignments in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

He has had long-term experience assignments and leadership positions in Canada, USA, Saudi Arabia and Kenya. He has had short-term assignments in more than 65 countries. Dr Fretwell has also published a number of papers and co-authored 2 books.

He is a holder of a PhD in Education and Business Administration, Masters of Education in Vocational Training and Career Counseling and a Bachelors of Education in Industrial Education from the Oregon State University.

Mr. Paul Roland Dubois is the Director of the Industrial and Vocational Training Board (IVTB) which is an institution which oversees all training activities in Mauritius since August 1996. Prior to joining the IVTB, he was an Associate Professor at the University of Mauritius where he served for 21years and ended up as the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering.

Mr. Dubois is a holder of a first class degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MSc in Production and Management. With over 50 publications and many initiatives in the management and organization of vocational training, he participates actively as a member in many high level committees in Mauritius. In addition, he has been active at the international and regional level. He has been on temporary employment as Senior Vocational Training Specialist with the International labor Organization (ILO). He was the General Secretary of the International Vocation and Training Association (IVETA) for the years 2003 and 2004.

Werner Heitmann was born on 18th December 1944 in the northern part of Germany. First of all, he studied Mechanical Engineering and received a Bachelor of Science degree. He worked for some years as an Engineer before he continued with his post-graduate studies in Pedagogy, Psychology, Sociology & Political Science and received a Master of Science degree from the University of Hanover. He joined German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) twenty five years ago and started his international career. For three years he worked as the Director of the GTZ-Advisory Team at the "Secondary Industrial Institute" in Al Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. In 1986 he was for five years the Chief Technical Advisor to the Minister of Education in Yemen. In 1992 he was employed as Senior Technical Advisor at GTZ headquarter in Eschborn /Frankfurt with responsibility for GTZ’s education and training projects in Mediterranean and Middle East countries.

In 1996 he was appointed as Director of the GTZ’s Employment & Skills Development Service (ESDS) Programme to South Africa and is since then has been working in close co-operation with various national ministries such as the Department of Labour, the Department of Education as well as the Department of Science & Technology with responsibility for managing and supervising the German contribution to the South African National Skills Development Strategy. Furthermore he was charged to coordinate all German-funded activities in the focal area skills development & labour market on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

For a couple of years he has been involved in the establishment of technology stations within universities as part of South Africa’s 10-Year National Innovation Plan. He sits as a trustee on the board of the Tshumisano Trust, the implementing agency of the Department of Science & Technology for technology diffusion and transfer.

He has presented numerous papers on education, training and skills development as well as technology transfer at various international conferences and has written and edited a number of publications.

Samuel Benjamin Arend Isaacs is the Executive Officer of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Mr Isaacs has a Bachelor of Science Degree which he obtained from the University of Cape Town in 1976. He further studied for a Diploma for Educators of Adults from the University of Cape Town in 1988 and a Higher Diploma in Technical Education from the University of Cape Town in 2003. He is currently Studying towards a PhD in Education Policy at the University of Pretoria.

Mr Isaacs is a member of a number of Boards; inter alia, Vice-Chairperson of the National Access Consortium Western Cape Trust. He has also done a lot of work for the National Qualifications Framework. He was appointed Chairperson of SAQA on 31 May 1996 for a period of 3 years. He relinquished the position of chair on 1 March 1997 when he accepted the appointment to become SAQA’s first Executive Officer.

Mr John Mashazi is the Group Service Training Manager for Barloworld in South Africa. John is responsible for the Barloworld-Equipment Technical Training for all Learnerships, Artisan Development and Caterpillar Training Programs in the Southern African Region, based in Isando, South Africa. Geographical areas of responsibility include South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Angola, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.

John leads a team of Central Instructors. Added to this, the Central Service Training Department fulfills a Learnership Administration role to include but not limited to Training Policy definition and implementation throughout the group, Learner Recruitment and Indenturing, Central Assessment to SAQA requirements, Liaising with the SETA/ Local Training Authorities of different countries and Accreditation compliance.

Mr Sam Morotoba is a Deputy Director General responsible for Employment and Skills Development Services in the Department of Labor since May 2007. Before that, he was Chief Director: SETA Coordination since 2002. Mr Morotoba was the Executive Officer of both the first National Skills Authority and the dissolved National Training Board.

During his career in the Department of Labor since 1996, he oversaw the development of the Skills Development Act, the dissolution of the former Industry Training Boards and establishment of SETA’s and the skills levy framework.

He also worked for the Congress of South African Trade Unions during the period 1992 to 1996 as National Grading and Training Coordinator wherein he assisted affiliates in their negotiation strategies and repositioned the labor movement’s role in policy and skills development interventions.

He also worked for the South African Motor Corporation (previously SIGMA) where he trained as an apprentice in 1982, and qualified as an Artisan Fitter and Turner and left as an instructor and NUMSA Shop-stewards during 1992.

Dr. Patrick K. Nkanza holds a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree in Electrical Engineering of the University of Zambia and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree of the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom. Dr. P. K. Nkanza has been involved in training at the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom and at the University of Zambia, as well as an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. In addition to work at these Universities, he has worked as a National Expert for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and in private practice as a Consultant. He brings wide experience in skills development through his involvement as the Chief Executive Officer recruited at the establishment the Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) in Zambia. Dr. P. Nkanza has been a key player in the reforms of the Technical Education and Vocational Training System in Zambia, and is the Director General of TEVETA.

Dr. Nsemukila was seconded to the Government of the Republic of Zambia to become the first Poverty Monitoring and Analysis Manager for the Zambia Social Investment Fund (ZAMSIF), a Government of Zambia-World Bank social fund programme where he supported research and surveys on poverty in Zambia. He also set up the poverty monitoring, evaluation and analysis framework for Zambia.

In 2002, Dr. Nsemukila was appointed Director of the Central Statistical Office under the Ministry of Finance and National Planning and was once Chairman of the SADC Heads of Statistical Offices.

In March 2006, Dr Nsemukila was appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Energy and Water Development. While at the Ministry of Energy and Water Development, Dr. Nsemukila sat on various Boards of Directors that included: Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines –Investment Holdings (ZCCM-IH), Environmental Council of Zambia, Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC), and Zambia Electricity Supply Company (ZESCO). Dr. Nsemukila was also Chairman of the Board of Directors for Indeni Petroleum Refinery, Tanzania-Zambia Mafuta (TAZAMA) and Zambezi River Authority.