MerSETA Sector Skills Planning Update Survey 2026/2027

Dear Valued Stakeholder

merSETA invites you to complete this Chamber SSP Validation Survey as part of the 2026/27 Sector Skills Plan update process.

The survey aims to gather sector inputs on current sector conditions, change drivers, skills needs, occupational demand and supply, partnerships and priority actions to inform the 2026/27 SSP Update.

All responses will be treated confidentially and used only for SSP research, planning and reporting purposes. Findings will be reported in aggregate form, and no individual or organisation will be identified without permission.

The survey should take approximately 8–10 minutes to complete.

Your participation is appreciated.

SECTION A: Respondent and Chamber Profile

Question Title

* 1. Which Chamber do you represent

Metal and Engineering

Automotive Components Manufacturing

New Tyre Manufacturing

Automotive Manufacturing

Motor Retail and Aftermarket

Plastics Manufacturing

None of the above

Question Title

* 2. Which constituency do you represent?

Employer

Labour

Accounting Authority representative

Chamber representative

Industry association/ professional body

Education and training provider

Government/public entity

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 3. Which province/s do you represent or have direct sector knowledge of?

Eastern Cape

KwaZulu-Natal

Northern Cape

National perspective

Free State

Limpopo

North West

Gauteng

Mpumalanga

Western Cape

National perspective

Question Title

* 4. What type of organisation do you represent?

Large employer

Medium employer

Small employer/SMME

Labour organisation

Industry body

Professional body

Other (please specify)

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* 5. Please indicate your level of familiarity with the merSETA SSP.

Very familiar

Somewhat familiar

Not so familiar but can provide sector inputs

Not at all familiar

SECTION B: Validation of Sector Profile and Current Conditions

Question Title

* 6. What are the top issues currently affecting your Chamber or sector? (rank these from top priority 1 to low priority 5) Use the arrows to move the options up or down to rank.

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* 7. What are the most important Chamber-level changes since the last SSP update?

Examples include business closures, new investments, new technology, employment changes, localisation opportunities, export changes, supply chain shifts, policy changes, regional shifts or SMME pressures.

Question Title

* 8. Which groups are most affected by current sector conditions in your Chamber?

Youth

Women

People with Disabilities

Small emerging enterprises

Rural employers/workers

Existing workers needing reskilling

Other (please specify)

SECTION C: Change Drivers and Transition Pressures

Question Title

* 9. Which change drivers are most affecting skills demand and supply in your Chamber?

Please identify the top three change drivers that require the most urgent skills response in your Chamber.

Automation and robotics

Digital systems, diagnostics or Industry 4.0

Energy transition / decarbonisation

Circular economy / recycling / waste management

Trade, export or localisation changes

New equipment or production processes

Artificial intelligence and data analytics

Green economy and renewable energy

ESG, environmental compliance or carbon reporting

New energy vehicles or alternative fuels

Customer demand changes

Legislative or regulatory changes

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. For your top change driver, please explain the skills implication.

Change driver

Affected occupation

Skills required

Urgency: medium/low/high

SECTION D: Emerging, Changing and Declining Occupations

Question Title

* 11. What occupations are emerging in your sector?

Emerging occupation

Why it is emerging

Required skill

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* 12. What occupations are becoming changing in your sector?

Existing occupation

How the occupation is changing

New skills required

Current training gap

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* 13. Which occupations are becoming less relevant, declining or at risk?

Occupation

Reason for decline/risk

Affected workers

Possible reskilling pathway

SECTION E: Occupational Demand, Hard-to-Fill Vacancies and Skills Gaps

Question Title

* 14. Which occupational areas are most difficult to recruit or retain in your sector?

Artisans / trades

Professionals / engineers

Managers

Digital / ICT roles

Quality, compliance, OHS or ESG roles

Technicians and associate professionals

Supervisors / team leaders

Machine operators / assemblers

Sales / customer-facing technical roles

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. Please list up to five hard-to-fill occupations in your Chamber.

Occupation 1

Occupation 2

Occupation 3

Occupation 4

Occupation 5

Question Title

* 16. What are the main reasons these occupations are difficult to fill?

Lack of practical experience

Lack of qualifications / certification

Limited workplace placement capacity

Low wages or unattractive working conditions

Lack of specific technical skills

Limited training provider capacity

Location / rural access constraints

Technology changes faster than training supply

Candidates lack practical workplace experience

Candidates lack occupation-specific technical skills

Candidates lack formal qualifications

Candidates lack trade test / certification

Candidates lack digital skills

Candidates lack green / energy-related skills

Candidates lack soft skills or workplace readiness

Limited workplace placement capacity

Limited assessment / trade testing capacity

Training costs are too high

Low wages or unattractive working conditions

Competition from other sectors

Technology changes faster than training supply

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 17. Which skills gaps are most affecting productivity or performance in your Chamber?

Technical trade skills

Fault-finding and troubleshooting

Problem-solving

Supervisory skills

Planning and organising

Communication

Management and leadership

Digital literacy

Data use and reporting

Machine-interface skills

Automation awareness

Robotics / mechatronics

Quality management

Lean manufacturing / process improvement

Maintenance planning

OHS and compliance

ESG / environmental compliance

Renewable energy skills

EV / NEV / high-voltage skills

Customer service / technical sales

Other, please specify

Question Title

* 18. Which interventions should merSETA prioritise in response?

Apprenticeships and artisan development

Short skills programmes

Digital skills programmes

SMME-focused training support

Career guidance and awareness

Learnerships

Upskilling / reskilling current workers

Green / energy-transition skills programmes

Workplace-based learning support

Research and pilot projects

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 19. Please list up to five (5) priority skills or occupations in your sector.

SECTION D: PARTNERSHIPS AND IMPLEMENTATION

Question Title

* 20. Which partnerships are most needed to address skills needs in your sector?

Employers / host companies

Universities / universities of technology

Industry associations

Labour organisations

SMME support organisations

Technology / innovation partners

TVET colleges

Private training providers

Professional bodies

Government departments

Disability inclusion organisations

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 21. Are there specific organisations, employers, providers or industry bodies merSETA should partner with?

Please provide the organisation name and the purpose of the proposed partnership

Question Title

* 22. What are the main barriers that may prevent partnerships from working effectively?

Limited employer capacity

Weak coordination

Unclear roles and responsibilities

Provider capacity constraints

Lack of monitoring and feedback

Funding constraints

Slow contracting or approval processes

Limited workplace placement opportunities

Poor communication

Other (please specify)

SECTION E: CHAMBER CONTRIBUTION AND FOLLOW-UP

Question Title

* 23. How can you support the upcoming SSP update and research process? (select up to 3).

Mobilise employers to complete surveys

Participate in interviews or focus groups

Identify emerging occupations

Support dissemination of findings

Share sector data or reports

Nominate technical experts

Identify partnership opportunities

Share workplace examples or case studies

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 24. Would you be willing to participate in a follow-up SSP consultation or focused discussion?

Yes

Maybe (please specify)

MerSETA Sector Skills Planning Update Survey 2026/2027

Question Title

* 1. Which Chamber do you represent

Question Title

* 2. Which constituency do you represent?

Question Title

* 3. Which province/s do you represent or have direct sector knowledge of?

Question Title

* 4. What type of organisation do you represent?

Question Title

* 5. Please indicate your level of familiarity with the merSETA SSP.

Question Title

* 6. What are the top issues currently affecting your Chamber or sector? (rank these from top priority 1 to low priority 5) Use the arrows to move the options up or down to rank.

Question Title

* 7. What are the most important Chamber-level changes since the last SSP update?Examples include business closures, new investments, new technology, employment changes, localisation opportunities, export changes, supply chain shifts, policy changes, regional shifts or SMME pressures.

Question Title

* 8. Which groups are most affected by current sector conditions in your Chamber?

Question Title

* 9. Which change drivers are most affecting skills demand and supply in your Chamber? Please identify the top three change drivers that require the most urgent skills response in your Chamber.

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* 10. For your top change driver, please explain the skills implication.

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* 11. What occupations are emerging in your sector?

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* 12. What occupations are becoming changing in your sector?

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* 13. Which occupations are becoming less relevant, declining or at risk?

Question Title

* 14. Which occupational areas are most difficult to recruit or retain in your sector?

Question Title

* 15. Please list up to five hard-to-fill occupations in your Chamber.

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* 16. What are the main reasons these occupations are difficult to fill?

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* 17. Which skills gaps are most affecting productivity or performance in your Chamber?

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* 18. Which interventions should merSETA prioritise in response?

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* 19. Please list up to five (5) priority skills or occupations in your sector.

Question Title

* 20. Which partnerships are most needed to address skills needs in your sector?

Question Title

* 21. Are there specific organisations, employers, providers or industry bodies merSETA should partner with?Please provide the organisation name and the purpose of the proposed partnership

Question Title

* 22. What are the main barriers that may prevent partnerships from working effectively?

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* 23. How can you support the upcoming SSP update and research process? (select up to 3).

Question Title

* 24. Would you be willing to participate in a follow-up SSP consultation or focused discussion?

Question Title

* 25. Please share any final advice on how Chamber inputs can better inform the SSP, research agenda and sector response

Question Title

* 26. OPTIONAL CONTACT DETAILS

* 7. What are the most important Chamber-level changes since the last SSP update?

Examples include business closures, new investments, new technology, employment changes, localisation opportunities, export changes, supply chain shifts, policy changes, regional shifts or SMME pressures.

* 9. Which change drivers are most affecting skills demand and supply in your Chamber?

Please identify the top three change drivers that require the most urgent skills response in your Chamber.

* 21. Are there specific organisations, employers, providers or industry bodies merSETA should partner with?

Please provide the organisation name and the purpose of the proposed partnership