Trends in the supply of tertiary qualifications among designated groups 1998-2005

The key focus of this paper is to illustrate in the supply of formal tertiary qualifications in public higher education, and the share of designates groups since the promulgation of the Employment Equity Act. Understanding the absolute size and growth in the supply of designates groups is important in addressing the assertion that 'they (skilled blacks and women) are just not out there', often forwarded as the rationale for the continued domination of white males of the top and senior echelons of the South African corporate environment. The key data source or the period 1998-1005 was the Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS) database from the Department of Education.