M.B.A. / The intention of the study is to determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the training programmes run by the Training and Development section in the Office of the Auditor General (OAG). Entering into the 21st century in South Africa, training and development has emerged in business as the way to create employment and develop skills. Worldwide the economy is on a fast path of globalisation. Due to globalisation and the changes required in global markets, training and development is the driving force to meet the demand for technical staff and highly skilled workers to meet with economic challenges. The majority of the South African labour force requires new or significantly expanded skills to keep up with the demands of their jobs. This includes new technology, management, customer service and basic skills training. Through training, employees gain skills, abilities, knowledge and attitudes that help them perform effectively in present and future jobs. The literature examined the determination of training needs, developing training programmes, selection of trainees, training objectives, different training programmes, presentation of training, conditions for effective training, the training practitioner and the evaluation of training. The findings of the research have assessed the functional value of the training from literature; determined the attitudes of the participants in the training programmes; ascertained that the emotional needs of the participants have been met; determined that training and communication within the OAG is adequately managed and determined that training and customer service are sufficiently interfaced.

Abstract not available

This research project investigated the question, What are the qualitatively different conceptions of instruction held by instructors of adults in the workplace? The research approach of phenomenography was used to discover how instructors of adults interpreted their instructional experiences. The sample studied consisted of twenty-two members of the Puget Sound Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development who were trainers in various workplace settings. The respondents' understandings of instruction were sought through semi-structured interviews that focused on one of their instructional experiences. Three conceptions were found through an iterative process of examining units of meaning in the context of the individual interview and the context of all the interviews. The global meaning of each conception is: instruction is (a) imparting information to learners who receive and apply it on the job (Transmission Conception), (b) assisting learners to share and apply ideas and experiences (Enablement Conception), and (c) involving learners in an experiential process of discovering and constructing meaning (Constructive Conception). The structure of each conception was then analyzed to maximize the differences among them. Several findings emerged: (a) each conception had several components that were more clearly about learning than about instruction; (b) all the conceptions had one structural component that was the same - learning involves applying new knowledge on the job -suggesting that this may be an essential component of instruction in the workplace; and (c)two characteristics of meaning and connectedness appear to divide the conceptions placing the Transmission and Enablement Conceptions on one side and the Constructive Conception on the other. It was concluded that (a) there are more than the two dichotomous ways of viewing the instruction of adults that is suggested in the literature (teacher-controlled and collaborative); (b) there appears to be a generic conception of instruction common to many settings, that instruction is about transmitting information; (c) understandings of knowledge are related to conceptions of instruction; and (d) the context in which instruction occurs is a framing factor for thinking about instruction. The set of conceptions that was found can be used to study instructors' thinking about instruction in other settings as well as for their training and ongoing development.

Akademisk avhandling--Lund. / Extra t.p., wih thesis statement, inserted. Bibliography: p. 81-83.

Akademisk avhandling--Lund. / Extra t.p., wih thesis statement, inserted. Bibliography: p. 81-83.

Experience and previous research indicate that the effective transfer of management training to the work environment requires a holistic approach, embracing several important factors. These include interpersonal skills, resistance to change, mentoring, attitudes towards training, and organizational climate and culture. During this investigation a brief, flexible treatment programme was drawn up. This involved discussing the application of managerial skills with trainees who had completed a management training course some time ago, in the presence of their supervisors. Other activities included in the treatment ranged from retraining to psychotherapy. The treatment was applied to 32 trainees. Some three month's later a role play situation and questionnaire were used to assess their application of the skills taught during management training in their work, in comparison with an untreated control group. The results indicate that the treatment programme resulted in much improved transfer of managerial training to the work environment. / Psychology / M. Sc. (Psychology)

The research problem in this study was to identify what mentoring strategies organisations can use to facilitate the objectives of the Employment Equity Act (Act 55 of 1998). To achieve this objective a nine-phase theoretical model for organisational mentoring was presented. The presentation of the theoretical model consisted of the following three sub-processes: -The first consisted of a survey of literature related to the development of the Employment Equity Act (Act 55 of 1998) and the implications of the Act for organisations: The second comprised surveying the literature dealing specifically with the impact of mentoring programmes on career development, organisational success and career satisfaction, particularly in terms of employees from designated groups; The third surveyed the literature dealing with various mentoring strategies and models used by organisations for facilitating management development. The theoretical model served as a basis for drawing up a survey questionnaire to establish the extent to which individuals at different levels in the organisations agree with the theoretical model developed in the study. The survey questionnaire was sent to a random sample of individuals employed in the automobile industries of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality and the Buffalo City Metropole. The empirical results obtained from the survey indicated a strong concurrence with the theoretical organisational mentoring model presented in the study. These results were included in the theoretical model, leading to the development of an integrated model for organisational mentoring. From the survey literature and the study it became evident that if organisations plan to introduce mentoring strategies that will contribute towards facilitating their employment equity objectives, it is necessary to ensure that a transformational culture exists. Many South African organisations are currently experiencing problems in recruiting, training and retaining individuals from designated groups. The introduction of a mentoring programme based on the integrated model for organisational mentoring cannot be considered as the sole strategy for alleviating these problems and for facilitating management development to achieve the objectives of the Employment Equity Act (Act 55 of 1998). However, when this programme is effectively managed and incorporated into the overall development programme of an organisation committed to transformation, the potential to ease these problems and achieve the objectives of the Employment Equity Act (Act 55 of 1998) is greatly enhanced.

Sanlam Sky is a division of the Sanlam Group focusing on the developing markets. The division plays an important role in employing previously disadvantaged people with little or no prior training and experience. Training is the methodical development of Knowledge, Skills and Attitude that is required by the employee to perform a given task on the job satisfactorily. The training department therefore has a key responsibility of providing effective training to the newly appointed and existing employees and can be viewed as an essential vehicle for company success. The study identified that investment is allocated for the training and development of employees over the past years at Sanlam Sky and the organisation has not measured the effectiveness of training prior to this study. The main purpose of this study was to determine if the training initiatives at Sanlam Sky are effective or not and then identify factors to improve effectiveness of training at Sanlam Sky. The study also addresses the question of “what are the assessment methods for measuring T&D effectiveness that exist in the literature?” The empirical study included the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire amongst operations and distribution staff. Data was collected from multiple sources including 88 respondents and triangulated with unstructured interview data sourced from the learning managers; this data was used to assess the effectiveness of training and develop strategies for improvement. The findings indicate that the training provided at Sanlam Sky is effective, however there are no clear guidelines on identifying training needs in the organisation. The study identified that there is no evaluation framework that is used at Sanlam Sky. The trainees are not given an opportunity to choose how they want their training to be facilitated. Hypothesis of the study was tested and finally the study offers recommendations to be implemented in improving the effectiveness of training.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Education (Management), Durban Institute of Technology, 2003. / Induction is the process of introducing new employees to the goals of the organisation, its policies and procedures, to co-workers as well as to the activities or the tasks to be performed in the job. / M

The South African banking industry is currently facing increasing macro- and micro-environmental pressures which had led banks to move towards customer-oriented strategies. This has influenced the way their systems and processes are developed and innovated to provide a satisfactory service to their clients. It appears that service quality has been the differentiating factor that has set the competitors apart in providing their customers with a unique customer experience through client relationships and interaction. As a consequence, banks have resorted to implementing various training and leadership interventions as a driver, to effectively empower their employees to improve service quality The aim of this research study was to identify the impact that training and leadership programmes implemented by a particular branch of Standard Bank South Africa (SBSA) had on employee empowerment. This was achieved through a comprehensive literature review and an empirical study to measure whether employees had perceived themselves to be empowered. The results from this study will be used by the Human Resource Division of SBSA to evaluate and implement effective training methods for the employees of the selected branch in order to improve employee empowerment. This would serve as a great benefit for the bank as employees that are satisfied with the work are generally more productive, hence producing increased revenue for the organisation. An empirical study was embarked on to measure the respondents’ perception of being empowered and involved a survey of eighty-three employees of the retail branch in the Sandton, Johannesburg area. Forty-three of the employees responded to the anonymous questionnaire and the data obtained was analysed and interpreted into meaningful results. The results of the survey indicated that the majority of the employees at the selected branch perceived themselves to be empowered and it was concluded that the implementation of the training and leadership programmes by SBSA had a positive impact on them. The following recommendations were made: - Firstly, to increase training and development, in the form of leadership courses, inter-departmental learning and on-the-job training sessions to develop the employees to their full potential; - Secondly, management needs to encourage employees to participate in discussion forums and staff meetings and involve them in decision-making thus improving the perceived lack of a free-flow of information and transparency within the workplace; - Thirdly, team leaders and supervisors should encourage support and coaching of the junior employees by giving them constructive on-going feedback, supporting their ideas, delegating tasks, and giving them direction on the way forward; - Fourthly, a review of the reward and recognition system would be advisable where employees are rewarded (financially or non-financially) for a job or task well done, or to promote certain behaviours and attitudes in the workplace; and - Finally, it was recommended that the employees be informed and educated on the benefits, associated for both the employees and the organisation, of the Scheme in order to increase their commitment and performance. The empowerment of employees in the organisation is important as it involves employees who take responsibility for their decisions and actions because they are primarily the ones who solve the problems in their own teams. Empowerment in organisations can thus lead to less absenteeism, lower employee turnover, less employee training costs, increased employee satisfaction and more productive employees.