The tourism industry is one of the biggest economic contributors in South Africa and it is predicted that the industry will grow significantly over the years to come. This growth pressures South Africa to stay competitive and adhere to the needs of the visitors. The latter being one of the core functions of any tourism establishment. Labour structures in the tourism industry are constantly changing and to deliver quality products, employees should be well skilled and prepared for the demands of the industry. The accommodation sector, one of the biggest sectors in the tourism industry, provides a variety of services to tourists when visiting this country. It was determined in the literature review that the skills needed by an accommodation manager, to provide the expected services include flexibility, people skills, the ability to train other employees and the ability to explore the ever changing needs of the tourist. Higher education organisations in South Africa educate potential tourism employees in a variety of skills and knowledge. However, some employees are still of the opinion that these students are not adequately prepared for the demands of the industry and therefore complain. Added to this, there is very little communication between the industry and higher education organisations. Therefore the tourism industry feels that students are not employable which creates challenges for students, higher education organisations and the tourism industry. Education and skills development should contribute directly to the economic growth of South Africa and the government, a very important role player in the tourism industry, encourages education opportunities in South Africa. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine, through industry participitation, what the management skills required within graded establishments in South Africa are. To achieve this aim, the following objectives were set: To analyse the literature available regarding the managerial theories, managerial levels, managerial processes and universal skills needed by managers, to analyse the tourism industry and hospitality sector, identify the important role played by managerial skills within this sector and to identify higher education programmes available in South Africa that focus specifically on managerial skills development for the accommodation sector. Thirdly, to collect and analyse the perceptions of accommodation owners and managers regarding the managerial skills and knowledge required by graduate managerial employees and then to draw conclusions and make recommendations to higher education organisations to adapt tourism management qualification programmes. This was achieved by making use of a quantitative research method by means of self-administered questionnaires, distributed to 254 Tourism Grading Counsil of South Africa’s (TGCSA) graded establishment managers in the nine (9) provinces of South Africa. The data, gathered from the questionnaire, was captured electronically by an online programme, SurveyMonkey. The data was then processed by means of SPSS and analysed. The descriptive results revealed that most of the responding accommodation establishments do employ graduates, but these graduates have to display certain characteristics. The top three characteristics for an accommodation manager included trustworthiness, responsibility and motivation in that order. Being ambitious, intelligent and sensitive rated the lowest. A factor analysis revealed that there are 10 important factors that contributes to being an effective accommodation manager. These skills included: 1) Personal characteristics, 2) Forecasting skills, 3) Strategic management skills, 4) Human resource skills, 5) Problem solving and crisis management skills, 6) Communication skills, 7) Information technology skills, 8) Customer service skills, 9) Financial skills and 10) Marketing skills. The comparisons (by means of ANOVA’s, t-tests and spearman rank order correlations) between skills needed by an accommodation manager and selected business characteristics (the province in which the accommodation establishment is located, the grading status, the size, the number of employees and the years that the accommodation establishment has been in operation) are unique to this study and various significant differences were identified. Comparisons have also been done between skills needed by an accommodation manager and selected personal characteristics (age, current position, duration of employment, level of higher education and the necessity of practical skills before employment of the respondent) which also revealed significant differences. The highest number of significant differences was identified for larger establishments, age, position of the respondents and the duration of employment. The results of this study can be used by higher education organisations to adapt their current tourism management qualifications, and by accommodation establishments to understand the training needs of employees. It did however voice the concerns of industry role players when it comes to new graduates and their employability. / MA (Tourism Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Esta pesquisa discute a avaliação da pós-graduação no Brasil, analisando, de um lado, o sistema de avaliação da CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) e, de outro, a opinião da comunidade científica sobre esse sistema, focando especificamente nos critérios e instrumentos utilizados para esse fim. Pretendeu-se, com esta abordagem, contribuir para o aprimoramento do sistema de avaliação nacional da pós-graduação, tornando a avaliação um processo pactuado entre a CAPES e os programas de pós-graduação no Brasil. Para isso, foram confrontados os procedimentos utilizados no sistema de avaliação expressos nos documentos da CAPES e documentos das áreas de avaliação, com as opiniões da comunidade acadêmica apresentadas em artigos de periódicos e monografias. Foram estabelecidos como referenciais teóricos da pesquisa os conceitos de campo científico de Bourdieu e o de avaliação de Dahler- Larsen. O corpus da pesquisa foi coletado em três fontes: documentos criados pela CAPES, que contextualizam a pós-graduação e sua avaliação (PNPG 2011-2020); os Documentos de área elaborados pelas 48 áreas de avaliação e as críticas da comunidade acadêmica publicados em artigos de periódicos científicos. O corpus foi analisado e sistematizado por meio do método de Análise de Conteúdo. A análise teve como fio condutor os seis quesitos de avaliação de programas de pós-graduação da CAPES: Proposta do programa, Corpo docente, Corpo discente, teses e dissertações, Produção intelectual, Inserção social, e Internacionalização, bem como a Avaliação como um todo. Buscou-se identificar os comentários positivos, os comentários negativos e as sugestões da comunidade acadêmica. O quesito Produção intelectual foi o que recebeu a maior quantidade de críticas, identificando-se, portanto, como o foco das dúvidas e comentários da comunidade acadêmica. Os quesitos Proposta do programa, Corpo docente, Corpo discente, teses e dissertações, Inserção social, e Internacionalização receberam menor quantidade de comentários. Os resultados mostram que a avaliação, como um todo, apesar das críticas, é reconhecida como necessária pela comunidade acadêmica. Como contribuição final, foram feitas sugestões para aprimorar a enunciação dos quesitos e critérios de avaliação, de forma a promover sua melhor compreensão e transparência. / This research discusses the graduate evaluation in Brazil, analyzing, on the one hand, the evaluation system of CAPES (Higher Education Personnel Training Coordination) and, on the other, the opinion of the scientific community about this system, specifically focusing on criteria and instruments used for this purpose. It was intended, with this approach, contribute to the improvement of the national evaluation system, in order to make evaluation a process agreed between CAPES and graduate programs in Brazil. For this, they were confronted the procedures used in evaluation system expressed in the Capes documents and documents of the evaluation areas, with the views of the academic community presented in journal papers and monographs. The concepts of scientific field (Bourdieu) and evaluation society (Dahler-Larsen) were used as theoretical background of this research. The corpus of the research was collected from three sources: the documents created by CAPES which contextualize the evaluation process (PNPG 2011-2020), the documents prepared by the 48 evaluation areas and criticisms of the academic community published in scientific journals. The corpus was analyzed and systematized through the method of Content Analysis. The analysis was to thread the six evaluation items of graduate programs of CAPES: Program proposal, Faculty, Students, Theses and dissertations, Intellectual production, Social insertion, and Internationalization. One tried to identify the positive comments, negative comments and suggestions of the academic community. The item Intellectual Production has received the highest amount of criticism, becoming therefore the focus of the questions and comments of the academic community. The items Program proposal, Faculty, Students, Theses and dissertations, Social insertion, and Internationalization received fewer comments. The results show that evaluation, despite criticism, is recognized as necessary by the academic community. As a final contribution, suggestions were made to enhance the formulation of the evaluation criteria in order to promote their better understanding and transparency.

Esta pesquisa discute a avaliação da pós-graduação no Brasil, analisando, de um lado, o sistema de avaliação da CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) e, de outro, a opinião da comunidade científica sobre esse sistema, focando especificamente nos critérios e instrumentos utilizados para esse fim. Pretendeu-se, com esta abordagem, contribuir para o aprimoramento do sistema de avaliação nacional da pós-graduação, tornando a avaliação um processo pactuado entre a CAPES e os programas de pós-graduação no Brasil. Para isso, foram confrontados os procedimentos utilizados no sistema de avaliação expressos nos documentos da CAPES e documentos das áreas de avaliação, com as opiniões da comunidade acadêmica apresentadas em artigos de periódicos e monografias. Foram estabelecidos como referenciais teóricos da pesquisa os conceitos de campo científico de Bourdieu e o de avaliação de Dahler- Larsen. O corpus da pesquisa foi coletado em três fontes: documentos criados pela CAPES, que contextualizam a pós-graduação e sua avaliação (PNPG 2011-2020); os Documentos de área elaborados pelas 48 áreas de avaliação e as críticas da comunidade acadêmica publicados em artigos de periódicos científicos. O corpus foi analisado e sistematizado por meio do método de Análise de Conteúdo. A análise teve como fio condutor os seis quesitos de avaliação de programas de pós-graduação da CAPES: Proposta do programa, Corpo docente, Corpo discente, teses e dissertações, Produção intelectual, Inserção social, e Internacionalização, bem como a Avaliação como um todo. Buscou-se identificar os comentários positivos, os comentários negativos e as sugestões da comunidade acadêmica. O quesito Produção intelectual foi o que recebeu a maior quantidade de críticas, identificando-se, portanto, como o foco das dúvidas e comentários da comunidade acadêmica. Os quesitos Proposta do programa, Corpo docente, Corpo discente, teses e dissertações, Inserção social, e Internacionalização receberam menor quantidade de comentários. Os resultados mostram que a avaliação, como um todo, apesar das críticas, é reconhecida como necessária pela comunidade acadêmica. Como contribuição final, foram feitas sugestões para aprimorar a enunciação dos quesitos e critérios de avaliação, de forma a promover sua melhor compreensão e transparência. / This research discusses the graduate evaluation in Brazil, analyzing, on the one hand, the evaluation system of CAPES (Higher Education Personnel Training Coordination) and, on the other, the opinion of the scientific community about this system, specifically focusing on criteria and instruments used for this purpose. It was intended, with this approach, contribute to the improvement of the national evaluation system, in order to make evaluation a process agreed between CAPES and graduate programs in Brazil. For this, they were confronted the procedures used in evaluation system expressed in the Capes documents and documents of the evaluation areas, with the views of the academic community presented in journal papers and monographs. The concepts of scientific field (Bourdieu) and evaluation society (Dahler-Larsen) were used as theoretical background of this research. The corpus of the research was collected from three sources: the documents created by CAPES which contextualize the evaluation process (PNPG 2011-2020), the documents prepared by the 48 evaluation areas and criticisms of the academic community published in scientific journals. The corpus was analyzed and systematized through the method of Content Analysis. The analysis was to thread the six evaluation items of graduate programs of CAPES: Program proposal, Faculty, Students, Theses and dissertations, Intellectual production, Social insertion, and Internationalization. One tried to identify the positive comments, negative comments and suggestions of the academic community. The item Intellectual Production has received the highest amount of criticism, becoming therefore the focus of the questions and comments of the academic community. The items Program proposal, Faculty, Students, Theses and dissertations, Social insertion, and Internationalization received fewer comments. The results show that evaluation, despite criticism, is recognized as necessary by the academic community. As a final contribution, suggestions were made to enhance the formulation of the evaluation criteria in order to promote their better understanding and transparency.

No description available.

This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

The aim of this study was to investigate the management of the function shift of Technical and Vocational Education and Training Colleges at the Department of Higher Education and Training. When the function shift of TVET Colleges took place, it provided an opportunity to research a phenomenon and obtain data that were not previously researched, as this was the first ever function shift or migration of colleges from the Department of Basic Education to the Department of Higher Education and Training. As such, this research not only explores a new phenomenon but also contributes to the body of knowledge regarding TVET in South Africa. This research was conducted at a TVET College in Newcastle, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted. The instruments for collecting data were individual and focus group interviews. Field notes were compiled during the various interviews, as deemed necessary by the researcher. All interviews were recorded digitally. The said digital recordings were transcribed and emanating themes were identified. Managers were selected as the interviewees. As this research was based on the management of the function shift, they were the most appropriate choice. A sample of staff was also interviewed, as two separate focus groups, to balance the scope and extent of the data, thus attempting to not only view the managerial paradigm as the sole reality. Findings made from the data were that the function shift was preceded by a previous migration of staff. That migration, however, saw colleges remaining in the same educational stream or level namely that of basic education. The staff at colleges, or technical colleges as they were called at the time, were previously employed by the State. This changed when the State created governing bodies for colleges or college councils, as they are known. Technical Colleges were then renamed Further Education and Training Colleges. These colleges were reporting to the Department of Education which saw a name change to the Department of Basic Education, as explained above. Employees were given the opportunity to migrate from State employment to council employment, which most staff members did. These college councils were later found to be dysfunctional, and the State arranged for colleges to be returned to the auspices of the State, but this time round they were usurped in the newly formed Department of Higher Education and Training. From a management perspective, the function shift was successful with minor challenges. Thus the staff felt that they did not receive adequate communication, thereby adversely affecting their financial positions. The researcher recommends further research among TVET Colleges regarding the management of this function shift. It is also recommended that all current channels of communication with staff be revisited, and improvement therein pursued, where possible. A final recommendation is that managers involved in a function shift be subject to a refresher course in change management before a function shift is implemented. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

This study is a systematic, objective investigation of educator empowerment, where the researcher explores the perspective of ABET educators. This study is presented against the backdrop of striking a balance between the conventional curriculum and Curriculum 2005 (OBE) because they exhibit a variety of challenges, anomalies and imbalances which led to the Revised National Curriculum Statements which will be implemented in 2006. It is informed by the fact that educators, if empowered, form an integral and central feature of changes in educational centres, especially in teaching adult learners to be able to assist their school-leaving children so as to improve provincial matric results, for example. The researcher focused on educators of ABET in Limpopo Province as the unit of analysis in this study. Interactive, cooperative, peer teaching, dialogic meditation, group and team teaching, constructivism and human resource development, reflective and multi-level approaches, are discussed with a particular focus on educator empowerment, including in-service training programmes. The researcher regards ”church settings” (her term) as inappropriate for effective teaching as they reduce educators to preachers and learners to congregants. This occurred as a result of the failure to recognise the importance of educator-learner, learner-learner and educator-educator interaction in the past curriculum. The study argues that the approaches mentioned are appropriate for this study. Educator empowerment is a lived-in and continuous process, monitoring and evaluating of in-service training to ensure quality. It was therefore necessary to develop a research design that would make it possible to enable educators to implement the new curriculum. Qualitative research is based on an in-depth inquiry which captures an educator's personal perspectives and experiences. Focus groups and in-depth interviews, which exemplify qualitative methods, were seen to be the best research tools in gathering the data for this study. The respondents, were UNISA ABET certificate students, and also professional educators at formal schools. They showed zeal in improving the educational situation. Their responses led to the model which has been developed in the thesis, culminating in uplifting the teaching profession and handling its multi-level led dynamic in an interactive and cooperative manner and reflecting in their experiences so that purposes of the National Qualifications Framework can be attained. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

With reference to the demands for innovation facing the systems of tertiary education internationally, the Department of Higher Education in South Africa has been revamped since the realization of the democratic Government. In recent years, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) College institutions became the potential learning institutions of choice that could revitalize the economy. This resulted in merging the former 152 TVET Colleges into 50 with the intention to streamline access in order to accommodate a larger number of students for technical and vocational training. The purpose of this study was to determine how student retention and success in the TVET Colleges can be effectively managed. The study was mainly guided by the theoretical framework of Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1995) ecological systems theory that explains individuals’ relationships with their environments by means of interrelated ecological systems functioning. Secondly, applied to this study was the principles of systems theory which supplemented Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. A mixed-methods research approach was used in determining the perceptions of TVET College personnel from different levels of institutional functioning and from students from different years of registration to determine the main factors influencing student retention and success at TVET Colleges. The empirical investigation comprised of a quantitative research approach (as phase 1) using questionnaires administered to students which was followed by a qualitative research approach (as phase 2) entailing semi-structured individual interviews with TVET College employees. The researcher used the chi-square and analysis of variables tests as analysis techniques in analysing and presenting the results in in this study. The research findings indicated a strong need for relevant career guidance provided to prospective TVET College students from primary school onwards, and the establishment of a constructive student support unit at TVET Colleges to promote student retention and success. Factors that promote the management student retention and success were identified as relating to the image and reputation of TVET Colleges, sources of effective communication, and student support activities that initially and continuously motivate or hinder student retention and success in the TVET College institutions. / Na aanleiding van die oproepe om vernuwing wat tersiêre-onderwysstelsels op internasionale vlak in die gesig staar, het die Departement van Hoër Onderwys en Opleiding in Suid-Afrika sedert die instelling van 'n demokratiese regering verskeie verbeteringe ondergaan. In die afgelope aantal jare het instellings in die tegniese en beroepsonderwys- en opleidingsektor potensiële voorkeurleerinstellings geword wat die vermoë het om die ekonomie nuwe lewe te gee. Dit het gelei tot die samesmelting van die voormalige 152 kolleges in die sektor tot 50 kolleges, met die doel om toegang te vergemaklik sodat meer studente vir tegniese en beroepsopleiding ingeneem kan word. Die doel van hierdie studie was om te bepaal hoe faktore wat studentbehoud en -sukses beïnvloed, doeltreffend in die tegniese en beroepsonderwys- en opleidingskollegesektor bestuur kan word. Die studie is gerig deur die teoretiese raamwerk van Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1995) se ekologiese-stelselteorie. Hierdie teorie verklaar individue se verhoudings met hul omgewings met behulp van ekologiese stelsels wat in verhouding met mekaar funksioneer. Tweedens, aan die studie was beginsels van stelsels teorie toegevoeg wat Bronfenbrenner se ekologiese stelsels teorie aanvul. Die empiriese ondersoek het bestaan uit ʼn kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering waarby vraelyste aan studente uitgedeel is, gevolg deur ʼn kwalitatiewe navorsingsbenadering wat semi-gestruktureerde individuele onderhoude met werknemers by tegniese en beroepsonderwys- en opleidingskolleges behels het. Die navorsingsbevindinge het gedui op ʼn sterk behoefte aan die voorsiening van toepaslike beroepsvoorligting aan leerders op laerskool en verder wat voornemens is om aan tegniese en beroepsonderwys- en opleidingskolleges te studeer, asook die vestiging van ʼn konstruktiewe studentesteuneenheid by hierdie kolleges om studentebehoud en -sukses te bevorder. Faktore wat studentebehoud en -sukses bevorder is geïdentifiseer as dié wat verband hou met die beeld en reputasie van tegniese en beroepsonderwys- en opleidingskolleges, bronne van doeltreffende kommunikasie, en studentesteunaktiwiteite wat aanvanklik en deurlopend as motivering vir studentebehoud en -sukses in hierdie sektor dien of dit belemmer. / Mayelana na xilaveko xa vutumbuluxi lebyi mafambiselo ya swikolo le ya langutiseneke na wona misava hinkwayo, Ndzavisiso ya tidyondzo ta le henhla ya Afrika Dzongayi cincile ku sukela loko hi ri eka mfumo wa xidimokirasi, Eka masiku ya namuntlha, tikholichi ta Vuthikiniki na dyondzo na vuleteri (TVET) ti hundzukile swikolo leswi nga langiwaku ku pfuxelela ikhonomi. Leswi swi endlile leswaku ku katsiwa tikholichi to ringana 152 leswaku ti va 50 ku ri ku endlela leswaku ku tekiwa na ku leteriwa vana va ku tala. Xikongomelo a ku ri ku endlela leswaku machudeni va nga lawuriwa na ku humelerisiwa njhani eka ti kholichi ta ti TVET. Dyondzo leyi yi rhangeriwa hi mavonelo ya malavisiselo ya Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1995), mavonelo ya matshamelo na mahlamuselo ya vuxaka eka mpfanganyiso wa matirhiselo, xavumbirhi, Dyondzo leyi yi tirhisile milawu ya mafambiselo na mavonelo lama tatisaku maendleo ya matshamelo na mafambiselo ya Bronfenbrenner. Malaviseselo ya maendlelo yo pfanganana ya tirhisiwile eka mavonelo ya va tirhi ya tikholichi ta ti TVET ku suka eka matshamelo na matirhelo yaku hambana hambana ku sukela eka malembe ya ntsariso ku endlela ku kuma nsusumeto wa ku humelela ka machudeni etikholichi. Ndzavisiso lowu wu katsakanya maendlelo ya khwalithethivhi, eka xiyenge xo sungula hi ku tirhisa swivutiso leswi nga ta xiyisisiwa eka machudeni swi tlhela swilandelerisiwa hi maendlelo ya malavisiselo ya khwalithethivhi (eka xiyenge xa vumbirhi) hi ku kandzelerisiwa hi nwangulano wa xiphemu na vatirhi va ti kholichi ta ti TVET. Mulavisisi u tirhisile xikwere xa chi na ku xopaxopa swiphemu swa swikambelo leswi a swi xopa xopiwa loko ku bumabumeriwe / hlayiwe mbuyelo wa ndzavisiso. Mbuyelo wu kombisa swinene leswaku kuna ku yelana eka ndzetelo lowu nyikiwaku machudeni ya ti kholichi ta TVET ku suka eswikolweni swa le hansi ku ya ehenhla, na ku tumbuluxiwa ka xiyenge xa mpfuno wa machudeni etikholichini ta ti TVET ku tlakusa ku tiyisa na ku humelela ka machudeni. Swi nwana leswi susumetaku ku tlakusa na ku tiyisa vufambisi eku tlakuseni na ku humelerisa machudeni ya ti kholichi ta ti TVET swikombisa swi fananisiwa na xiyimo na xindzhuti xa swikolo leswi, swipfuno swa mavulavulelo, na swipfuno swa switirhisiwa swa mpfuno wa machudeni wa masungulo kumbe wa ku yisa nkucetelo kumbe xirhalanganyi xa ku tlakusa na ku pfuna ku humelela eka tikholichi ta ti TVET. MARITO NKULO / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)