Thesis (MTech. degree in Education) - Tshwane University of Technology, 2006. / The primary objective of this study was to find out about the employability of school leavers. In order to conduct this study the researcher applied quantitative and qualitative approaches as methods of collecting data. The study was conducted among learners, school leavers (employed and unemployed), SMT members and HRD staff of the sampled schools and company respectively. It is clear from the study that:

Communities which have been characterised by migrancy for a long period of time, such as the Xhosa and the Italians considered in this paper, develop sets 6f terms which describe migrants. The Xhosa have varied criteria for their categories, e.g. amajoyini - those on contract to mainly the mining and construction industries; abafuduga - those who deliberately sell up and go elsewhere; amagoduka - those who intend to return home; imfiki - impoverished migrants from white owned farms. Italians tend to view the crossing of international boundaries as the essence of migration and classify their migrants by the state in which they work e.g. Inglesi, Americani, rather than by the more complex terminology of the Xhosa. Some terms are simply descriptions, others are categories with wider connotations, into which people place others and themselves. As far as possible we shall use the peoples' own categories, which define their relationships to "home", the region to which they migrate and to migrancy as a way of life, as these have important implications for what happens at home. / Digitised by Rhodes University Library on behalf of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER)

The skills shortages in mining and mineral sector had existed for a decade and had a widespread effect on South Africa economy. It affects the level of economic productivity and reduces the country’s capacity to develop a knowledge society. This, in turn, affects the country’s functioning in the global economy. Despite the sector’s best efforts, the shortages continue to grow and threaten the delivery of projects and growth plans. Some researchers contend with the view that the persistence of skills shortages in mining and mineral sector is largely due to entrenched attitudes among both the industry and the community. They claim that employers have the means to change the educational profile of the subsectors by appointing recruits with higher levels of schooling. However, owing to the limited number of higher educated people living in the communities surrounding the mining operations and lack of interest in mining of people with higher levels of education, to name but few, employers are perceived to have a habit of employing people with little skills. The current study was aimed at investigating the impact of skills shortage on organisational performance, propensity to leave, competitive advantage and sustainability, from the management perceptive. The main objective of this study was to incorporate and embed previous research findings and theories into a comprehensive hypothetical model. A hypothetical model showed various factors that may influence skills shortage. Four independent variables (working environment, employment conditions, resources and education and training) were identified as variables that may influence skills shortage; and mediating variable (skills shortage) was also identified as a variable that have potential to affect dependent variables (organisational performance, propensity to leave, competitive advantage and sustainability) of gold mining sector. Furthermore, eight hypotheses were developed to test the relationship between independent, mediating and dependent variables. All these variables were clearly defined and operationalized with various items obtained from measuring instruments used in other similar studies. A purposive sample of 343 respondents was drawn from the population. A seven-point Likert scale and structured questionnaire were administered in person to the respondents and of which 300 were usable and subjected further to several statistical analyses. The validity and reliability of the measuring instrument was evaluated using significant effect p< = 0.001 and Pearson’s correlation test (α = 0.05). Data gathered were fed to and analysed by STATISTICA (version 10) and factor analysis and regression analyses were the statistical procedures used to test the significance of the relationships between the various independent and dependent variables. Consequently, working environment, resources and education and training were three independent variables that were identified as having ability to predict propensity to leave, competitive advantage and sustainability. An attempt was made to establish whether various demographic variables have an influence on mediating and dependent variables through the introduction of gender and position in the organisation while conducting an Analysis of Variance and Multiple linear regressions, but they obtained negative values. The conclusion is that demographic variables do not have over mediating and depended variables. The findings of this study states that with conducive working environment, availability of resources, the high levels of education and training, the country could produce skills that would reduce propensity to leave, drive competitive advantage and sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship, create competitive advantages and boost employment sustainability.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / The government of South Africa aspires to achieve a six percent economic growth per annum. The scarcity of qualified and experienced people that are crucial in contributing to economic growth and creating job opportunities, poses a problem for the country. The current demand for skills that are out of reach for many workers and the prevailing unemployment that is caused by the mismatch between what an organisation seeks and what a potential candidate can provide, have been highlighted as a critical cause for the scarcity of skills. The aim of this research assignment was to examine the current crisis of the skills shortage in the South African economy, with the focus on the manufacturing sector within the FMCG industry. Semi-structured and open-ended interviews with human resource, training and development, as well as technical managers in manufacturing organisations in Cape Town, South Africa were conducted. Data was obtained from a sample of six managers. According to all respondents interviewed, it takes approximately two to six months to replace an employee who has the appropriate technical skills. All the respondents are concerned with the situation of the technical skills shortage in the country. Consequently, these respondents’ companies engage in a talent war in order to recruit the best talent. It is therefore obvious that the market dynamics of supply and demand are out of equilibrium with regard to technically skilled employees in the manufacturing segment of the South African FMCG industry. The interviews that were conducted identified some companies that train new employees in technical skills. However, the majority of the companies are not doing much to improve the situation. In addition, the companies in this sector also compete with the other industries in the South African and the global economy regarding technical skills.

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 1969. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: no abstract available / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: geen opsomming

M.Ing. / The low level of living standard of South Africa's black population is a characteristic of its history. The economic growth and development of any country rely on its factors of production. The main factor of production that can not be neglected is its labour force. The labour force of South Africa is plagued by its history, where the strategy of the past government of that era was to ensure that the black population remains uneducated. South Africa has however moved beyond its past and is looking into the future where its people can live in harmony. The majority of the population fall between the ages of 15-35 classified as youth. Unfortunately the highest unemployment rate occurs amongst the black youth of South Africa. The challenge South Africa faces is to alleviate poverty and the high rate of unemployment. The focus is to boost the work force by changing the skills profile of the people, which is currently enforced by the government through the Skills Development Act. The study undertaken indicated that to achieve a better life for all a paradigm shift in the educational system of the country must be initiated. A much needed technical skills development is required. However the long term remedy could be to ensure that the schools provide quality learners who will be able to be utilised in the work place. Another important factor of production is technology innovation, the only set-back is that there is a small community of engineers in the country and the enrolment figures for this field of study are not promising. One of the root causes of this is the low percentage of mathematics and physical science learners completing school. As a result there are a low percentage of learners moving into a technical field of study especially engineering. One of ways to unlock South Africa's economic growth is an investment in its people and engineers are the most suitable custodians. The engineer can drive technology which is one of the portals to techno-economic growth. While humanity shares one planet, it is the planet on which there are two worlds, the world of the rich and the world of the poor. Raanan Weitz, 1986. We cannot rebuild our society at the expense and standard of living of ordinary men and women. We cannot develop at the expense of social justice. We cannot compete without a floor of basic human standards. Nelson Mandela The school in many underdeveloped countries is a reflection and a fruit of the surrounding underdevelopment, from which arises its deficiency, its quantitative and qualitative poverty. But little by little, and there lies the really serious risk, the school in these underdeveloped countries risks becoming in turn a factor of underdevelopment. Joseph Kizerbo, former Minister of Education, Burkino Faso

Work is a key component of people's lives and most people aspire to have work that is sufficient to provide a living wage so as to lift them out of poverty and social exclusion and also that is secure enough to guarantee a decent livelihood. The Decent Work Agenda has gained much popularity in recent years and proposes an approach to development that emphasizes fair and sustainable working opportunities that include principles of rights at work, social protection and social dialogue. Various issues have been raised in this study. Firstly, the decent work concept needs to be understood comprehensively as there is misconception about what the concept implies and what it can achieve. Secondly, it is acknowledged that there are huge decent work deficits in South Africa especially in the informal sector which impede on the advancement of people‟s conditions of living, cause people to live lives of poverty as well as deprive people of a life of dignity. This is despite decent work having a solid basis in labour legislation and also South Africa being bound by international law and principles concerning decent work. The study observes that reform in labour legislation is recommended to help overcome the decent work deficits. The ILO has proposed the Decent Work Country Programmes to help countries align their economic development goals with the international goal of the achievement of Decent Work for all. South Africa also has its own solutions such as the New Growth Path as well as other policies. The main issue however is how these policies can be implemented effectively and how decent work can be achieved against a backdrop of the socio – economic challenges that South Africa faces.

The scarcity of skills is a global phenomenon, affecting the capacity building, economic growth and development components of all nations. The African continent has been affected by skills shortages, emanating from certain socio-economic factors. This resulted in the ‘brain drain’, emigration and absorption of skilled talent to developed countries, in search of a better standard of living and employment opportunities. The issue of scarce skills in South Africa was identified by the Government in 2006, due to an identified shortage of expertise and proficiencies, required to fill numerous vacant positions within the local government to meet service delivery needs. The identification of skills shortages led to the formulation of macro-economic policies to address the issue of scarce skills and the identification of the most affected professions, which included, inter alia, engineers; technicians; project managers; and architects. Despite the implementation of these policies, underlying factors compound the issue, complicating and limiting remedial efforts. The South African Government is faced with the challenge of providing quality basic services for the public, especially at the local level. The country has since 2010 experienced multiple incidents of service delivery protests, predominantly in the under-developed communities. The Eastern Cape is no exception, as the Nelson Mandela Bay area has experienced protests, concerning poor service delivery, primarily in Walmer Township. The provision of basic services, are of dire necessity to the communities, as the Eastern Cape is one of the poorest provinces in South Africa. The educational system at primary and secondary levels is faced with challenges in the Eastern Cape province. These challenges are the shortage of teachers; poor infrastructure; and teacher absenteeism. This compounds the issue of scarce skills acquisition and development; the volume of skilled, expert and proficient talent available to the municipality, to fill in vacancies, gaps and areas with shortfalls and deficits within the entity, is reduced and minimal, underscoring the depth of the entrenchment of this scarcity of skills issue. The primary focus of the study is to expose the factors contributing to skills shortages and the implications, apropos service delivery, from the municipal workers’ perceptions. The study highlights and describes the factors affecting scarce skills acquisition and development in South Africa, along with providing a background of the Eastern Cape and demonstrating that the shortage of skills, within the Infrastructure and Engineering Department of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, has an impact on the production, efficacy and efficiency of services for communities. The study also emphasises the essentiality of quality leadership and management within the organisation, a pivotal aspect in ensuring the municipality performs at optimal level, meeting organisational goals. This is a critical issue, as the study revealed that sound management and leadership is lacking within the municipality, affecting quality of the service delivery output. The findings of this study further revealed that adequate training and development is lacking in the municipality. This is hampering skills development, outstandingly with regard to technical skills talents, as their training needs are not met.

The role that women play in the economy of any society is a desirable goal for equity and efficiency considerations. Just as with the rest of the world, the South African women lagged behind their male counterparts within the economic empowerment space and in the formal labour force. However, the role of women has undergone some transformations with issues relating to employment opportunities, such that their labour force participation has risen considerably since 1994. The female labour force participation rate is still seen to be persistently lower compared to the male participation rate even in the second decade of democracy. The rate of women labour force participation is even lower than the average. On the other hand, the increases have also been coupled with the rising rate of unemployment among women. The objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of female labour force participation in the South African labour market. The study uses a regression analysis on a cross sectional panel data covering a period of 1995 to 2010. Unlike most popular beliefs, the findings of this study reveal that fertility though not statistically significant, positively influences labour force participation of women. Other variables that are statistically significant in explaining female labour force are HIV/AIDS, marital status, age, household income and education. Race was found to be insignificant in explaining female labour force participation in the South African labour force.

The study investigates the extent of distributional impacts of labour-intensive road projects using a geographical approach. The aim is to evaluate infrastructural effectiveness. The central premise is that the interface between road investment and economic development has broad implications that are beyond transportation’s basic purpose of providing access and mobility. Communities are motivated by the outcomes and impacts of road infrastructure development in improving the productiveness of the economy, in line with socio-economic development and other multiplying effects. The objective was to describe the nature and delivery mechanisms of labourintensive road projects, evaluate the impact thereof on the project participants and their communities and explore the constraints and challenges experienced by these initiatives. The impact of the Gundo Lashu programme was measured, based on an assessment of programme outputs, outcomes and impacts, to determine whether the project had the desired effects on individual participants and their households. A matched control case study design, using a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches was adopted. The study found that the Gundo Lashu programme had achieved the expected outputs in terms of the total number of jobs created, total road length constructed and maintained. However, the communities’ socioeconomic outcomes and the impacts of the programme on poverty and sustainable livelihoods were mixed. These conclusions re-affirm the notion that the development of rural road infrastructure alone by labour-intensive construction methods, is not sufficient in tackling poverty. While government is focusing on addressing unemployment and skills development through labourintensive road construction programmes, there is a need to ensure proper integration of government services to make a significant impact. Huge deficiencies exist in the inter-linkages between the programme planning process and the municipal planning system and that there are a number of management and planning, structural and functional, human resources and funding barriers to proper planning, implementation and monitoring of projects within the Gundo Lashu programme. Various challenges and barriers emanates from lack of coordination, political interferences and lack of strategic direction. Key recommendations include comprehensive road planning, better project targeting mechanisms, development of guidelines for future maintenance, skills training and capacity development, and resultsbased monitoring. / Geography / D. Phil. (Geography)