Until 1996, all women in South Africa were prohibited, by law, from working underground. With the introduction of the Mining Charter all this changed and companies started hiring women for different positions. The objectives of the study were: to determine the perceptions of the working environment of women in the mining activities, to establish what changes were made to accommodate women in this specific mine and to establish if women can advance in this company. A field study was done at a chrome mine and a random sample of 100 employees participated. The central research tool utilised was a questionnaire using a Likert-type 5 rating scale. The findings were that mining companies will have to work hard on the perception that women are not wanted in the industry, but that a lot has happened since 1996. As expected the study found that there are significant resistance towards women working in the core mining industry. Mines are making changes to accommodate women. Women are receiving a lot of support from management to become part of the mining environment. Different programs are being implemented to develop skills of women and ensure their progression within the mining companies. The study concluded with recommendations as to what can be done to improve the perception of the working environment of women. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur lärare använder sig utav IKT för elevernas lärande samt vilken kompetensutveckling inom IKT de får från sin arbetsplats. Två teorier tillämpas i studien, det sociokulturella perspektivet och TPACK modellen. För att besvara frågeställningarna har en kvalitativ metod i form av intervjuer genomförts. Resultatet visar att det finns en variation i hur lärare använder sig utav IKT för elevernas lärande, bland annat användes IKT i form av presentation och för informationssökning. Vidare visar resultatet att lärare generellt får kompetensutveckling inom IKT men att den ges på olika sätt och ibland utanför arbetstiden. Lärarna ansåg även att mer kompetensutveckling behövs för att de ska känna sig helt trygga med IKT samt kunna använda det på mest effektiva sätt. Den tidigare forskningen som använts i denna studie visar på att lärare både i Sverige och andra länder har liknande åsikter och erfarenheter av IKT, som de intervjuade lärarna har.

Research report / At the time of this study, South Africa found itself in an economic growth phase. This was coupled with an acute shortage of engineers in the country, as well as in a number of foreign countries, who found themselves in similar growth phases. Foreign firms actively embarked on campaigns to recruit South African engineers to alleviate their shortage, to the detriment of the donor country. The objective of this study is to determine the propensity of engineers to emigrate and the main drivers for this in order to provide information to craft strategies to combat and mitigate the shortage of engineers. The research process involved the consultation of relevant local and international literature regarding the skills shortage, the extent of emigration from South Africa and the main drivers for this. Data were collected by means of self-completed questionnaires in order to gauge the sentiment of graduate engineers towards emigration. One hundred and fifteen responses were received. Key associations and relationships were then analysed. The study found that the engineers most likely to emigrate were either in their late twenties or were older than 55. They are likely to be white males from either the public or private sector, or who are self-employed. Approximately 10% of graduate engineers are likely to leave South Africa within a short period of time (less than one year) as they have already taken some measures in order to do so, 16% may leave within two years and 27% may leave within the next five years. Australia is by far the most popular destination for South African engineers, followed by Canada, Europe and the United Kingdom. The main country-related drivers causing South African engineers to consider emigration are crime and violence, confidence in the South African government and political uncertainty. The main work-related driver causing engineers to consider emigration is the policy of affirmative action. Of the engineers with a “high” emigration potential, just over half indicated that they would emigrate permanently. In order to at least retain existing engineers in South Africa, the factors causing them to consider emigration should be addressed. In order to increase the number of engineers in the country, more emphasis should be placed on mathematics and science at school, thereby increasing the number of candidates who qualify for admission to engineering courses. It also needs to be ensured that universities have the capacity to train the increased number of engineers required on an ongoing basis.

Two of the most serious challenges facing South Africa today are the availability of skills and unemployment. Inward FDI has been promoted by the IMF and the World Bank as a solution for sustained growth in developing countries. This growth impact can be achieved through a combination of FDI benefits which include access to foreign funds, adoption of superior technology, skills transfer and job creation. A number of researchers have investigated the impact of FDI and have come up with different conclusions. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of inward FDI on skills development and job creation in South Africa. Telephonic interviews were conducted with 32 multinational companies based mainly in the Gauteng Province during August 2010. A qualitative approach was used in the methodology by comparing the data collected across the companies that participated in the survey. The study concluded that inward FDI has a positive impact on skills development and job creation in South Africa and therefore significantly impacts economic growth. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This thesis discusses how the restructuring of the UK television industry in the 1980s and 1990s has affected learning and skills development in the sector. It is based on 71 semi-structured interviews with television freelancers and key informants in the industry, and a case study of a small regional independent company developed through semi-structured interviews and three months of participant observation. To investigate the current learning and skills development mechanisms, this thesis engages with community-based learning theories. These are discussed in relation to industry characteristics such as commissioning and independent production and labour market realities related to freelance work and educational provision. The findings reveal that the traditional on the job learning mechanisms within communities of practice are challenged under the new structural context characterised by unrestricted entry and progression and short-term projects within an uncertain employment context. Commercial pressures affect both the access to learning opportunities and the learning experience, mainly because of the lack of legitimate and gradual experiential learning possibilities, short-term involvement in the industry under pressures to perform. The thesis also discusses the realities of the work in a small regional independent production company as well as its benefits and limitations as a venue for community-based learning. This thesis concludes with several policy recommendations which address some of the main challenges to the sustainable skills development in UK television. These recommendations subscribe to the need for introducing legitimate traineeships, entry rules and detaching learning from the commercial pressures in the sector.

Thesis (MBA)--University of Limpopo, 2010. / Skills development plays an important role in the growth of every country‟s economy, service delivery and technology improvement. It builds confidence and dignity in people, so it is crucial for every government to ensure that its people are well-skilled and developed. Hence the formation of Sector Education and Training Authority which ensures that employees are also trained in their workplace; this initiative is also meant to address imbalances of the past. Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority were established to ensure skills development within the local government sector. Local government (municipalities) is the third sphere of government which interacts very closely with the community and delivers basic services like water and sanitation, roads, electricity, refuse removal, housing and other essential services. For all these services to be provided efficiently and effectively the municipality needs competent and skilled employees, if they do not have the skilled employees they will have challenges in delivering these services. Proper training and development is continuously needed as technology changes and new developments are uncovered in the industry. It will be imperative for the municipalities to work in hand with Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority to ensure that training and development is delivered to the employees, and funding is allocated every year. Continuous research need to be conducted to ensure best practices of training and development are adhered to. The qualitative research method was followed for this research. A questionnaire was used to collect the data from participants and a follow-up interview was conducted with participants. During the follow-up interviews a number of supporting documents were received. Two people from each of the six municipalities took part in the research totaling twelve participants. It was discovered that Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority helps the municipalities with skills development issues, though there are gaps which still need to be closed. Municipalities are also making efforts to ensure that their employees are skilled. However, municipalities can still improve their skills analysis processes, implement performance management system for their employees and increase their training and development budget.

In South Africa, changes to the political landscape have highlighted the glaring differences in the previous government's policies in the provision of worker education and training for a highly skilled workforce throughout the different sectors. This situation invoked the need for changes to the skills development policies for improving the skills profile in the country. Through the introduction of the National Skills Development Strategy along with other supportive legislation and policies that serve as vehicles for redress and transformation of skills development and training in the workplace, workplace learning has become critical for attainment of national goals for a highly skilled workforce. Workplace learning discourse necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to understanding adult learning in the workplace. This study aims at establishing the perceptions held by employees from the eThekwini municipality on the use of the WSP as an instrument for promoting workplace learning. Comprehension of the usage of the WSP as a means of addressing the national skills development agenda is important in organisations concerned with the role played by their human resources for the success and sustainability of the organisations in the market as local and global players. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / This study investigates the extent to which skills development is implemented within the naval dockyard Simon's Town within the context of the NSDS and the various forms of legislation. In March 2001 the Department of Labour embarked on an initiative called the National Skills Development Strategy to address unemployment, and thus enhancing the economy. One of the areas that were identified to address the above concerns was the skills-development of its people.

This thesis discusses how the restructuring of the UK television industry in the 1980s and 1990s has affected learning and skills development in the sector. It is based on 71 semi-structured interviews with television freelancers and key informants in the industry, and a case study of a small regional independent company developed through semi-structured interviews and three months of participant observation. To investigate the current learning and skills development mechanisms, this thesis engages with community-based learning theories. These are discussed in relation to industry characteristics such as commissioning and independent production and labour market realities related to freelance work and educational provision. The findings reveal that the traditional on the job learning mechanisms within communities of practice are challenged under the new structural context characterised by unrestricted entry and progression and short-term projects within an uncertain employment context. Commercial pressures affect both the access to learning opportunities and the learning experience, mainly because of the lack of legitimate and gradual experiential learning possibilities, short-term involvement in the industry under pressures to perform. The thesis also discusses the realities of the work in a small regional independent production company as well as its benefits and limitations as a venue for community-based learning. This thesis concludes with several policy recommendations which address some of the main challenges to the sustainable skills development in UK television. These recommendations subscribe to the need for introducing legitimate traineeships, entry rules and detaching learning from the commercial pressures in the sector.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have been criticised by employers, government and graduates themselves, for not adequately developing required work skills. An example of practice that does develop student skills is a short industrial placement (SIP) where students are expected to solve a real problem in a company, in two weeks, working with one other student. This practice occurs in a one year Masters programme at Cambridge University Engineering Department. This work studies the SIP practice to understand why it is effective and determine lessons that could contribute to solving the wider skills problem. A five year research timeframe, coupled with an annually run programme, enabled a multi-stage study using an Engaged Scholarship methodology. The first-stage was an exploratory study that investigated the initial development of SIP skills, using simulated experiences, in a taught HE based module. Skills development was found to be a complex multi-component process. A theoretical skills development framework was constructed from literature and compared with practice. It was determined that five simulated SIP experiences provided the student with sufficient skills to undertake a SIP in practice and, the most significant problem was that SIP skills were not well defined. The second-stage focussed on defining skills. Skills were found to be context specific and defining skills required both the associated task and its context to be known. With tasks found to be both essential to defining skills and effective in describing what graduates do in practice, a SIP task framework was constructed which was tested on 80 different SIPs in one academic year. The resulting framework comprised twelve problem-solving process-stages, that in total contained 64 different tasks, and five generic task domains. These generic domains were investigated in the third-stage of this research. These were found to be more extensive and complex than anticipated resulting in a reconfiguration of the SIP framework, the generation of SIP specific domain descriptions and partial completion of task frameworks to describe each domain. This research has generated a plausible skills development theory for HEIs, and task frameworks to describe a SIP. Further work has been identified to refine the task frameworks and to continue work on the proposed skills development theory.