Since the inception of the National Skills Development Framework for Employees in Public Education in 2006, every organisation has its own WSP to offer skills development training to employees. This study aims to analyse the implementation challenges of the capacity building programme/s at head office of the Gauteng Department of Education. These programmes, including internships, workplace skills plan and short courses were explored from the circumstantial status at the national level (general) and will focus on the Gauteng Department of Education (specific context). In this context, the study sets out to explore the following specific problem exploring that there are challenges in the effective implementation of capacity-building programmes for job-related skills development of employees at Gauteng Department of Education at managerial levels. In the search for answers to the research problem, a hypothesis was formulated, and various primary and secondary sources were utilised. The findings from the literature review and empirical research undertaken in this study indicate that there are significant challenges to overcome in the effective implementation of capacity-building programmes. The study offers relevant recommendations to improve the challenges. / MA (Public Management and Administration), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2014

The aim of this mixed-methods research study is to investigate the effectiveness of a Municipal Skills Development Programme (MSDP) in the improvement of service delivery in a District Municipality (DM) in South Africa. A concurrent embedded mixed-methods strategy was used, as it uses one data collection phase during which both qualitative and quantitative data are simultaneously collected and treats both qualitative and quantitative research data gathered on an equal basis. Collected data were not integrated or triangulated but resided side-by-side as two different pictures of the effectiveness of the MSDP. From a total population of 80 managers in the DM and its five Local Municipalities (LMs) who had attended the MSDP, qualitative data was gathered by conducting individual interviews with a convenient sample of 10 managers (Sample 1). Quantitative data was gathered by means of a self-designed questionnaire from a convenient sample of 50 managers (Sample 2). The audio-recorded and transcribed qualitative data obtained from the 10 semi structured interviews were analysed by means of content analysis, while the scores obtained from the 50 survey questionnaires were used to calculate the frequency of responses and then represented by figures and tables. Qualitative findings indicated that the majority of participants (90% of 10 managers interviewed) are of the opinion that the implementation of the MSDP within the DM was successful and has led to improved service delivery. Quantitative results indicated that the total sample of 50 managers rated the MSDP as having improved service delivery in the DM. The overall mixed-methods assessment indicated that the MSDP is a successful way of improving the service delivery in a DM in South Africa and that the attendance of the MSDP by all managers is essential for improving the service delivery of local governments in South Africa. A limitation of the study was that the study was conducted in only one DM and may not represent the views of all local government employees in South Africa. Recommendations were that the relationship between the MSDP and other organisational variables such as productivity, efficiency and effectiveness should be studied, while all managers of the DM who have not yet attended the MSDP should be encouraged to do so. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The study examined the role of non-formal skills programmes at Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in assisting marginalized learners in their livelihoods. The high rate of unemployment and poverty in South Africa, and in Kwazulu-Natal in particular, highlights the need for non-formal programmes to be more responsive to the developmental needs of marginalized learners, and to the economy. There is a need to move away from programmes that are run in isolation, towards programmes that are more responsive, creative and holistic. A case-study of three different non-formal skills programmes from each of the FET colleges in the Durban area were used in the study. These included Coastal, Sivananda and Thekwini FETI's. The reason for choosing different programmes, was to get a broader picture of skills programmes offered at FET colleges. One of the programmes was a Welding one offered at the Swinton Road Campus of Coastal College. The second programme was the Organic Farming one offered at the Mpumalanga campus of Sivananda College, and the third programme was the Cooperatives one offered at the Asherville campus of Thekwini College. Interviews with learners comprised the primary data, while documents, observation and interviews with personnel comprised secondary data. The three different programmes provided an interesting contrast. While the Organic Farming programme and the Cooperatives were fairly new, the Welding programme had been in operation for some time. There were also differences in the design and implementation which impacted on the learners' ability to improve their livelihoods. Learners in the Organic Farming programmes for example, were technically unemployed. Yet they were producing organically grown vegetables to sustain themselves and their families. In contrast, learner in the welding programme were unable to find employment on completion of the programme. Using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach used by international Aid agencies in developing countries as a bench mark, the programmes were examined to establish whether they were assisting their learners in developing sustainable livelihoods. What emerged was that there was a strong correlation between the design and implementation of the programme and the learners' ability to transfer skills to improve their lives. Programmes that provided support to learners aside from the actual training content tended to be more successful than programmes that focused only on training. The more a programmes incorporated the principles of SLA (responsive and participatory; learner-centred; conducted in partnerships; linking micro and macro-level activities, holistic and sustainable), the more they were able to assist learners in developing their livelihoods. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin / The lack of skills and capacity has been cited as one of the key reasons for organisations failing to recruit staff, with 81% of companies in South Africa experiencing recruitment challenges. More specifically, the problem of low skills and capacity has had an impact on the ability of the state to meet its goals and objectives in a variety of public service areas. In fact, in 2006, a question time session in the National Assembly revealed the enormity of the problem. The President, while being questioned on the crisis arising from a lack of suitably qualified people in the Public Service, referred to a skills audit conducted in 2004. The audit, conducted across 284 municipalities, revealed the number one challenge in the context of service delivery as that of a lack of skills. In this context, the City of Cape Town has adopted an ambitious Human Resource Strategy. One of the Human Resource initiatives is the Skills Development Strategy .This broad strategy provides for the implementation of various interventions that facilitates the development, capacity and retention of local government officials in the City. This notwithstanding, it would seem that the City’s remedial action in terms of skills development and retention is not meeting the prescribed intentions of its HR strategy.The study was guided by the following assumptions:The skills development strategy of the City is aimed at appropriate training and development of local government officials that will facilitate career planning and retention of staff.The City’s broader HR strategies will create an enabling environment in achieving the strategic objectives of the various interventions aimed at skills development and retention.The skills development strategy will enhance employee motivation and loyalty towards the City and hence reduce employment turnover.Successful implementation of the City’s skills development strategy is dependent on effective and innovative human resources policies and interventions aimed at developing the talent pool of the City.The primary objective of the study was to critically examine the strategic aims of skills development strategy as adopted by the City of Cape Town in 2007.In this regard, secondary objectives include:critically examining the legislative and regulatory framework for skills training and development in South Africa, critically examining the policy and regulatory framework that informs the management and development of human resources in the City Of Cape Town,contextualising the need for more rigorous training and development interventions within the City of Cape Town,identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the various interventions put in place to facilitate the implementation of the skills development strategy of the City, and finally proposing recommendations to overcome the implementation challenges. The research relied on theoretical research methodology to collect data for the study. Primary and secondary sources of data were used. Secondary sources included books, journals, and government policies and documents. Primary sources included interviews and personal observations.

Syfte: Genom att svara på våra tre frågeställningar vill vi skapa en större förståelse för vad som driver medarbetare att vilja axla en chefsposition. Genom denna förståelse vill vi också kunna bidra till vetskapen om hur arbetsgivare på ett bättre och genomtänkt sätt kan möta dessa drivkrafter för att fånga upp kompetenta kandidater till vakanta chefspositioner och på ett hållbart och långsiktigt sätt säkerställa sin chefsförsörjning. Metodik: En fallstudie på Landstinget i Kalmar län har genomförts utifrån ett abduktivt angreppssätt. Genom en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi har data samlats in med hjälp av halvstrukturerade intervjuer. Slutsats: Studiens deltagare uppfattar att chefspositioner präglas av ensamhet, högt ställda krav samt möjligheter att påverka organisationen och sin egen arbetssituation. Vidare är drivkraften bakom viljan att bli chef att kunna påverka och skapa resultat för och tillsammans med medarbetare. Det är också en drivkraft att utvecklas personligen, från medarbetare till positionen som chef samt i rollen som chefspositionen medför. För medarbetare vars utveckling stagnerat i grundprofessionen utgör chefspositionen nästa steg för personlig utveckling, vilket kan väcka ett intresse och en drivkraft mot chefspositionen. I traineeprogrammet motsvaras individens förväntningar då mycket fokus ligger på självutveckling och utformning av ledarskap. Dock uppstår ett problem när chefspositionen sedan inte ger utrymme för chefer att få utlopp för sina drivkrafter. Chefspositioner har visat sig kräva mycket annat än just möjligheten att utöva ledarskap. Bland annat äts chefer upp av mängden administration, koordinering och möten och lite tid blir således över för ledarskap. / Purpose: By answering our three research questions, we want to create a better understanding of what motivates people to become managers and to undertake the responsibilities and expectations that comes with the position. Through this understanding we also want to contribute to the knowledge of how employers in a better and well-reasoned way can meet these motivation factors in order to capture qualified candidates for vacant management positions and in a sustainable and long-term way ensure its supply of managers. Methodology: A case study on the Kalmar County Council has been conducted with an abductive approach. Through a qualitative research method data has been collected using semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The study's participants perceive that managerial positions are characterized by loneliness, high requirements and opportunities to influence the organization and their own work situation. Further, the motivation factors behind the desire to become a manager are to be able to influence and create results for and with employees. Another motivating factor is personal development, in terms of advancing from employee to manager, as well as the ability to develop in the management position itself. For employees whose development has stagnated in their profession, the manager position can offer a possibility to further development, which can arouse an interest for management. The trainee program has been shown to correspond to the individual's expectations where focus lies within self-development and the configuration of leadership. However, a problem arises when in the next step the management positions does not allow managers to vent their motivations. Management positions have been shown to require more than just the ability to exercise leadership. For instance is the ability to exercise leadership inhibited by the amount of the administration, coordination and meetings which leaves little time for leadership.

The introduction of training and skills development legislation, such as the Skills Development Act No. 97 of 1998, and the Skills Development Levies Act No. 9 of 1999, has forced organisations to invest in the development of skills of its employees in South Africa. The National Skills Development Strategy, the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa and the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGISA) are other legislative measures introduced by the South African government to contribute to the importance of training and skills development in organisations. It is necessary for the public sector organisations to train and develop the skills of its personnel in order to improve organisational, team and individual performance. Training and skills development should also assist in forming the basis for lifelong learning and to increase productivity and quality of work. A comprehensive human resource training and development strategy should be linked to the business strategy and the human resource management strategy in organisations. The primary objective of this study was to analyse the views of employees and to determine their level of awareness regarding training and skills development and how these can improve performance in the Free State Province municipalities. To reach this primary objective, a number of secondary objectives were considered as relevant. These included exploring the concepts of training, skills development and performance management. An analysis of statutory and regulatory guidelines pertaining to training and skills development and the assessment of structures, procedures and processes that exist in municipalities for the promotion of training and skills development were also highlighted. The effects of adequate training and skills development on performance in the Free State Province municipalities were analysed. Lastly, guidelines and recommendations regarding training, skills development and performance management were developed for municipalities in the Free State Province. The research was conducted in the Free State Province municipalities. It comprised of a literature study and an empirical survey using questionnaires and interviews to obtain information from managers, supervisors and frontline staff in the Free State Province municipalities. The respondents were tested on their views regarding the impact of training and skills development programmes in improving performance in their workplace. The findings of this research demonstrated that training and skills development enhances performance of personnel in specific functional areas in the Free State Province municipalities, and for this to be more effective on performance in municipalities, it should be provided adequately in specific areas of the Local Government Five Year Strategic Agenda, particularly to the Free State Province municipalities. Some of the most important findings of this research are the following: •that most of the managers and frontline staff in Free State Province municipalities received adequate training and skills development programmes; •that most of the trainings and skills development programmes received by managers in the Free State Province municipalities were related to their job tasks; •that managers and frontline staff in Free State Province municipalities felt motivated to do their job tasks after they were provided with training and skills development programmes; •that managers in Free State Province municipalities still find it difficult to ensure public participation by their communities even after training and skills development programmes were provided to them; and •that adequate training and skills development of personnel improves performance in many functional areas in municipalities in Free State Province. The study ends with recommendations for management actions on training needs, and for further research on this topic. / PhD (Public Management and Governance), North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

The Department of Correctional Services (Johannesburg Management Area) is established in the South of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province. It was founded in 1982. According to the Annual Report of the Department of Correctional Services 2009, the institution was initially developed to house 2630 offenders. Presently it accommodates 10130 offenders. These offenders are dependent on the number of facilities and officials for rehabilitation purpose. The discrepancy in the number of officials to that of offenders is a challenge within the Department of Correctional Services with regard to skills development. The study was based on the hypothesis that “effective implementation of skills development within Johannesburg Management Area may lead to a successful social reintegration of offenders”. The empirical research was conducted to support the hypothesis. Questionnaire was distributed and interviews were conducted to obtain responses. the findings reveal that offenders who are skilled are easy to be reintegrated and at the same time skilled officials are able to play a vital role in facilitating the social reintegration of offenders Study further reveals that skilled officials are able to network on behalf of offenders with ease and are able to increase job opportunities for offenders who are already on social reintegration programme. The study recommends that the Johannesburg Management area need to restructure its human resource development office, ensure that experienced and qualified facilitators are employed. Each correctional centre should have qualified facilitators who are experienced in adult education to skill offenders in various areas of development. The study leaves a scope for future research stating that Department of Correctional Services do further analysis on skills development and Social reintegration of offenders nationally to find a common and standard approach that will assist in the full reintegration of offenders / M, Development and Management, North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

Organisations are continually confronting challenges to remain competitive and successful, which compels organisations to regularly re-evaluate their strategies, structures, policies, operations, processes and culture. Managing change effectively is however a main challenge in the change management domain because of massive human involvement. Thus, managers and change agents are eager to know how to encourage and effectively prepare employees for change situation. The aim of this doctoral study was to examine the determinant of employee readiness for organisational change. The objectives were to investigate employee commitment to the organisation and career and social relationships factors in public sector higher educational institutions of Pakistan where various change reforms has been introduced recently. This empirical study proceeded by a systematic review of literature that led to development of a conceptual model. The data was collected from a sample of teaching employees by using a survey questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics and exploratory factor analysis run on statistical package for social sciences and confirmatory factor analysis on the structural equation modelling as well as on applied analysis of moment structure to assess the model fit of the study and hypotheses testing. Results showed that independent variables (emotional attachment, feeling of pride, pay/wages/rewards, promotion, job satisfaction, job involvement and social relationships in the workplace) were positively and significantly correlated to the dependent variable (readiness for organisational change). However, two variables i.e. supervisor and peer relations, and training and skills development were not found positive and significant to the readiness for organisational change. This study has methodological limitations, as it is a cross sectional study that used a survey questionnaire only in public sector higher education sector. This study provides empirical evidence for employee readiness predictor variables for organisational change. This study may contribute to the literature on change management, particularly for Pakistan, and may assist the management, change agents and practitioners of human resources management and development, and organisational behaviour in assessing, designing and evaluating new or existing programmes for organisational change.

M.Ed. / South Africa has in the last 16 years experienced rapid changes in various spheres including the political, social and economic spheres. Changes in education and training provisions were considered to be fundamental to the process of socio-economic transformation. As a result, in 1994 the newly elected democratic government was mandated to develop a comprehensive education and training system that is responsive to the needs of the country and its citizens. The National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) was then introduced as a vital strategy for addressing the endemic poverty, dire national skills shortage, chronic unemployment rate, and shockingly poor education levels. Learnerships were conceptualized as the flagship of skills development initiatives and an important vehicle for addressing the above stated social ills. The literature review revealed the learnership as a uniquely South African corporate training programme grounded on internationally acclaimed principles of work-based learning. Learnerships were hyped as specialized skills development programmes aimed at assisting new entrants into employment, providing access to new forms of income generation, thus improving the quality of life of the poor. The aim of this study was to investigate learners’ views regarding the role and success of learnerships organized by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality. It also seeks to determine whether the learners’ views and expectations are compatible with the concept of learnerships. An inductive-qualitative approach was followed. Purposive sampling method was used in order to select twelve learners whose information was rich in content. Data was collected using one-on-one semi-structured interviews with learners enrolled for different learnership programmes.Categorical analysis was employed; by organizing data into workable units, while looking for codes, categories and themes. The study revealed that learners were generally satisfied with the learnership programme, as they indicated that the training met and even exceeded their expectations. However, judging from the literature review and data analysis it was clear that during the conceptualization of learnerships, learners’ views were never sought. Learners seem to have accepted the pre-packed competency based training as a norm. They uncritically expect the employer-determined curriculum to somehow cater for their personal needs and aspirations

Bakgrund: Yrket röntgensjuksköterska är under ständig utveckling i Sverige gällande kompetensutveckling. Internationellt sett finns det många vägar att gå för röntgensjuksköterskor. Man kan till exempel vidareutbilda sig beskrivande radiograf. Utbildningarna har uteslutande gett positiva resultat. På grund av förändringar bland patienter måste vården utvecklas, detta gäller även röntgenverksamheten. I Sverige har man, trots den internationella utvecklingen, ännu inte fullt ut sett behovet. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att ta reda på vilket behov samt vilka förutsättningar till kompetensutveckling det finns på olika sjukhus för röntgensjuksköterskor. Metod: Studien är en kvalitativ intervjustudie med semi-strukturerade frågor. Ett strategiskt urval gjordes med inklusions- och exklusionskriterier. De kvalitativa intervjuerna utfördes per telefon eller i direkta möten och samtalen spelades in för att sedan analyseras med kvalitativ manifest innehållsanalys. Resultat: Det har varit omväxlande svar från deltagarna. De deltagande har varierande haft stora och små behov av kompetensutveckling för sina röntgensjuksköterskor. Bristen på personal är påtaglig. Alla deltagare uttryckte att de hade möjligheter och förutsättningar för att deras röntgensjuksköterskor skulle få kompetensutveckling även om utbudet varierade. Resultatet visar att kompetensutveckling behövs inom alla områden. Trots detta uttrycker inte alla sjukhus att kompetensutveckling är viktigt för deras verksamhet. Slutsats: Kompetensutveckling för röntgensjuksköterskor är ett stort ämne. Det finns mer att ta reda på och det finns många utvecklingsmöjligheter. Det finns ett behov att kompetensutveckla anställda röntgensjuksköterskor för att få en förbättring i sin profession, vilket leder till utveckling både individuellt som röntgensjuksköterska och tillsammans som röntgenavdelning. / Background: Profession as radiographer is constantly developing in Sweden valid skills development. There are many different ways in order to improve the profession internationally. One can, for example, take advanced practicing to become a reporting radiographer. The advanced practicing has exclusively showed positive results. Nowadays the patients are changing in conditions rapidly that the healthcare industry needs to adapt itself. Even the international development for radiographers seems bright, the need is yet fully realized in Sweden. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out which needs and possibilities are available for Swedish radiographers to improve and develop their own professional skills. Method: A qualitative interview study with semi-structured questions. The participants were selected by inclusions and exclusions. The interviews were conducted by telephone or physical meetings and the interviews were recorded and analyzed using qualitative content analysis manifest. Results: The responses from the participants have been varied. Lack of radiographers is palpable. All participants expressed that they had opportunities and possibilities for their radiographers to receive an advanced practicing in skills development even though the supply varied. The result shows that skills development is needed in all areas. Despite this, all hospitals do not express that skill development is important for their radiology department. Conclusion: Advanced skills development for radiographers is an interesting topic. There are more to figure out valid skill development. There is a need to develop radiographers in order to improve individually and together as X-ray department.