Masters in Public Administration - MPA / The public health sector over the years had been under constant criticism for the lack of or substandard service delivery. The post1994 democratic era was accompanied by slogans such as ‘a better life for all ’. These slogans in part stem from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The Constitution, chapter two, in its discussion on the Bill of Rights states that everyone has the right to quality health care services. The critics argue that the fundamental r right enshrined with in the Constitution in as far as it pertains to healthcare has been violated. The state introduced various interventions, such as human resource capacity development t programs, to turn the dismal state of public health care around. This research focused on the impact and the relevance of the human resource development within the public health sector. The following research question had been formulated to guide the research; is skills development within the state undertaken for compliance sake or is it a focused interventionist approach aimed at improving the skills set of staff to perform effectively and efficiently? The research was qualitative in nature and the case methodology was used. In this regard Tygerberg hospital was used as the case study. A number of findings emanated from the data collection process, amongst other, that the skills development is not workplace specific but rather undertaken for compliance sake. Furthermore, that no individual staff development plans exist. The end result is that the skills development intervention aimed at improving the staff capacity and the state of health service generally is not making any meaningful impact. The major recommendation is that a health audit must be done, which must inform the development of the hospital staff skills development plan. This in turn must be used to develop individual staff f development plans. This alignment of development plans from provincial level to hospitals and then to the individual will result in a more focussed skills intervention and ultimately an improved public health sector.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / Continuing Professional Teacher Development (CPTD) of teachers at working class schools in South Africa has come under scrutiny over the past few years. Despite new education policies which incorporated the dire need for CPTD, the achievement of learners at working class schools remains poor. This investigation was prompted by the cause of this discrepancy. This study investigates the participation of teachers in Continuous Professional Development initiatives at working class schools in the Western Cape. The primary research question for this research paper is: “Why are teachers at working class schools not participating in CPTD initiatives as expected?” A qualitative approach within the interpretive paradigm was adopted throughout this study. The interpretive approach allowed the researcher to gain a more social world interpretation of the respondents as it provided insight in CPTD practices at working class schools. The process of data gathering was inductive as information emerges from interviews and questionnaires. Open-ended questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data. The study comprised 15 respondents and included teachers at two schools and three officials from the Department of Education. The demographics of the two schools were similar which made it possible to ask the same questions for all respondents. The study highlighted the lack of participation of teachers in CPTD due to human, material and financial constraints. Urgent consideration needs to be given to eradicating these barriers for continuous professional development of teachers. Providers of CPTD should ensure that the needs of teachers are met and training should be embarked upon on a continuous basis. In addition, priority should be given to teachers employed at schools in working class areas.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka mellanchefers upplevelse av en utbildningsinsats, inom ramen för e-learning. Denna kvalitativa studie genomfördes med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer av åtta respondenter i en offentlig verksamhet. Den fenomenologiska metoden fungerade som inspiration till dataanalysen där Giorgis´ analysmetod användes i syfte att skapa struktur. Datainsamlingsmaterialet resulterade i två gemensamma nämnare, dialog och tid och tematiseringen som låg till grund för intervjufrågorna var relation, behov, stöd och hinder. Studien visade att mellancheferna överlag upplevde utbildningsinsatsen med e-learning, som hjälp i lärandeprocessen. Men kombinationen med dialog lyftes som betydelsefull och tidsfaktorn som viktig i sammanhanget. Olikheterna i deras upplevelse förklarades med utgångspunkt i individuella skillnader, som ligger till grund för deras skilda behov av stöd och upplevelse av hinder. Sammanfattningsvis konstaterades att blandande läroformer, där e-learning utgjorde en av utbildningsdelarna, upplevdes av mellancheferna som positivt för lärandeprocessen. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the middle management’s perception of an implementation of a training actions, within the framework of E-Learning. This qualitative study was conducted in a public-sector organization with semi-structured interviews of eight respondents. The phenomenological method served as an inspiration to the data analysis, using Giorgi's analysis method for the purpose of creating structure. The data collection material resulted in two common denominators, dialogue and time, and the themes that formed the basis for the interview questions were relation, needs, support and obstacles. The study showed that the most of middle managers perception of E-Learning was that the education initiative helped them in their work. But some also highlighted the combination of dialogue as important to the learning process, and some emphasized the time factor as important in the context. The differences in their perceptions were explained on the basis of individual differences, which underlie their different needs for support and experience of obstacles. In summary, it was found that varied learning forms, where E-Learning constituted one of the parts, executives as positive for the learning process.

The value consumers attach to their clothing creates a high demand and frequent consumption of fast fashion. This results in the increase of post-consumer textile waste that ends up on landfills, which has a negative impact on the environment. This raises the critical issue of disposal methods and necessary education to create awareness and equip users to contribute to a circular economy that aims to extend the lifecycle of each garment. This study aims to design for the facilitation of a circular economy driven by post-consumer textile waste that encourages sustainable consumption. The short lifecycles of commercial interior due to the influence of societal taste results in the frequent alteration of these interiors, increasing building waste which has a negative environmental impact. This study explores how the lifecycle of an interior environment can be extended through the design principles derived from the design informants identified through the investigation of the theoretical framework, site, precedents, users and programme, and proposed brand. The result is the design of sustainable interior environments that encourages sustainable consumption. The design for multi-use programme allows for users to learn and contribute on various platforms to empower the local community and close the loop for fast fashion to generate a new fashion culture at 012 Central. Through the alteration of the identified interior environments the design intervention aims to reinvigorate the underutilised buildings at 012 Central to support a circular economy driven by post-consumer textile waste. The design intervention aims to provide an informative spatial experience that encourages interaction with space and object, empowering users to contribute to a circular economy driven by post-consumer textile waste. The technical resolution of the proposed design intervention is concerned with the design of sustainable interior environments and components that considers their environmental impact through a closed-loop design approach. / Mini Dissertation (MInt (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Architecture / MInt (Prof) / Unrestricted

Bakgrund: Arbetsflödet på en barnakutmottagning kan ändras inom loppet av några minuter. Barnsjuksköterskan ska kunna identifiera livshotande tillstånd i mötet med det akut sjuka barnet för att snabbt kunna vidta åtgärder. Ett framgångsrikt omhändertagande av ett barnakutfall kräver ett systematiskt och kompetent teamarbete som tränas genom tvärprofessionella simuleringsövningar. Syftet var att undersöka barnsjuksköterskors erfarenhet av kompetensutveckling genom tvärprofessionell simuleringsövning inom barnakutsjukvård. Metod: En intervjustudie genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativ ansats. Datainsamlingen utgick från semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta barnsjuksköterskor på fem barnakutmottagningar i södra Sverige. En kvalitativ innehållsanalys användes i analysprocessen. Resultat: Resultatet presenteras utifrån analysens framkomna fyra kategorier: Vikten av återkommande simuleringsövningar, Förbättrad teamsamverkan, Tydligare rollfördelning och Effektivare kommunikation i teamet. Samt ett övergripande tema: Ökad patientsäkerhet och förbättrad samverkan genom återkommande simuleringsövningar. Slutsats: Ökad patientsäkerhet och förbättrad samverkan uppnås genom årligen återkommande tvärprofessionella simuleringsövningar. / Background: The workload at a pediatric emergency department can change within a few minutes. The pediatric nurse must be able to identify lite-threatening conditions in the meeting with the acutely ill child in order to be able to take action quickly. Successful care of a child outcome requires a systematic and competent teamwork based on interprofessional simulation-based training. The aim of this study was to investigate pediatric nurses´ experiences of competence development through interprofessional simulation-based training in pediatric emergency care. Method: An interview study was conducted based on a qualitative content analysis. The data collection was based on semi structured interviews with eight pediatric nurses at five pediatric clinics in southern Sweden. A qualitative content analysis was used in the analysis process. Results: The result is divided into four categories based on the analysis: The importance of continuous simulation-based training, Improved team collaboration, Clearer role distribution and more efficient communication in the team. Interprofessional simulation-based training results in increased patient-safe care. And an overall theme: Increased patient safety and improved collaboration through recurring simulation-based training. Conclusion: Increased patient safety and improved collaboration are achieved through annual interprofessional simulation-based training.

Masters in Public Administration - MPA / Emerging contractors play a significant role in the employment and skills development landscape as they are the employers of unskilled and semi-skilled labour in the construction industry (Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works (DTPW): Contractor Development Policy, 2016; Rass, 2019). In 2004, the National Cabinet approved the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) to encourage job creation imperatives through the provisioning of skills and business enhancement initiatives for the targeted Historically Disadvantaged Individuals (HDIs), specifically the unskilled and semi-skilled labour force of the South African construction industry (Makiva, 2015; DTPW, 2021; DTPW: Contractor Development Programme (CDP) Policy, 2016; Rass, 2019). In response to this call, in 2012 the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works (WC DTPW) designed and implemented the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) with parallel aims.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / In South Africa, shelters that accommodate survivors of domestic violence also adopted the Skills Development Programme with the intention of empowering survivors to be financially self-reliant. In shelters the Skills Development Programme is rendered for a period of six months depending on the stay of the survivors. Despite the provision of the Programme, which has been identified as intervention strategies towards poverty alleviation, it is evident that the level of skills training provided does not conform to the identified skills shortage in the economy. Sometimes it is due to limited time which the training had provided.The programme is not sustainable, and as a result, there is a high beneficiary turnover. Furthermore, resources of training beneficiaries to be independent are limited. Monitoring and evaluation is also poor. This programme is acknowledged to be expensive. The graduation from this programme does not mean success for the survivors. Instead, it results in the participants going back to poverty status and be dependent on government resources to make a living post-institutionalisation. This study titled “An evaluation of the effectiveness of Skills Development Programmes in the shelters accommodating survivors of domestic violence in Gauteng Province, Tshwane Region” evaluated the effectiveness of the said programme. It has adopted a qualitative approach which was evaluative in nature, guided by the Stages of Change Model (Trans-theoretical Model) underpinned by Theory of Reasoned Action. The participants consisted of three (3) different sets. They were survivors (individuals) of domestic violence from the shelters, shelter managers and a focus group made out of those individual survivors. Five (5) survivors of domestic violence and five (5) shelter managers were interviewed on a face to face basis. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data. This was followed by a focus group discussion. Multiple sources provided verification and trustworthiness while complementing similar data. As a result, more comprehensive data was obtained. During the data analysis process, different themes emerged. These were presented in the form of a report. It was evident that the Skills Development Programme presented in the shelters is not effective to help survivors of domestic violence to be financially self-reliant. However, there is a potential in the programme if it can be well resourced. / The National and Provincial Department of Social Development

Background Youth with intellectual disabilities usually experience poorer post-school outcomes than youth with any other disabilities and youth in the general population (McConkey, Dowling, Hassan & Menke, 2013). Youth with intellectual disabilities are often marginalized and discriminated against regarding skills development and work opportunities as society seems to place high value on an individual's intellect (International Labour Organisation, 2015). However, international experience shows that youth with intellectual disabilities can become valuable employees with adequate training (Scheef, 2016). Participation in sports has shown to have a positive correlation with quality of life, satisfaction with life, community reintegration, and mood as well as employment opportunities for persons with disabilities (Diaz, Miller, Krauz & Fredericson, 2019). Hence it became useful to explore skills development and vocational training opportunities in sports that could facilitate youth with intellectual disabilities to access work skills training and work opportunities in urban Zimbabwe. Aim The overall aim of the study was to explore how participation in activities related to sports organisations and events enables youth with intellectual disabilities to access livelihood opportunities to become economically active. Objectives The objectives of the study were: 1. To identify any possible skills development and vocational training opportunities for youth with intellectual disabilities in sports events and organisations in Zimbabwe. 2. To describe the personal factors of youth with intellectual disabilities that enable them to access skills development and vocational training. 3. To identify environmental factors that enable youth with intellectual disabilities to access self-employment, supported employment or formal employment. 4. To determine the role of family, caregivers, and guardians in shaping the livelihood options of youth with intellectual disabilities. 5. To determine the role of skills trainers in developing the pre-vocational skills and vocational training in general for youth with intellectual disabilities. 6. To determine the role of sports coaches and managers in shaping the life skills' development of youth with intellectual disabilities who partake in sports. Methodology The research was a qualitative study in the form of critical ethnography. Critical ethnography speaks on behalf of minority groups such as the point of view of youth with intellectual disabilities' by stating what is and how it can be changed (Duff, Rogers, and Ross, 2016). The design was a collective study as more than one study site was used. The research took place at two adult vocational training centres for youth with intellectual disabilities and at three sports events. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling. Six youths with intellectual disabilities, five parents, caregivers, or guardians of youth with intellectual disabilities, two sports managers or organisers, two sports coaches and two skills trainers of youths with intellectual disabilities participated in the study to make a total sample size of seventeen. Participation observations, semi-structured interviewing and reflective journaling were used as data collection methods. Findings Untapped work opportunities were identified for youth with intellectual disabilities who participated in sports; however, they remained as lost opportunities as they were not being fully utilized. The youths had potential enablers for employability, but they were not being given access to work opportunities. The youths were invisible to potential employers owing to the remote location of their vocational training centres. Female youths were being prejudiced regarding livelihoods' development owing to the remote nature of the training centres, which made it unsafe for them to travel there. There were limited resources for the livelihoods' development of the youth due to economic hardships the country was facing. The government's support for livelihoods' development of the youth was inadequate. Families, peers, and the community were segregating youth with intellectual disabilities, which had the effect of disempowering them and their parents regarding the youths' livelihoods' development. The parents had shared feelings of fear and anxiety over what would become of their youth once they finished school or if their parents died. There was a lack a collective action amongst the parents regarding the youths' livelihoods' development. The parents' support regarding their children's livelihoods' development was inadequate and their knowledge on how to enhance their youths' livelihoods development was insufficient. The parents were also not getting sufficient support from society to empower their youth. The youths with intellectual disabilities were often left out of economic activities at sports events and in the greater community. The sports coaches and skills trainers were not actively planning or advocating for the youths to participate in economic activities at sports events. Conclusion This study explored the livelihoods' developments that were possible for youths with intellectual disabilities through their participation in sports. It was necessary to find effective ways to develop youths with intellectual disabilities' opportunities to become economically active as engagement in work activities is a basic human right. This study established that the parents of the youths needed to take the initiative regarding the livelihoods' development of their children. The youths and their parents needed to take collective action and find their political voice to advocate for skills training and work opportunities to the training centres, the community, and potential employers as well as the government. The parents needed to take their negative perceptions, which were acting as indirect blocks and which were disempowering them, as motivators to enact positive change for their children's livelihoods' development. It was necessary for parents, skills trainers, and sports coaches to market the youths to potential employers. At the training centres, the administration, skills trainers, and sports coaches need to consider a curriculum change to include a work attachment for the youth in inclusive employment. Sports coaches and skills trainers need to teach life skills intentionally that are transferrable in work situations and provide the youth with opportunities to practice the skills learnt in work settings. The sports coaches and skills trainers needed further training on how to use sports participation as a medium to enhance the youths' livelihoods' development. Sports managers needed to incorporate youth with intellectual disabilities and their training schools in economic activities in sports organisations and at sports events. Female youths with intellectual disabilities needed to be encouraged to attend the vocational training centres by providing for their interests and providing them with safe transportation to attend the vocational training centres.

Traditional horse 4-H programs develop life skills and knowledge in youth. Horseless horse programs lack evaluation for the same benefits. This study evaluated and compared four horseless and seven traditional horse participants from Washington County 4-H in Utah for gains in horse knowledge and development of 10 life skills that are commonly found in 4-H curriculum today: leadership, teamwork, self-responsibility, personal safety, problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, goal setting, communication, and concern for others. The researcher conducted interviews to learn about life skill experiences of the horse program participants and discover what barriers prevented horseless youth from participating in traditional 4-H horse clubs. Participants also took a short knowledge quiz and a demographic survey. Money was identified as the most common reason horseless participants don’t have access to a horse and cannot participate in the traditional 4-H horse program. When compared, traditional horse youth showed greater life skill development and knowledge gain than horseless participants. Recommendations for future research into horseless programming included using other forms of research to evaluate the program further and identifying life skills for a statewide horseless curriculum.

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / The advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution brought on an onslaught of technology rippling through a multitude of industries. Smart Cities, Smart Communities, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Computing are but a few buzzwords of this digital age. It is argued in Information Systems that many of the challenges faced by communities can be addressed in part through the innovative use of technology. As Higher Education (HE) communities move from traditional campus communities to smart campus communities, the application and implementation of technological advancements and digital skills are needed to facilitate the transition. The disruption caused by COVID-19 virus has had a significant effect on the tertiary educational sector. This research is particularly important and relevant in a post-pandemic phase in which HE finds itself. Especially, establishing a technological and digitally equipped HE community to safeguard itself from possible future threats that impede daily operations within HE campus communities.