MODULE 1

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE RSA

TERMINOLOGY AND CONCEPTS

EDUCATION

- refers to formal class tuition to children and adults

- also refers to acquiring basic knowledge of facts – little/no application
- concentrates on literacy, numeracy and subject knowledge

TRAINING

- systematic and planned acquisition of specific, measurable work-related skills

- is undertaken to make employee competent for a position/productive
- is done when work standards are no maintained

SKILLS

- refer to the psychomotor activities of an individual

- co-ordination between the limbs and brain
- an activity which is taking place or being done

DEVELOPMENT

- refers to the continuous planning of an employee’s future

- aims to positively change the employee’s attitude
- takes place when employee learns new skills
- it focusses on only the individual, also on entire workforce and its needs
- it influences the employees attitude

ATTITUDE

- employee’s behaviour towards a certain person or situation

NQF – National Qualifications Framework

- Is a comprehensive system, approved by Min. of Higher Education and Training

- Classification, registration and publication of quality-assured national and part-time
qualifications
- Is managed by SAQA – (South African Qualifications Authority)
- Is a single integrated system –consists of three coordinated qualifications Sub-
Frameworks:
o General and further Education and Training
o Higher Education
o Trades and Occupations (TVET)
 OBJECTIVES OF THE NQF

• Creates an integrated national framework for learning qualifications

• Provides access to and progression within education, training and career paths –
progression from one qualification to another
• Improves the quality of education and training
• Fast-track the redress of past unfair discrimination in education, training and
employment opportunities

NQF LEVELS

General education and training NQF 1 Grade 9

ABET Level 4
Further education and training --------------------------------------------------------
NQF 2
NQF 3 National certificates
NQF 4

Higher education and training -----------------------------------------------------

NQF 5 National certificates, Diplomas
NQF 6 National Diplomas
NQF 7 Bachelor’s Degrees, B.Tech, Adv. Dip.
NQF 8 Honours Degrees, Post-Graduate Dip.
NQF 9 Master’s Degree
NQF 10 Doctorate

NQF Implications

• To acknowledge that all learning is done for a purpose

• To relate learning to competence
• To recognize that much learning takes place outside the classroom
• To learn from the learner’s point of view
• To make the process learner-centered
• To make our qualifications internationally acceptable
• To make communication, problem-solving, social interaction and learning-how-to-learn part
of the capabilities that learners must achieve

ADULT EDUCATION (AE)

• Is the umbrella term for all education of adults

• Includes formal teaching for persons beyond compulsory school age – not completed of
interrupted formal education
• Includes vocational education and training, human resources development, adult literacy
and basic education
ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE)

• Refers to formal instruction given to adults in basic numeracy, literacy and life skills
• Adults who have received less than Grade 5 qualification

AIMS:

To enable:

- individuals to develop to their full potential

- individuals to take part in society as a whole
- to develop communication skills in their mother tongue and English
- to shape and develop economic policies to build a democratic society and to enhance
job creation schemes

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION AND TRAINING (ABET)

• Refers to education and training schemes companies organize for their employees to
develop specific competencies – assist companies to reach desired outcomes/goals
• It includes:
- Further education – beyond secondary or tertiary level
- Functional skills training – programmes design to equip individuals with necessary
skills for immediate application
- Vocational education – for development of competence in an occupation
- Formal adult education – part of a systematic and planned instructional programme
- Human resource development (HRD) – programme where the economic value of a
nation’s human resource is strengthened by increasing their productivity as members of
the society

FORMAL SECTOR OF RSA ECONOMY

• Also known as the recorded sector – information known to authorities

• Follow regulations laid down by legislation

INFORMAL SECTOR

• Known as ‘unrecorded’ sector – not on authorities’ records

• Payment for services rendered or products sold are usually cash
• Operate illegally by not declaring their income

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INFORMAL SECTOR

• Individual can move around and be close to customers – not office bound
• Initial capital layout is low or sometimes no necessary
• Not labour intensive – operates business with help of friends/family
• Individual does not produce a great variety of goods/service
• Goods or services are usually not exported
• Does not follow regulation laid down by legislation
PUBLIC SECTOR

• Enterprises are managed and owned by government

• Aim is to provide services to the public – too expensive
• Is not profit-seeking – services provided are essential

CATEGORIES:

• Public corporations – government-owned businesses established and governed by laws

owned by public authorities, e.g. ISCOR
• Public authorities – include central, regional (provincial) and local municipalities
• Government enterprises which manufacture goods and render services to the public at
prices public can afford

PRIVATE SECTOR

• Operate on the basis of private initiative – owners of enterprises

• Owners determine profit margin, the objectives of enterprise
• Operate on free enterprise principles – they decide method how company is run – as long as
they adhere to the rules
• Enterprises belong to individuals/groups (partnerships)
• Government does not manage or own
• Examples: supermarkets, banks food outlets, etc.

LABOUR MARKET

• Situation where the demand for and supply of labour are expressed and there is an
exchange
• Individual supplying the labour will become the employee – those demanding the labour
become the employer
• Also refer to – group (pool) of available people who have the competences to do the tasks
required in a vacant position

FUNCTIONS OF LABOUR MARKETS

• To be efficient – maximum output and minimum income

• To be equitable – provide opportunity for all terms to access jobs, training, treatment at
work and payment
• To grow – the operation of the labour market should contribute to higher productivity and
income and improve future employment
• To be socially just – negative effects of labour on workers’ welfare should be addressed

LABOUR FORCE

• All individuals who want to work

• Includes individuals who are unemployed and those who have work at a given time

The labour force is influenced by:

• Those who want to work

• Those with the competencies to do required work
 • Those who are not too young or old to work
• Number of immigrants with the right competencies
• Number of citizens with the correct competencies leaving the country
• Individuals engaged in full-time study

SKILLED LABOUR

• Refers to the part of the labour force which possesses the skills to do the job they are
employed for
• Line of work that requires technical skills or specialised training
• Examples are electricians, plumbers, police officers, etc.

UNSKILLED LABOUR

• Refers to a segment of the workforce with limited skill or minimal economic value for the
work performed
• Generally characterized by a lower educational attainment
• Normally results in smaller wages
• Work requires no special training or experience
• Examples are farm workers, shelf packers, etc.

LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY

• Is the ratio of output to input

• It is a measure – either positive or negative
• Resources at the input stage should be combined in such a way to reach a specific needed
result

REASONS FOR DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY IN THE RSA

• Lack of cooperation between management and workers

• Workers are not made part of the “family”
• Extreme emphasis on individualisation and specialisation
• Too much attention paid to scientific management – procedures, processes, etc.
• Concentrating on the cost of enterprise alone
• Influx of people with little experience and skill into the workforce
• Legislation and governmental regulations
• Outdated methods of remuneration
• Population increase in South Africa
• Urbanisation of the rural people
• Violence which causes damage and production losses and interferes with the security and
well-being of the country

LABOUR INTENSIVE PRODUCTION

• The method of production in which more labour is used in relation to technology

CAPITAL INTENSIVE PRODUCTION

• More capital (money) is invested in production – wages and salaries

MANPOWER PROBLEMS IN SOUTH AFRICA

• High unemployment levels

- It causes a severe strain on the economy of the country

Low productivity

- An unproductive workforce prevents the enterprise to be profitable and competitive –

bad for country’s economy

Urbanisation

- Leads to additional social and economic problems resulting in poverty, crime and
disrupted family structures

Political influences

- Industrial action as a result of political processes often leads to low productivity and
violence

Mechanisation and technological development

- Technological development and increasing mechanization influence the enterprise

and workers in a great way

METHODS TO OVERCOME PROBLEMS AREAS IN THE LABOUR MARKET

• Development of a culture of learning and skills development should begin at primary school
level
• Forming of coordinating bodies to assist in the linking between formal and informal sectors
• Development of programs targeted at different categories of unemployed persons
• Encouragement and support for the development of plans for enterprises who are
restructuring – retrenched people can be employed by the state
• Development of an integrated approach to education and training to give school-leavers
more structured access to jobs
• Development of funding programmes by the state to provide incentives to employers to
support practical training
• Making equity employment policies part of all development programmes

TENDENCIES IN THE SA LABOUR MARKET

• Scare skills – scarcity of qualified and experienced people

• Critical skills – refer to specific skills within an occupation – two groups:
• Generic skills – include problem-solving and learning to learn: language, literacy and
mathematical skills and working in teams
• Particular occupational skills – which are required for performance within that occupation

TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

• Workforce structure in SA – described as a TRI-PARTITE relationship

• Three major stakeholders are involved:
 1. GOVERNMENT

• Responsible for providing framework within which parties can operate

• Creates and administers labour legislation
• Is therefore seen as the legislative body
• Department of Labour ensures that legislation is passed
• Also responsible for the labour policy of government

2. VARIOUS TRAINING BODIES

• Is an organisation which delivers learning programmes (practical and/or theoretical) in

specific NQF standards or qualifications and which manages the assessment of these
standards and qualifications
• Standards – the specified and prescribed level of competency which is required for a unit of
learning, skill or an experience
• Unit standard – description of the end points of learning. The smallest unit of knowledge,
skills and attitudes that can be credited to a learner
• Qualification – planned combination/sequence of national unit standards intended to
provide learners with applied competence and a basis of further learning

3. Employer and employee

• Form a partnership in their approach to the training relationship

• Employer in the form of management, maintain standards, are responsible for training and
development of employees
• Employees represented by trade unions, have rights and responsibilities within the working
environment – responsible for delivering outputs and to meet the objectives and goals of
the company

SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY (SAQA)

• Created by parliament to develop and implement policy and criteria for the creation,
registration and publication of qualifications
• Also responsible to register a qualification if it meets the criteria
• Develop criteria, policy and criteria for assessment and recognise prior learning

FUNCTIONS

• Advance the objectives of the NQF

• Oversee further development of the NQF
• Co-ordinate the sub-frameworks by ensuring development of qualifications are necessary for
various sectors

QUALITY ASSURANCE ORGANISATIONS

• Council of Higher Education (CHE) – to ensure quality control in the General Education and
Training and Higher Education sectors
• Quality Council for Trades and Occupation (QCTO) – to develop, implement and manage
the standards setting and quality assurance of qualifications in the Trades and Occupation
sector
 • Institute for National Development of Learnerships, Employment and Labour Assessment
(INDLELA) – situated in Olifantsfontein – responsible for trade tests and certification
• National Learners’ Records Database (NLRD) – not a quality control association, but assists
in keeping control

DEPARTMENT OF LABOUR (DoL)

OBJECTIVES:

• Ensures that the rights and interests of all employees are promoted within the economic and
human resources policies framework of government
• Analyses the human resource needs in SA
• Plan infrastructure to provide for human resource needs for training and development
• Improves the quality of available training and development