Human Resource
Development Toolkit
for Biodiversity
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
The Organisational and Human Resource Development Network was convened between
2010 and 2012 as part of the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy (2010 to
2030) implemented through the GreenMatter skills development for biodiversity partner­
ship, led by the South African National Biodiversity Initiative and the Lewis Foundation. At
the launch of the Biodiversity Human Capital Development Strategy in December 2009,
a group of Human Resource Management Practitioners recommended the establishment
of an Organisation and Human Resource Development Network to address key issues of
organisational design and human resource management and development associated
with attracting, enabling access to, growth and retention of key professionals for bio­
diversity and the environment.
This network initiative, commonly referred to as the HRD Network, was launched at an
inception workshop in May 2010, through the participation of 21 human resource man­
agement practitioners from nine organisations in deliberations around the key challenges
in organisation and human resource development. The aim of this initiative is to creat­e a
supportive space for communities of practice in organisational and human resource de­
velopment to meet, engage with good practice and develop key workplace-based actions
through which to address the challenges. Funded by the Lewis Foundation and the De­
partment of Environmental Affairs, eight workshops were convened between May 2010
and October 2012 around key organisation and human resource management challenges.
Deliberations and interactions through these workshops have culminated in the develop­
ment of a set of six modules, with contributions from all participants collated into the
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity.
This toolkit is aimed at supporting skills planning and development in organisations to
enable growth and development of individuals as well as the organisations for which they
work, ultimately aimed at strengthening the environment sector to deliver on its mandate
of environmental protection for the benefit of all and the sustainable development of our
country.
Human Resource
Development Toolkit
for Biodiversity
Module 1 Working Well with SETAs
Module 2 Improved Workplace Skills Planning
Module 3 The Organising Framework for Occupations
Module 4 Relevant and Quality Training
Module 5 Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African
Workplace
Module 6 Managing Performance for Growth and Development
Module
Working Well with
SETAs
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Contents
Introduction
2
All the players and what they do
3
Choosing your SETA
5
Choosing a parking bay
7
Prioritising environmental skills across SETAs
8
Shop around
9
Registering as an employer
10
Registration as a new employer
10
Inter-SETA transfers
11
Accreditation as a training provider
12
Stories from the accreditation trenches…
13
Engaging with SETAs
15
Skills planning with your SETA
16
Funding for skills development and training
18
The National Skills Fund
18
The SETA mandatory grant
18
The SETA discretionary grant
18
Introduction
SETAs are mandated through the Skills Development Act of 1998 to oversee and manage skills development in South Africa. They do this through a range of processes such
as Sector Skills Planning, informed by Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) submitted by employer organisations. SETAs work with various institutions and structures, including, for
example, Institutes of Occupational Excellence, Communities of Expert Practice and the
Quality Council for Trade and Occupations. Skills planning is done through collaboration
between employer organisations that make up a particular economic sector represented
by the SETA and a range of education, training and development partners, such as the
National Skills Authority, the South African Qualifications Authority and the South African Revenue Services, among others.
Even though skills development falls within the mandate of the SETA representing the
sector, it isn’t the sole responsibility of that SETA. It requires input from employer organisations through workplace skills planning and participation in skills development
structures to effectively address the skills needs of a sector.
This module has been written to support those involved in skills planning and development to demystify the many acronyms used, clarify roles and responsibilities and
encourage more active and effective engagement with SETAs for improved skills planning and development in our environment and biodiversity sectors.
2
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
All the players and what they do
In 2009, with the restructuring of key government departments, the responsibility for
national skills development shifted from the Department of Labour (DoL) to the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). Various associated structures, such as
SETAs, ETQAs and the QCTO, shifted to the administration of DHET. In addition, DHET
has to work in close collaboration with other institutions, such as SAQA and SARS, which
also have a role to play in skills planning and development. Who is who and what do they
do?
Sector Education and Training Authorities
SETAs are the institutions mandated by the Skills Development Act of 1998 to oversee,
quality assure and finance the provisioning of skills for all economic sectors in the country. Economic sectors in South Africa are organised around 21 SETAs that assess skills
needs in particular economic sectors and ensure quality skills development responses.
SETAs also manage the skills development funds on behalf of an economic sector.
SETAs report to the Deputy Director-General for Skills Development in the DHET following the ministerial restructuring in 2009.
Department of Higher Education and Training
The DHET is the ministry mandated with skills planning and development. It focuses on
post-school provisioning of quality education and skills training. The scope of its mandate spans artisanal, vocational, academic and professional training.
Skills development is one of five branches in DHET, together with corporate services, human resource development, universities and vocational education and training. The skills
development branch manages skills planning and development through the 21 SETAs in
association with SAQA and its quality assurance bodies, such as the QCTO which will take
over from the former ETQAs.
Department of Labour
With the review of SETAs in 2008/2009, the mandate for national skills development
shifted from the DoL to the DHET.
South African Qualifications Authority
SAQA is mandated through the South African Qualifications Act of 1998 to oversee the
implementation of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). It has the status of a
legal entity independent of the government ministries involved in skills planning and development. SAQA is responsible for guiding the planning, development and registration
of qualifications. Its role is also to quality assure learning and register the accumulation
and transfer of learning credits.
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
3
Quality assurance is in the process of shifting from ETQAs registered with SAQA to the
single quality assurance body for post schooling skills training and development, of the
QCTO.
National Skills Authority
The NSA was established in terms of the Skills Development Act. Reporting to the Minister of DHET, it advises on skills development policies, strategies, regulations and levies;
liaises with the SETAs on skills development policies, strategies and regulations; and
advises on the collection, allocation and disbursement of the National Skills Fund.
Education and Training Quality Assurers
ETQAs are the legal entities registered with SAQA to quality assure the development
of qualifications, provisioning and assessment of skills training. ETQAs are registered
with each of the SETAs, and their functions involve accrediting providers, monitoring the
provision of training, evaluating assessment and registering assessors. With the 2008
constitution of three quality councils in SAQA, the quality assurance function of ETQAs
will shift to the QCTO.
Quality Council for Trade and Occupations
The QCTO is a single quality assurance council to oversee, manage and co-ordinate the
development and provisioning of qualifications for trades and occupations. It replaces
and takes over the quality assurance function from the 23 ETQAs, including designing
and developing relevant qualifications, managing and quality assuring the provisioning
of training, and assessing learning. The QCTO falls under the administration of DHET and
is required to work closely with SAQA as the mandated institution for the development
and implementation of the NQF.
South African Revenue Services
SARS is the ‘big brother’ that has a hand in it all, collecting and allocating skills levies to
the different SETAs. SARS also plays a role in employer allocations to SETAs, although it
does not have the last word on where an employer organisation registers. It does, however, hold the details of employer organisations’ registration with SETAs to enable the
flow of skills funding from levy payment to the respective SETA.
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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Choosing your SETA
Do you get to choose your SETA or does the SETA choose you? It’s a bit (or maybe a lot)
more of the latter as your ‘choice’ is defined by your core business, the Standard Industry
Classification (SIC) codes and how this links to the demarcation of the different SETAs.
Skills planning and development is organised around 21 SETAs (formerly 27). The demarcation of SETAs is organised around the SIC codes, which are an organising framework
for broad groupings of economic activity. The SIC codes are an international standard
used for industry classification and define 10 major industry groupings. These, together
with criteria defined in the Skills Development Act (1998) – such as industry size, nature
of economic activities, capacity to generate revenue, training needs and career pathing
potential – have guided the demarcation of SETAs.
The 21 SETAs include:
¢
Agriculture (AgriSETA)
¢
Banking (BankSETA)
¢
Chemical industries (CHIETA)
¢
Construction (CETA)
¢
Culture, arts, tourism, hospitality and sports (CATHSSETA)
¢
Education, training and development (ETDPSETA)
¢
Energy and water (E&WSETA)
¢
Financial and accounting services (FASSET)
¢
Fibre, processing and manufacturing (FP&M SETA)
¢
Food and beverages manufacturing (FoodBev)
¢
Health and welfare (HWSETA)
¢
Insurance (INSETA)
¢
Local Government (LGSETA)
¢
Mining (MQA)
¢
Manufacturing, engineering and related services (MERSETA)
¢
Media, information and communications technology (MICTS)
¢
Safety and security (SASSETA)
¢
Public services (PSETA)
¢
Services (Services SETA)
¢
Transport (TETA)
¢
Wholesale and retail (W&RSETA)
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
5
A detour through the history of SETAs…
The Skills Development Act of 1998 made provision for the establishment of SETAs
as the mandated agencies for skills planning and development. Under the executive
authority of the Ministry of Labour, 27 SETAs were established and operationalised
in and around 2001.
A review of the effectiveness and efficiencies of SETAs in 2008/2009, under the
new executive authority of the Minister of Higher Education and Training, identified
many key challenges related to the governance and functioning of SETAs. One of the
DHET’s key responses to these challenges was to reduce the number of SETAs from
27 to 21 and to reorganise the economic sectors within them, guided primarily by the
SIC codes and the capacity of the represented economic sectors to generate revenue
for skills development.
In October 2010, Minister Blade Nzimande announced the revised SETA landscape
which in summary included:
¢
12 SETA mandates remaining the same and renewed
¢
the merging of two SETAs into one – CTFL and FIETA into FP&M SETA
¢
the shifting of mandates between eight SETAs, including the shifting of water
from LGSETA to ESETA to become E&W SETA
¢
the disappearance of one SETA and the reallocation of its sectors across two
others.
In addition, Minister Nzimande made a commitment in an address to the SETA Forum
in December 2010 to address key issues of governance, skills planning and skills
development funding and to establish key partnerships with SETAs to improve skills
development in South Africa.
One of the key challenges for employer organisations is that qualifications and unit
standards relevant to employee job profiles are often registered with another SETA, different to the one with which they are registered. Some employer organisations are then
unable to access training and/or funding for this training.
Similarly, some accredited training providers are registered with one SETA but the training needs they respond to are linked to qualifications registered with a different SETA.
6
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
For example…
SANBI was registered with Theta, as CATHSSETA was formerly known. Some of the
horticulture training needs are linked to qualifications with the AgriSETA. Theta,
which focused quite strongly on tourism and hospitality, had few qualifications that
responded to the conservation training needs of most employer organisations in this
sector.
The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa is registered with the ETDP
SETA as an accredited provider. They offer qualifications for municipal officials linked
to qualifications registered with LGSETA.
How do we manage the need for this multiple SETA engagement? The word from the
pros is: choose a parking bay – then shop around!
Choosing a parking bay
Registration can only be done with one SETA. This is determined by the core business of
your organisation – for example tourism, conservation, environmental management, water resource management – and its link to the SIC codes and ultimately the demarcation
of the SETAs. On registration to pay the skills levy to SARS, employer organisations are
allocated a SETA. An employer organisation can appeal against an initial SETA allocation
if a strong argument can
be made for registration
with an alternative SETA,
based on its core business
CATHSSETA
and links to the SIC codes
and SETA demarcation.
E&WSETA
ETDP
See below for more on the
SETA
process of registration and
MERSETA
inter-SETA transfers (ISTs).
TETA
Organisations in the HRD
Network are mainly registered with Agri­SETA,
CATHSSETA, E&WSETA and
LGSETA. A smaller number
are registered with MERSETA, MICTS, PSETA and
TETA.
AgriSETA
LGSETA
MICTS
PSETA
ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
7
Prioritising environmental skills across SETAs
In 2009, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) developed an Environmental
Sector Skills Plan (ESSP). Described as the first of its kind, the ESSP involved a comprehensive assessment of the nature and scope of environmental skills requirements in
South Africa.
Thomas Mathiba, Director of Sector Education, Training and Development in the DEA,
describes the development of the ESSP as a premonition. Shortly after its development
in April 2010, the Ministry of DHET announced a proposal for a revised and more efficient SETA system to support the third generation National Skills Development Strategy
(NSDS III). Organised constituencies and members of the public were invited to submit
comments to the NSA on the proposed NSDS III and the revised SETA landscape.
Drawing on the ESSP, a National Environmental Skills Planning Forum – under the auspices of the DEA Sector Education and Training Directorate, in partnership with associate
government departments and civil society – made a submission to the NSA arguing for
greater attention to and inclusion of the cross-sectoral environmental driver in national
skills planning. This submission was facilitated through DEA to DHET. The outcome was
a footnote in the draft NSDS III that required all SETAs to integrate the environmental
driver into their respective Sector Skills Plans (SSPs) and DEA was requested to engage
with the different SETAs to ensure its inclusion.
DEA convened a meeting with skills planning professionals in the sector to review and
suggest the inclusion of key environmental skills in all SSPs. In a general meeting DEA committed to providing ongoing support to SETAs to address environmental skills planning.
This signified a breakthrough for the environment in national skills planning and development. Sadly, however, the final NSDS III, though retaining reference to the ESSP, is silent
on sustainable development and the footnote on integrating the environmental driver
into skills planning has disappeared. All is not lost, however, as some traction has been
achieved with some of the SETAs, including Services SETA, MQA , CHIETA, and TETA committing to paying more attention to environmental skills planning over the next five years.
Thomas Mathiba, Director: Sector Education, Training and
Development in the DEA, sees an advantage in HRD Network participant
organisations being spread across a number of SETAs. Thomas argues against shifting
all environmental organisations into one or more SETAs so that the sector has a
greater spread of representation across multiple SETAs.
8
What if our training needs
…stay where you
are not prioritised by the
are and try to make
SETA of registration?
environment a priority.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Shop around
Some organisations, like the Plastics Federation, WESSA and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife have
done just that. They have registered with what
we refer to as a primary SETA, like ETDP SETA in
the case of the first two and CATHSSETA in the
latter. Through ongoing interactions they have
developed relationships with secondary SETAs
and Memoranda of Agreements have allowed
them to work across the SETAs to ensure skills
provisioning in key areas.
SETA shopping list:
¢
CATHSSETA
¢
AgriSETA
¢
PSETA
¢
LGSETA
¢
¢
¢
You have probably already parked in a specific
parking bay with your primary SETA. This might
be CATHSSETA, MICTS, AgriSETA, PSETA or one of the others. The Sustainability Institute
has parked in the ETDP SETA parking bay and is currently considering AgriSETA as an item
on its shopping list. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife has parked with CATHSSETA and shopped
with SASSETA to secure a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two. The
Department of Water Affairs (DWA) is parked with E&WSETA and facilitated a MoU with
LGSETA. Plastics Federation has parked with ETDP SETA and must work closely with MERSETA to address the skills needs of the plastics industry, which is their client base. What
does your organisation’s SETA shopping list look like? Some colleagues see this as a very
scary shopping mall; others have advice on how to handle the sellers and their wares.
Mumsie Gumede, former CEO of WESSA, advises: ‘It took three months of working with both ETDP
SETA and LGSETA, and not relying on either one of the two to drive the process, before the MoU that meets
WESSA’s training needs as the accredited provider of learning programmes registered with LGSETA.’
Mbali Ngcobo, former Human Resource Development Manager for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife,
supporting the former CEO of WESSA, reiterates: ‘If you are registered with one SETA you have to liaise directly
with the ETQA in the other.’
Nwabisa Ntantiso, former Training and Development Manager for Eastern Cape Parks and
Tourism Agency, says that, in this shopping maze, ‘the WSP goes only to the primary SETA with which you are
registered. Ongoing and considered engagement is what achieves work across the SETAs through MoUs.’
Prudence Ramsery, of the Sustainability Institute, reminds us that working with SETAs is very
different depending on whether you are an employer organisation or a training provider.
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
9
Registering as an employer
As defined by the Skills Development Levies Act (SDLA), it is the responsibility of the
employe­r to apply to the Commissioner of SARS to be registered for payment of the
skills levy. The employer has the right to indicate the preferred SETA of registration,
based on its core business and the demarcation of the SETAs according to the SIC codes.
The allocation of the SETA of registration is binding on the employer, unless the Commissioner directs otherwise or the employer motivates for an Inter-SETA transfer (IST).
Initial registration and ISTs are guided by the Standard Operating Procedures: Guidelines
on the Classification of Employers with SETAs and the Inter-SETA Transfer of Employers and
Skills Levies (Standard Operating Procedures [SOPs] – DoL, May 2007). These guidelines
have been developed to ensure uniformity in processes of registration, skills levies collection and disbursements.
Registration as a new employer
10
Step 1
The application to register with a SETA is submitted to SARS through the same
process of registering for Employees Tax and the Unemployment Insurance Fund.
Employers use the SARS guidelines on (i) core business of the organisation; (ii) SIC
codes; and (iii) SETA demarcation.
Step 2
The Commissioner of SARS, in consultation with DHET, verifies the registration
application with reference to the SDLA (section 5) and the SETA demarcation in
terms of the SIC codes.
Step 3
The Commissioner registers the employer organisation with the appropriate SETA
in relation to the SIC codes and the organisation’s core business.
Step 4
The Commissioner records the employer organisation’s registration on the SDL Employers Database, which is used to manage the collection and disbursement of
the skills levy.
Step 5
The Commissioner informs the employer organisation of registration through a
SARS form, the Employees Tax: Notice of Registration.
Step 6
Skills levy allocations are made according to listings on the SDL Employers
Database.
Step 7
The SETA verifies registration of the new employer organisation on the SDL Employers Database for correct SETA allocation, using the employer’s core
business as per business registration and SIC codes. If the SETA has grounds for the
classification being incorrect, it submits an appeal to DHET for reclassification.
Step 8
The SETA acknowledges the classification in writing and informs the employer of
the chamber, chamber code and grant system to which it has been allocated. If
the employer has any grounds for considering the allocation to be incorrect, it can
submit an appeal to the Director General: DHET.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Inter-SETA transfers
Step 1
SETAs receive applications for ISTs between April and June of each year. Employers
register the interest to transfer from the SETA of current registration.
Step 2
The SETA verifies the application and ensures that the employer organisation’s
core business is in line with the SIC codes and the SETA demarcation to which it is
requesting transfer.
Step 3
If the application for registration is approved by the SETA, it is forwarded to the
DHET with a recommendation for transfer. If not, the employer organisation is
entitled to a written explanation of why the application has not been approved.
The employer organisation has the right to appeal against the SETA decision to the
DHET using prescribed appeal forms.
Step 4
DHET verifies the application and recommendation relative to the organisation’s
core business, the SIC codes and the SETA demarcation, and forwards the
application with recommendation to the Commissioner of SARS.
Step 5
The Commissioner will approve the application and reclassification only if satisfied
that the skills levy is paid up to date. Once approved, the transfer is recorded on
the SDL Employers Database.
Step 6
DHET is responsible for communicating the transfer to both SETAs. The new
SETA acknowledges the transfer and communicates its codes and systems to the
employer organisation. The new SETA liaises with the previous SETA regarding
employee information.
SANBI was provisionally registered with CATH­SSETA (formerly Theta), given its
tourism focus linked to conservation. Taking this directive from SARS, it cemented
registration with CATHSSETA. However, learning programme provision in CATHSSETA does not respond to some of SANBI’s skills needs, for example horticulture
and professional scientists. SANBI is currently considering re-registration with the
AgriSETA, which is more likely to meet the skills needs of the organisation to deliver
on its core mandate.
Inter-SETA transfers have implications for
the transfer of skills levies from the previous
SETA to the new SETA. This is done through
engagement between the two SETAs according to the SOPs on inter-SETA transfer
of skills levies. Theoretically, ISTs sound
quite straightforward. However, considering the many role players involved and the
challenges of skills development, it might
be best to heed the advice of colleagues:
Choose a parking bay, stay where you are and
prioritise the environment.
Engage primary and secondary SETAs to make the
skills training happen for your organisation and
the environment.
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
11
Accreditation as a training
provider
The Skills Development Act (SDA) of 1998 requires ETQAs in each SETA ‘to accredit constituent providers for specific standards and qualifications registered on the NQF’ for
quality assurance of training provision. SETAs define a three-phase process of accrediting providers. There may be only three phases, but many colleagues have described the
process of applying for accreditation as a two-year ordeal of blood, sweat and tears. Not
in vain though, as accreditation is eventually achieved and these experiences might help
others navigate the system faster and easier.
The ETQA regulations 1127 define the criteria against which training providers are accredited. These include:
¢
¢
¢
registration as a service provider;
providing evidence of sound financial and organisational structure to deliver the proposed learning programmes; and
providing evidence of the development and implementation of rigorous quality management systems.
Providers submit an expression of intent to the SETA to
register as a training provider. This expression of intent
is submitted on the relevant forms and focuses on the
Phase A
Expression of
Intent
business registration status of the entity, the organisational
structure, financial viability, available resources and
the intended scope of provision. The SETA assesses the
organisational and financial feasibility of the provider to
offer the proposed scope of training.
With SETA approval, the provider submits a formal
application for accreditation. This is accompanied by
a portfolio of evidence to support the application. All
SETAs provide guidelines for compiling these portfolios of
evidence, which include evidence of:
¢
Phase B
programme design, development, assessment and
Application for
Accreditation
organisational structure (and management of quality,
moderation, staff and administration);
¢
financial, administrative and physical resources, including
staff; and
¢
details of programme design, development and
assessment.
SETAs encourage providers to undertake a self-evaluation
through the development of a portfolio of evidence. This is
followed by a desktop evaluation by the SETA.
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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
The SETA verifies Phase B with an on-site evaluation
with the provider. SETA then accredits the provider for a
Phase C
On-site
Evaluation
minimum of two years, according to CATHSSETA guidelines.
ETDP SETA accredits providers for three years to coincide
with the review period of qualifications. The provider then
has to reregister as a provider.
Stories from the accreditation trenches…
Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT) first applied for registration in September 2009, and
after three evaluations and resubmissions of the portfolio of evidence, was accredited
as a provider with CATHSSETA in January 2011. Adam Pires, who managed this process
of accreditation for EWT, says that Phase B of the process was a big one and describes it
as the equivalent of developing a company
training portfolio of evidence. The biggest
challenge, he says, was the programme
evaluation, which includes the course conAdam says that, ‘Our application only included
tent, materials, assessment, alignment to
one unit standard … purposely done to simplify
unit standards, etc.
an already complicated process … we had the
training materials and assessments on hand so it
made things slightly easier.’
The Wildlife and Environment Society of
South Africa (WESSA) submitted its intention to become accredited and received a
self-evaluation pack to guide the development of the application. As a requirement
for accreditation they had to develop a
quality management system which JonaLike EWT, Jonathan says, ‘We were only
accredited
to offer the ETDP level 5 qualification
than Wigley – a trainer with the organisation
… we are currently expanding our scope.’
– describes as the most challenging part
of the process. They developed a fairly
rigorous system that was integrated with
everyday operations. At the same time they
had to develop the qualification for which they were seeking accreditation. This included
a needs analysis, developing the curriculum framework, the course materials, learner
manuals and assessment guides. They submitted the application and were accredited
the first time round, which Jonathan says is rare.
Prudence Ramsery of the Sustainability Institute, with reference to their
accreditation journey advises the following in response to the challenge of lengthy
processes and high staff turnover: ‘Keep a paper trail as a reference in case people
move on and new people pick up the process midway.’
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
13
Getting to know your SETA
Colleagues in the know advise that rather than waiting for the SETA to engage with you,
be proactive and get to know the SETA – initiate the engagement.
Nwabisa Ntantiso, formerly Training and Development Manager for
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, scouts the CATHSSETA website
about every two weeks for people to engage with and upcoming events and projects
with which they can get involved.
Relationships
Developing and maintaining relationships seems to be key to effective engagement with
the SETAs.
WESSA gives two examples of success based on developing strong relationships with
the SETAs:
Mumsie Gumede, former CEO, says that three months is all it took to cement
a MoU between ETDP SETA and LGSETA to enable the offering of skills training in the
local municipalities.
Jonathan Wigley, from the SustainEd Unit at WESSA, shares that
accreditation was approved on first submission of the application, which is very rare
in the SETA landscape.
Some examples of building and maintaining these relationships include:
¢
inviting the ETDP SETA Qualifications Development Manager to a strategic
planning session to review and revise the ETDP level 5 qualification; and
¢
ongoing engagements with LGSETA to appoint WESSA as an Institute for Sector
and Occupational Excellence.
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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Engaging with SETAs
A priority identified at the second Network meeting was the need for increased representation of the environment sector in the key structures of SETAs. SETAs must be made up
of organised labour, employers and government departments. In some cases interested
professional bodies may be represented, if approved by the minister. Key structures for
representation in planning, management and governance of skills planning in the sector
include:
¢
¢
The SETA Board, which is appointed and approved by the Minister of DHET. The Board’s
overall function is policy and strategy development and general oversight and governance. Individual SETA constitutions make provision for the scope of representation
on the Board. Constitutions of SETAs similarly make provision for the establishment of
Standing Committees of the Board as required.
SETAs make provision for the establishment of chambers for various subsectors. The
scope and the composition of these chambers are defined in the SETA’s constitution.
These structures provide opportunity for engagement in the policy and strategy development, skills planning and development, and strategic oversight of skills training in the
sector.
CATHSSETA’s constitution
… makes provision for the composition of its Board as follows:
¢
nine members from organised labour
¢
nine members representing employer organisations – these must be members of
organisations registered with CATHSSETA
¢
one member each from the ministries of Sports and Recreation and Environmental Affairs – recommended by the ministers of these departments
¢
if deemed necessary, the minister will appoint a member of a professional body or
bargaining council linked to the sector
¢
two additional members based on expertise relative to the sector.
Board members are appointed for a five-year term of office up to a maximum of two
terms.
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
15
Standing Committees of the Board of CATHSSETA
¢
The Executive Committee
¢
The Audit Committee
¢
The ETQA Committee
¢
The Operations Committee
¢
The Remuneration Committee
¢
The Tender Committee
The composition and the scope of representation of these committees are guided
by Annexure B to the constitution. The CEO of CATHSSETA sits on each of these
committees.
The Conservation Chamber
… is provided for by the constitution as one of six chambers representing subsectors.
These are made up of eight members in equal representative proportions for organised labour and employers.
One Board member sits on these Chamber Committees.
Members serve on the Chamber Committees for a term of two years.
Each chamber can co-opt two additional members based on expertise in the sector.
These members have no voting rights on the Chamber Committee and they serve a
term of one year up to a maximum of two years.
In February 2011, a process of nominations secured the participation of representatives
on both the CATHSSETA Board and the Conservation Chamber.
Skills planning with your SETA
Skills development is informed and guided by the third NSDS as an overarching national
framework. Sector Skills Plans are developed by drawing on the goals of the NSDS III and
contextualised by the WSPs developed by organisations.
16
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
The NSDS proposes broad strategic goals to direct sector skills training for a period of five years. It similarly
proposes a framework for disbursement of skills levies.
In its third generation – April 2011 to March 2016 – the
NSDS draws on key lessons learnt from the NSDS I
and II.
NSDS III
SECTOR SKILLS PLANS
SSPs for an economic sector are the responsibility of
the SETA. This is the point at which a contribution is
made to the broader goals of the NSDS. The SSPs of
individual SETAs guide skills planning for their
respective sectors, the prioritisation of skills needs
and the allocation of SETA grants for training. The SSP
draws on the broad goals defined in the NSDS III.
Specific skills needs contextualised for each economic
sector are informed upward from the WSPs.
WSPs are developed by and within individual organisations. These define the specific skills needs and training
requirements in an organisation. These WSPs inform the
development of SSPs, the prioritisation of skills training
and the allocation of grants for skills training. WSPs play
a critical role in ensuring that the right skills training is
planned and budgeted for.
Workplace
Skills Plans
THE EPICENTRE
FOR SKILLS
DEVELOPMENT
… if it is not
in the WSP, it
won’t be in
the SSP – and
it will most
likely not be
funded
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
17
Funding for skills development
and training
The payment and disbursement of skills levies is governed by the SDA. Employers pay 1%
of the total payroll bill in skills levies to SARS. This is disbursed as:
¢
60% that can be claimed back from the SETA under the mandatory grant for skills
training (15% on submission of a training plan and 45% on submission of a training
report)
¢
10% for SETA administration
¢
10% for SETA strategic interventions under the discretionary grant
¢
20% is contributed to the National Skills Fund.
Government agencies are exempt from paying levies but are expected to set aside 1% of
the total payroll for training. In most cases though, training and development budgets
receive the lowest priority in organisations and when budget cuts are necessary these
are the budgets that go first.
The National Skills Fund
The Fund is made up of 20% from skills levies paid. It is seen as a catalytic grant for
addressing strategic priorities in skills training, described in the NSDS as ‘training the
unemployed, non-levy paying cooperatives, NGOs and community structures and vulnerable groups.’ It is similarly available for addressing key projects that inform skills
development broadly but that fall outside the scope of SETAs, for example researching
workplace-based learning, monitoring and evaluation.
The SETA mandatory grant
This grant is available to fund training that has been planned in WSPs, SSPs and/or training plans and reported in the Annual Training Report. Only levy paying employers can
apply for this grant to respond to training needs. These need not be critical or scarce
skills, but must be contained in one of the above-mentioned plans and reported to the
SETA.
The SETA discretionary grant
This funds strategic priorities of the SETA, for example Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET), community based training and training for vulnerable groups. Spending on
the discretionary grant, as the name suggests, is at the discretion of and requires approval from the SETA Board.
18
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Few of the HRD Network member organisations have been able to claim against these
grants to meet training priorities. Those that have had success have claimed against the
discretionary grant for special projects.
Nwabisa Ntantiso, formerly Training and Development Manager
for Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency (ECPTA), applied for
participation in an ABET programme that was advertised on the CATHSSETA website.
The programme was funded as a special project from the discretionary grant fund.
ECPTA received R2.6 million for ABET training for staff. Since a training provider had
been appointed by CATHSSETA, ECPTA had little voice or control over the quality and
ultimate roll out of the programme.
Dennis Mtsweni, in Water Services: Sector Development in the
DWA, describes a proposal submitted to the LGSETA to explore ways of improving
skills in the water and waste water treatment works. Through a MoU between
LGSETA and DWA, a discretionary grant of R40 million was approved for training in
Gauteng. DWA was subsequently requested to submit proposals for further roll out
of the training into other provinces. These proposals were approved and training was
scheduled for start-up in February 2011.
To claim against the mandatory grant, training must be planned and described in the
WSP and/or Training Plan and reported in the Annual Training Report submitted to the
SETA of registration.
If you are a training provider supporting one of the strategic priorities of the SETA of
registration, you could apply for funding from the discretionary grant.
Funding for skills training is generally known to be poorly used. Working with SETAs to
better articulate and plan skills needs is a responsibility we have accepted through our
commitment to improving our WSPs. Further guidance around workplace skills planning
is provided in Module 2.
MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs
19
Module
Improved Workplace
Skills Planning
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Contents
Workplace skills plans
2
Challenges in workplace skills planning
3
Preparing the workplace for learning
4
Registering a Skills Development Facilitator (SDF)
4
Setting up a training committee
6
Making the case for workplace skills planning
8
More on the ‘S’ in WSPs, SSPs, NSDS III and ESSP
9
Ensuring adequate resources for workplace skills planning
14
Workplace skills planning
16
Step 1 — Gathering information
17
Step 2 — Skills auditing
18
Step 3 — Compiling and submitting the WSP
25
Step 4 — Implementing skills development interventions
27
Step 5 — Reporting on skills development
29
Workplace skills plans
Workplace skills plans (WSPs) document the skills needs in an organisation and describe
the range of skills development interventions that an organisation will use to address
these needs.
A WSP is developed annually – for the period 1 April to 31 March – by a registered skills
development facilitator (SDF) and is submitted to the SETA with which the organisation
is registered. The WSP facilitates access to the SETA’s mandatory grant for skills training.
Organisations are required to report on WSPs in an Annual Training Report (ATR) that
shows how they have addressed the priority skills defined in the WSP.
An equally important purpose of the WSP is to provide sector information to the SETA
on employee profiles, skills needs and skills development interventions. This information
supports the development of the SETA’s sector skills plan (SSP). The SSPs then contribute
to the national skills development agenda defined in the National Skills Development
Strategy, now in its third generation. Though developed at an organisational level to address in-house skills development needs, the WSP has an important purpose in informing
skills needs at sector and national levels.
In response to a need identified by human resource development practitioners in the
environment and conservation sectors, this module has been written to support organisations in strengthening the processes through which they develop WSPs, with the ultimate aim being to support skills development at sector and national levels.
The module starts with an overview of some of the challenges that organisations and
professionals experience in the process of developing WSPs. This section looks at the
various aspects in human resource management and development that need to be addressed to ensure accurate and well-informed WSPs.
It explores a range of considerations in preparing an organisation for workplace skills
planning and deals with some key processes to strengthen such planning. Some of the
considerations and processes dealt with include registering a SDF, setting up a training
committee, engaging stakeholders in identifying and addressing skills needs, skills audits
and, ultimately, preparing and submitting the WSP.
2
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Challenges in workplace skills
planning
Many human resource management and development professionals agree that various
challenges are experienced during workplace skills planning. Some of these occur at an organisational level and others at the sector skills planning level in the SETAs. These professionals also agree that, since the WSP feeds into the SSP, the skills planning issues could
potentially be addressed at a sector and SETA level if we start at the organisational level.
Reflect on the following list to identify and unblock the constraints to workplace skills
planning in your own organisation. These are some, although probably not all, of the
challenges at an organisational level. They are perhaps easier to address through change
in internal systems, orientations and engagements. This module makes some suggestions for workplace skills planning to help you overcome and address these challenges.
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Poor information management from which data
are extrapolated for skills planning, for example
employee qualifications, experience profile, etc.
and WSPs of former years are seldom used as
baseline data to build up this information system.
¢
¢
Poorly defined job descriptions which are seldom
aligned to organisational strategy and strategic
priorities.
Skills needs often focus on immediate need, with
little consideration for change, organisational development and future anticipated skills needs.
Skills development and training is sometimes not
viewed as a strategic priority and at times lacks executive and broader management buy-in and support.
The significance value and importance of skills
planning and development is sometimes not fully
understood in organisations, which results in skills
planning and development processes not enjoying
full line management and employee support, representivity and engagement.
Many WSPs reflect generic workplace-based skills
needs, like computer training, financial management and report writing, among others, and critical and scarce skills related to key technical and
functional areas in the organisation are seldom
identified and addressed.
¢
¢
¢
¢
Workplace skills planning is seldom aligned to
the performance management and other human
resources management systems, procedures and
practices.
Workplace skills planning is often approached
from a compliance perspective and very frequently outsourced to consultants and not institutionalised in the organisation to strengthen this level
of in-house capacity.
Training and skills development is more often than
not ‘menu-driven’ and priorities are identified relative to course offerings marketed by training providers.
Few organisations have skills planning and development quality management systems, which
might result in poorer quality approaches to defining and addressing skills needs.
Few organisations’ skills needs are defined in relation to the Organising Framework for Occupations
(OFO) used by the SETAs, which then results in a
misalignment of skills needs defined at an organisational level and translated at a sector level.
SETAs seem to overemphasise the administration
of completing the WSP and ATR, with much focus
on quantifying training and less space for reflecting on issues of quality.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
3
Preparing the workplace for
learning
Colleagues who have developed a number of annual WSPs advise us to prepare the internal environment well for skills planning and development. This preparation involves
setting up the necessary structures, identifying and ensuring the appropriate capacity
to lead the process of workplace skills planning, securing support and participation from
the executive committee, line management and the broader staff complement, and securing the necessary financial and human resources to facilitate the timeous development and submission of the WSP.
Registering a Skills Development Facilitator (SDF)
All SETAs require organisations to nominate and register an SDF to act as the link
between the organisation and the SETA
of registration around matters relating
to skills planning and development. Most
SETAs have an online system for registration. The SDF could be an employee of
the organisation or an external consultant
who represents more than one employer
organisation.
Trish Persad from South African Weather
Services (SAWS), who has extensive experience
in working with SETAs, advises registering an SDF as
soon as possible and using the SETA training systems
to ensure the development of capacity for the SDF to
lead skills development in your organisation.
The SDF is responsible for providing strategic guidance, support and management to the organisation in developing and implementing a skills planning and development strategy. Key responsibilities of the SDF include:
¢
¢
Facilitating the process of identifying key organi-
¢
implementation of skills development interven-
mandate;
tions to meet the immediate skills needs as defined in the WSP;
Undertaking a skills audit in relation to the identified needs to pinpoint immediate, medium-term
¢
and long term;
¢
to the SETA through the ATR;
Defining a range of skills development strategies
to address skills needs in the immediate, medium
Developing an annual WSP, ensuring its endorsement in the organisation and submitting it time-
Monitoring and evaluating skills development in
the organisation relative to needs and reporting
and long-term skills gaps in the organisation;
¢
Overseeing, supporting and quality assuring the
sational skills needs to meet the organisation’s
¢
Liaising with the SETA around access to the discretionary grant and facilitating the development and
submission of appropriate proposals to access this
grant.
ously to the SETA of registration;
4
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
From this description of responsibilities, it is evident that the SDF needs to be someone
with knowledge, background and experience in skills development and training. It would
also be useful for the person to have extensive knowledge of the skills development
policies and systems in South Africa. The Education, Training and Development Practices
(ETDP) SETA offers training for individuals to become accredited SDFs. The SETA uses
six unit standards for identifying competence as an accredited SDF. These six standards
provide a useful framework around which to profile the job definition of the SDF in your
organisation and to identify the appropriate person to fulfil these responsibilities. They
also provide a framework for developing the capacity of the SDF to meet the skills planning and development needs of the organisation.
Unit Standard
Registration
Number
114924
The SAQA website
Title of Unit Standard
www.saqa.co.za
has more details on
Demons trate an understanding of outcomes-based education in the
National Qualifications Framework
the unit standards
offered by the ETDP
SETA.
15217
Develop an organisational training and development plan
15218
Conduct an analysis to determine the outcome of skills development
interventions
15227
Undertake skills development administration
15228
Advise on the establishment and implementation of a quality
management system and skills development practices
15232
Co-ordinate planned skills development interventions
Alma Johnson, Deputy Director: Human Resource Development for Mpumalanga
Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, outlines the following additional responsibilities
of the SDF in her organisation:
¢
Facilitate the career development of employees in
¢
the organisation;
¢
developmental performance management system;
Identify, evaluate and advise employees
¢
and employer on external and internal skills
¢
Set up and manage the skills development
Manage the uptake of learnerships, skills
development programmes and other skills
committee;
¢
Facilitate processes of recognition of prior learning
and enable formalisation of qualifications;
development strategies;
¢
Support the development and implementation of a
development interventions
Align human resource policy to skills development;
initiated through the SETA.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
5
The personal and professional attributes that Alma suggests for the SDF include:
¢
Organisational authority
¢
Strong organisational skills
¢
Strong leadership skills ¢
Maturity
¢
Self-motivation
¢
A strong interest in people
¢
Credibility
¢
Problem-solving skills
¢
Assertiveness
¢
Ability to be supportive
¢
Flexibility
¢
Strong communications skills
development.
Setting up a training committee
The Skills Development Act requires skills planning and development to be representative and take place through extensive stakeholder consultation across the organisation.
The training committee, sometimes called Skills Planning Committee (SPC) or Workplace Training Committee (WTC), is responsible for facilitating this representivity and
consultatio­n.
The training committee must represent both employer and employee interests. All
SETA­s suggest the inclusion of employee representative bodies on this training committee, as well as a representative for non-unionised employees. CATHSSETA, for example,
requires a training committee of at least five members, with two representing management, two representing employees and the SDF as the fifth person.
For efficient
functioning of
representative
bodies, the training
committee often
doubles up as the
Employment
Equity
Committee.
The role of the training committee is to collectively and representatively determine
training priorities and needs and agree on interventions to address them. Organisations
that employ 50 or more are obliged under the Skills Development Act to establish a
training committee. They are also obliged to ensure that this committee meets regularly
and that elected members have the necessary capacity to represent the stakeholder
group in skills planning. The training committee is also required to keep detailed minutes of all meetings, as well as attendance registers for these meetings. The SETA could
call for these documents in skills planning and development monitoring and auditing
processes.
Desiree English, formerly the
Senior Manager for Human Resource
Development and Utili­zation at Cape
Nature, tells us it is important to ensure
representivity across management levels, including
executive and senior management levels, to ensure
the credibility of the training committee.
6
Because the nature, size and structure of organisations differ, it is difficult to define generic guidelines for constituting the training
committee. However, a key guideline is to
ensure representation at all levels of management and staff. For example, if you have
a five-tier hierarchy in your organisation,
it would be ideal to have a representative
from each level on the training committee.
It is also useful to couple this representation
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
across all key directorates and/or departments in the organisation. Ultimately, the guiding principle is to give voice to all levels and functions of job profiles in the organisation.
Rene Du Toit, SANBI’s Deputy Director for Training and Development, shares the following
guidelines for establishing the training committee:
¢
SANBI’s training committee is coupled to its employment equity committee, called the Employment Equity
Training Committee (EETC);
¢
Guidelines for representation on the EETC include representation for:
¢
different occupational levels, i.e. management and employee levels;
¢
different occupational categories, i.e. functional levels, e.g. research, education, gardens, bioregional
programmes, corporate services, etc.;
¢
employee union representative;
¢
regional sites – SANBI has nine gardens across provinces and requires representation from all these sites;
regional site representation must be coupled to the previous three bulleted points;
¢
¢
the Employment Equity Manager, who serves as the chairperson for the committee;
¢
the Employment Equity Co-ordinator;
¢
the SDF;
¢
a secretary from the Human Resource Division;
The size of the EETC with these guidelines for representation is 13 members, with the EE Manager, EE Coordinator, SDF, secretary and nine regional representatives across management and functional levels and
employee unions;
¢
These 13 members should be representative in terms of gender, race groups and people with disabilities;
¢
Tenure of office for the EETC is three years from date of election, which is a useful time frame to ensure
continuity;
¢
¢
Objectives of the EETC with respect to employment equity are:
¢
to achieve and maintain effective EE transformation at SANBI;
¢
to ensure compliance with all relevant legislation;
Objectives of the EETC with respect to skills development and training are to consider and give input into:
¢
the identification of strategic skills development priorities;
¢
the process to be followed in the development of the WSP;
¢
SANBI’s proposed yearly WSP and the need for it to:
¢
comply with the requirements of the CATHSSETA;
¢
be based on a gap analysis between the competency requirements of the position (existing and future),
and the assessed competency of every staff member;
¢
be integrated with other human resource development initiatives such as the Employment Equity Plan,
career development plans and succession plans;
¢
be fair and benefit all race and gender groups, categories and levels;
¢
be aligned with national and sector skills targets;
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
7
¢
¢
the proposed implementation, monitoring and review mechanisms of the WSP for each year;
¢
the draft ATR and the requirements of the CATHSSETA in this regard for each year;
These details of the composition and functioning of the EETC are contained in official terms of reference,
which also include details of:
¢
the number of meetings and meeting procedures;
¢
members’ code of conduct;
¢
confidentiality and disclosure of information;
¢
processing of decisions;
¢
dispute resolution. Making the case for workplace skills planning
One of the key challenges cited by many human resource development professionals is
the lack of strategic positioning, understanding and consequently significance afforded
to training and skills planning in organisations. When budgets are cut, the training budget is usually the first to go. This is perhaps evidence of the generally held perception of
training and skills development as a lesser priority in organisations. Anecdotal evidence
also suggests that active training and skills development in organisations is almost always backed by support at an executive level. We believe that a critical part of preparing
the workplace for training and skills development is securing support and endorsement
at both executive management and line management level. Workplace skills plans must
be signed off in an organisation at executive management level and resources for the
process are also secured at this level. Line management is important in identifying skills
needs, supporting interventions through which to address them, and supporting the application of learning in the work context.
Trish Persad, Senior Manager for Human Capital Development at South African Weather
Services (SAWS), shares a PowerPoint presentation that she presents to senior management in her
organisation to secure support for skills planning and development. The outline includes:
¢
A statement on the importance of identifying and responding to training needs to meet the performance
standards of the organisation;
¢
The level of potential skills training needs at individual, occupational and organisational levels;
¢
The responsibility for skills training from the HRD Manager, in consultation with senior management and all
employees;
8
¢
The training committee, its composition, competence requirements, roles and responsibilities;
¢
Internal processes of identifying needs and responding to them; and
¢
A flow diagram that shows the path of the WSP into the SSP and on to the NSDS III. Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
More on the ‘S’ in WSPs, SSPs, NSDS III and ESSP
This section locates the WSP – its process and contents – in the broader context of skills
development in South Africa generally, and environmental skills specifically. It shows the
link from the WSP to the SSP, informed by the ESSP and contributing towards the goals
of the NSDS III. This flow might assist you in making the argument for strategic support
for skills planning and development.
Workplace Skills Plans
WSPs show the skills needs of an individual organisation and the skills
development interventions to meet
them. WSPs are prepared annually
and submitted to the relevant SETA.
They cover skills development for
the period 1 April to 30 March of the
subsequent year. Skills needs and
proposed skills development interventions in the WSPs are integrated
into the SETA SSP. Sector skills plans
are developed for a five-year period.
Those currently being used are for
the period 2011–2016.
NSDS III
SSP
ESSP
WSP
Workplace Skills Plans feed into the SSPs. They make a significant contribution to identifying skills needs and skills development interventions to address these needs at a
sector level. It would therefore make sense at an organisational level to integrate a fiveyear projection of skills needs into the annual WSP to inform skills development for the
coming five years of the SSP.
Another critical link between the WSP and the SSP is that spending on the SETA skills
grants (see Module 1) is determined by the SSP and the skills needs reflected in the WSP.
Access to the mandatory grant is enabled through the WSP, and access to funds on the
discretionary grant is enabled through the extent to which WSPs reflect the priorities
defined in the SETA SSP. This is another reason to critically consider the link between the
WSP and the SSP.
Sector Skills Plans
These can be seen as the epicentre of skills development. They are a collation of WSPs in
an economic sector. For example, SANBI, SANParks, CapeNature, ECPTA, MPTB and EKZN
Wildlife, among others, submit their WSPs to CATHSSETA, representing the conservation
sector.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
9
Sector skills plans are also informed by and required to work towards the objectives of
the National Skills Development Strategy. The WSP therefore, via the SSP makes a contribution to achieving the national skills development objectives, so serving not only the
organisation and the sector but also the broader South African labour market.
In the latter half of 2010 and early 2011,
DEA entered into collaboration with DHET
to inform the process of SETAs developing
their respective SSPs. Drawing on the Environmental Sector Skills Plan (ESSP) – see
below – a resource was developed by a National Environmental Skills Planning Forum
(NESPF) to guide SETAs in integrating the
environmental driver and environmental
scarce and critical skills into the SSPs.
Thomas Mathiba, Director: Sector
Education, Training and Development,
Department of Environmental Affairs,
says the DEA is the only government department
to have entered into systemic engagement with
skills development at a national level.
An Enabling Document for All SETAs starts with an
introduction of new opportunities and challenges associated with green growth and sustainability against the
backdrop of climate change, energy shortages, natural
resource degradation and other environmental challenges. It also then highlights the implications of this
context for developing new skills and reorienting existing skills to enable sustainable growth in the South
African economy. It provides a five-page spread of drivers and potential environmental skills needs relevant
to each of the SETAs , as indicated in the outline below:
SETA’s name
Description of:
¢
the critical need to integrate the environmental driver into SSPs and into skills
planning and development;
¢
how a green growth path is relevant to that particular SETA;
¢
how MTSF Goal 9, Sustainable Natural Resource Use and Management, is relevant
to the SETA.
Recommended:
¢
cross-cutting programmes to address critical skills in that particular SETA;
¢
programmes to address scarce skills in that SETA;
¢
programmes for research and innovation relevant to that SETA.
And proposes some flagship skills development programmes.
10
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
This Enabling Document was shared with 18 SETAs at a meeting in 2010, to support
them in further developing SSPs. Various members of the National Environmental Skills
Plannin­g Forum also availed themselves to work directly with SETAs to ensure integration of environmental skills into SSPs. Various SETAs have dealt differently with this
integration.
The Enabling Document has been written with the aim of…
…assist[ing] SETAs to adopt a proactive approach to environmental skills development in order to address MTSF Goal 9 and also to maximise new development
opportunities and job creation possibilities.
Together with the SSP of the SETA with which you are registered, it can also help you and
your organisation to identify scarce and critical environmental skills and define specific
interventions to address them, in the short, medium and long term.
Through collaborative efforts between DEA and DHET, the final drafts of the SSP must
be signed off by the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa’s (HRDSSA) Task Team and the minister of the relevant government department, in this case the
Minister of Environment. The minister’s signature ensures that the environment is given
adequate consideration and that the implementation of quality skills training is aligned
to the Medium Term Strategic Framework’s Goal 9.
MTSF Strategic Priority 9: Sustainable Natural Resource
Management and Use
…to encourage sustainable resource management and use through various interventions, including promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy alternatives,
waste reduction practices, zero tolerance to illegal and unsustainable exploitation
of natural resources, improved air and atmospheric quality, supporting local and
sustainable food production, sustainable water use, enhancing biodiversity and
preserving natural habitats.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
11
The Environmental Sector
Skills Plan
The Department of Environment’s Directorate: Sector
Education and Training commissioned the development of
an ESSP in 2009, in partnership
with Rhodes University. The final ESSP was released in 2010.
It provides a comprehensive
assessment of scarce and
critical environmental skills
– to meet immediate and longterm needs – to ensure green
growth and sustainability in
the face of increasing environmental challenges, such as
climate change, increased energy demands, increased waste generation, water availability and increasingly degraded ecosystems.
Key findings in the ESSP to guide our approaches to environmental skills development include:
¢
The need for a proactive (rather than reactive), co-ordinated (rather than ad
hoc) and systemically integrated (working collaboratively into the skills development systems, structures and institutions) approach to environmental skills
development;
¢
The need to more effectively utilise the national system for skills development;
¢
Skills development is needed at all levels and in all environmental sub-focus areas,
such as waste, water, air quality, biodiversity, climate change, coastal zone management, etc.;
¢
Scarce environmental skills identified include, among others:
¢
Environmental compliance and environmental management inspection skills;
¢
Sustainable development and green economy leadership skills;
¢
Adaptive environmental management and sustainable development planning
and implementation;
12
¢
Climate change risk and opportunity assessment and monitoring;
¢
Environmental monitoring and modelling skills;
¢
Environmental/resource economics and green economy planning skills;
¢
Environmental scientific skills;
¢
Environmental technical skills.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
As with the Enabling Document, the ESSP also provides a useful framework within which
to define scarce and critical environmental skills in the short-term framework of the WSP,
as well as in the medium-term framework of the SSP.
The National Skills Development Strategy III
The NSDS III provides an overarching framework for skills development nationally. It
should be considered in the development of SSPs as well as the WSP, particularly if one
argues for the relevance of training in a broader national skills development context.
An outcome of the consultative process
outlined above and in Module 1 is the
integration of environment as a key consideration in skills planning. As reflected
in the abstract on the left, the new environment strategy, which refers to the
ESSP, is up there among other key government priorities, signifying the greater
consideration afforded the environment
in skills planning.
Page 10 of the NSDS III describes this strategy as being ‘…
informed and guided by other overarching government
programmes, especially the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa, requirements of the New
Growth Path, the Industrial Policy Action Plan … the Medium Term Strategic Framework, the rural development
strategy as well as the new environment strategy…‘.
The eight goals of the NSDS III define broad priorities that should inform skills development at organisational, sector and national levels. They do not cover economic
sector-specific content, but rather indicate critical means towards addressing skills shortages in South Africa.
NSDS III Goals
1 Establish credible institutional mechanisms for skills planning.
2 Increase access to occupationally directed programmes.
3 Promote the growth of public sector FET colleges.
4 Increase youth and adult language and numerical literacy to enable access to
further training.
5 Better use of workplace-based skills development.
6 Support co-operative, small enterprises, worker-initiated, NGO and community
training.
7 Increase public sector capacity for improved service delivery.
8 Build career and vocational guidance.
These goals are unlikely to inform the identification of scarce and critical skills in any
particular economic sector, other than local government as its mandate relates to service
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
13
delivery. They would, however, be particularly useful in defining means to address skills
needs, particularly at an organisational level. For example, ‘better workplace-based skills
development’ can only be addressed at an organisational level, since organisations host
this kind of training. Youth and adult literacy and numeracy can also be improved at
an organisational level to enable access to further training, for example through ABET
programmes. ‘Credible institutional mechanisms for skills development’, with a strong
emphasis on workplace-based training as in the NSDS III, will require strong partnerships
between work organisations and training institutions. This indicates a critical role for
organisations in the landscape of skills development.
Ensuring adequate resources for workplace skills
planning
One of the key requirements in the Skills Development Act of 1998 is broad stakeholder
consultation in developing and implementing skills development and training. Stakeholder engagement is achieved through representation in the training committee, and
engaging both senior and line management as noted earlier. This consultative process is
likely to demand both time and financial resources.
Give yourself enough time…
Colleagues
experienced in
developing and
submitting WSPs
advise that we
Ensuring adequate time for consultation demands careful planning of all processes involved in workplace skills planning. A guide to developing this plan should be the due
date for submitting WSPs, which is 30 April of each year. Working backwards, some of the
milestones to be considered in getting the WSP ready for submission include:
should not wait
until 30 April is
looming, but make
¢
a timeous start to
Sign off by the organisation’s executive committee at the last executive committee
meeting prior to 30 April that will enable adequate discussion, timeous signing and
submission of the WSP;
the development of
the WSP to ensure
¢
time for all necessary
Sign off by the training committee so that any changes can be integrated before tabling at the executive committee meeting;
procedures ahead
of submission.
¢
Perhaps aim for
30 March and
Compiling the WSP: many SDFs struggle with the administrative load of compiling the
WSP which is often one of many other tasks that this person is responsible for, so
ensure that there is sufficient time;
leave April for
any unforeseen
¢
eventualities.
¢
14
Collecting organisation-specific information: this is probably the most time-consuming,
consultative process; the processes of competence profiling, skills auditing, performance appraisals, skills needs identification and consultation and reaching agreement
on priority skills needs must all be carefully considered in your plan;
Collecting necessary information outside of the organisation: be sure to factor in time
for collecting supporting documents like the NSDS II, the final SSP, the ESSP and other
information that will ensure a good-quality WSP.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
This list of activities in workplace skills planning suggests that an annual plan of activities
may be appropriate to ensure timeous submission of the WSP.
…money…
Consultations informing workplace skills planning are likely to require a budget. If your
organisation is geographically dispersed, you may require a travel, accommodation and
subsistence budget for convening staff meetings in different regions and for the various
meetings of the training committee. You may also require a budget for catering, additional travel to engage with other stakeholders in the sector or beyond and training the
SDF as well as other training committee members.
It might be useful to develop an annual budget to match the WSP process plan discussed
above.
Most importantly, it is necessary to identify a ring-fenced training budget to implement
the interventions necessary to address the organisation’s skills needs. It would be futile
to identify skills needs without having the means to address them.
…and people
Ensure that you secure the availability of the necessary people in the organisation. For
example, you might require a significant amount of time from the HR Director to do
competence profiling. You might also require administrative help in compiling the WSP
or accessing necessary information. It would be useful to match your human resource
needs to the WSP process plan as above.
Trish Persad, from SAWS, suggests that it might be useful to couple
engagement with senior management on the significance of skills development and
training to budget negotiations for implementing training interventions within a
financial year.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
15
Workplace skills planning
Having prepared the workplace for learning, you are ready to embark on the actual
journey of workplace skills planning. This is not to say that preparing the workplace for
learning falls outside of the ambit of workplace skills planning. It should be considered
the preparatory phase. The process flow diagram below is discussed in more detail in the
sections that follow.
This process flow
by a nominated task
Step 1
Information
gathering to inform
the WSP
Step 2
Skills auditing
Step 3
Compile and submit
the WSP
Step 4
Implement, monitor
and evaluate actions
of the WSP
Step 5
Report on
implementation of
the WSP
team to support
WSPs, led by Solly
Mosidi (Independent
Training Consultant)
with key inputs
from Rene Du Toit
(SANBI) and Nwabisa
Ntantiso (formerly of
ECPTA).
16
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THROUGHOUT
has been suggested
Step 1 — Gathering information
A WSP is only as good as the understanding that informs its development and implementation. Our task team suggests that a range of
information is considered, processed and shared in workplace skills
planning.
Engagements
External stakeholders that
External information to be considered in workplace skills planning
includes:
¢
Broader skills planning and development that should shape the
development and implementation of the WSP. Some of these information sources include:
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
The Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa
(HRDS-SA) 2010 to 2030, which defines a number of key goals to
be addressed through skills planning at a national level and is a
key informant of skills priorities in the SSPs;
The NSDS III (see earlier), which provides key guidelines on skills
development and training strategies and methodologies that
will be adopted and prioritised by SETAs in the SSPs;
The Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO – see Module
3), around which national skills planning and development is
organised;
DHET policies, strategies and structures for skills development
and training (see Module 1);
SAQA policies, strategies and structures for skills development
and training (see Module 1) and particularly the QCTO (see Module 1) as the quality assurer of occupationally directed training
and skills development.
you are likely to engage in
this process of information
gathering include: ¢
SAQA
¢
DHET
¢
SETA
¢
DEA
¢
HRD Network.
Engagement with external
stakeholders might involve:
¢
gathering information;
¢
building up useful
networks;
¢
developing and implementing the WSP.
Internal stakeholders
might include:
¢
¢
resource allocation for
the process of planning
¢
and implementing the
The ESSP (see earlier), which defines critical and scarce skills
generally across the environment sector and could help you
identify those scarce and critical skills in your organisation;
The Enabling Document (see earlier), which draws on the ESSP
and defines scarce and critical skills per economic sector and
provides some guidelines for interventions to address them;
WSP and understanding
strategic priorities in the
short and medium term;
¢
priorities to take into account in defining job and
competence profiles;
¢
¢
Identifying scarce and critical skills for inclusion in your WSP (ESSP,
Enabling Document, SSPs);
Line management, to
share national and sector
SETA SSPs with which you are registered and associated (see
Module 1), for example CATHSSETA, AgriSETA, LG SETA, etc.
These sources of information should guide you in:
Executive management,
to secure support and
Sector-specific skills development information sources, including:
¢
lobbying support for
Human Resources, to
ensure an understanding
of trends, patterns and
developments likely to
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
17
¢
shape skills planning and
training;
¢
HR priorities over the short
¢
and medium term that will
shape skills planning and
development;
¢
Summary of employee personal development plans;
¢
¢
ensure this group of representatives moves in the
same direction of workplace
skills planning.
It is critical to link
skills planning
Understanding the systems, structures and processes through
which to address skills needs and support implementation of skills
development strategies (HRD-SA, NSDS III).
Internal information to be considered includes:
¢
Training committee, to
Identifying strategic trends and patterns for skills development in
the sector that will shape skills needs in your organisation (ESSP,
SSPs);
¢
Strategic organisational priorities over the short and medium term;
Competence requirements to meet these strategic priorities over
time;
HR priorities over the short to medium term that relate to, for
example, planned changes to technology, employment equity strategies, transformation strategies, growth, change or retrenchment
plans, vacancies that are difficult to fill and recruitment trends.
Employee information is another critical source of information that can be summarised
from personal development plans. This would make explicit the career development
plans and skills development needs identified by the individual employee.
priorities to
national, sector
and organisational
Step 2 — Skills auditing
priorities.
Skills auditing is the process through which skills gaps in an organisation are identified –
the difference between what we need in an organisation and what we have at any given
time.
To do an effective skills audit you must have a well-structured baseline of skills needs
against which to compare the skills that the organisation already has. This baseline of
skills needs we refer to as a competence profile. The skills audit also requires a clear
profile of existing employees’ skills. The difference between the two is the skills gaps to
be addressed through skills development and training.
The Theory
The Gap
COMPETENCE
PROFILES
Theory – Reality
EMPLOYEE
PROFILES
...competence required
by individual employees
to deliver on the
organisation’s mandate
Skills auditing
is the process
through which this
gap is identified...
...competence that
employees have, as
reflected in their
academic background
and experience
...and fed into the
WSP
18
The Reality
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
This section encourages you to consider skills needs in relation to the competence requirements of your organisation.
Phase 1: Determine skills requirements
Analyse service delivery requirements
What are the short-, medium- and long-term objectives?
Trish Persad,
Senior Manager:
Human Capital
Development
at SAWS, shares
What products or services must be delivered to achieve these?
Identify skills requirements
What skills are needed to achieve the goals and objectives?
this process of
In which occupations will you find these skills?
competence profiling,
employee profiling and
identifying skills needs.
Develop Human Capital Development Strategy
What staff are needed to fulfil the skills requirements?
How will you acquire or retain these skills?
Develop Human Capital Development Plan
Including establishment of posts, restructuring, recruitment of new staff,
succession management, retention strategy
Phase 2: Describe competency profiles
What posts are required?
IT Specialist
Finance
Officer
HCD
Practitioner
Admin
Officer
Other
What roles must be performed by incumbents in these posts?
Develop a
training plan
Facilitate
learning
Conduct
assessments
Evaluate
training
What competence requirements are required for all posts?
What should employees in these posts know, understand and be able to do?
What other competences should they have?
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
19
Identify performance gap and training needs
What is the gap between what performance should be and what the
individual’s performance currently is?
Where are the gaps in performance?
What competence is lacking or needs improvement?
Which new skills must be developed?
What is the cause of the performance gap?
Why is performance not what it should be?
Phase 4: Identify training and non-training
interventions to address skills gaps
Cause of the performance gap:
lack of skills
20
Informed by employee self-assessment and formal
performance appraisal
Phase 3: Identify skills needs
Measure individuals against competence requirements
Does the person demonstrate the competence requirements for
this post?
Cause of the performance gap:
not a lack of skills
In this case the person has the required skills and
underperformance is related to other factors, for
example inappropriate tools and equipment for
the job, unsuitable disposition for current job,
demotivated (for example, due to remuneration),
inappropriate supervision, etc.
This requires a non-training intervention to address the causes of underperformance and is not
the focus of WSPs.
Select the most appropriate intervention to address the skills need
What type of formal or informal training or other form of development
intervention is best suited to developing this skills need?
Formal or informal training
is the most appropriate
option
Other workplace-based
development intervention is
more appropriate
Identify the most appropriate
learning route, e.g.:
Identify the most appropriate
option, e.g.:
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Full-time study
Part-time studies
Internship
Learnership
Short course
Skills programme
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
¢
¢
¢
¢
Formal mentoring
Coaching
Demonstration
Workplace-based
training
Phase 1: Human resource planning
A well-known saying in human resource circles is that ‘people are our most valuable asset’. Any organisation is only as strong as its human resource complement. The first step
in identifying skills needs is to understand what the organisation actually needs to fulfil
its mandate.
The flow chart above provides some key questions to ask when establishing the human
resource needs of an organisation. The short-, medium- and long-term goals and objectives of an organisation are most commonly found in its strategic and business plan.
Most organisations translate these broader goals and objectives into departmental/
directorate/unit goals and objectives. These are all critical sources to consult in defining
the organisation’s needs in the short, medium and long term.
Organisations do not, however, operate in isolation and are often influenced by the
external environment. DPSA’s Strategic Human Resource Planning: Guidelines and Toolkit (2008) encourages consideration of both the external and internal environments in
human resource planning. This is in order to identify factors that will influence skills
needs as the organisation grows and develops. The DPSA suggests the use of the PESTEL
framework, which SETAs are also using in skills planning. The PESTEL framework identifies external factors likely to shape change in the internal organisational environment.
The DPSA’s Strategic
Human Resource
Planning: Guidelines
and Toolkit provides
a detailed process
for strategic human
resource planning
P
Political factors
E
Economic factors
S
Social factors
T
Technological developments
E
Environmental factors
L
Legislative factors
The six PESTEL factors should
be considered at international,
regional and national levels as
influences that shape what we do
and how we do it in our organisation. In the context of WSPs, these
factors are likely to shape our
organisational strategies and consequently our job and competence
profiles.
in an organisation.
This document in
available on the
DPSA website,
www.dpsa.gov.
za.
Various factors in the internal environment similarly affect the goals and objectives of
an organisation. These include a changing mandate, restructuring of an organisation,
changes in systems and structures, staff turnover rates, and challenges in finding the
right skills sets.
Strategic human resource planning requires consideration of both the external and internal factors that shape the skills needs of an organisation. Consult the DPSA guidelines
for a comprehensive list of factors to consider when identifying the short-, medium- and
long-term skills needs of your organisation.
Phase 2: Job and competence profiling
Job profiles define the number and nature of positions required in an organisation to
meet its short-, medium- and long-term objectives, as defined in Phase 1 above. Job
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
21
profiles define the number of employees in a range of different posts, organised into
different directorates, departments, units and/or programmes in an organisation. They
also define what each employee should be able to do to contribute to the organisation
meeting its goals and objectives. A job profile is made up of an individual’s key work areas
and is informed by the organisational strategy and business plan, as well as the purpose
of the job in achieving the organisation’s objectives. Most employees have a range of
between five and 10 key work areas, also called key performance areas, which are generally outlined in employment contracts. These describe the work that employees should
be able to do to fulfil their role in the organisation.
Competence profiles are developed from job profiles and define, for each key work
area, the competences that will allow the individual to perform his or her role in the
organisation:
¢
¢
¢
knowledge – what people know and understand about their work, their organisation,
the sector and broader environment in which they work;
skills – what people are able to do with the knowledge and understanding in their
workplace; and
work orientation – the values and attitudes with which people approach their work,
drawing on their knowledge and understanding and their ability to translate this into
what they are expected to do in the workplace.
Competence profiles are not the same as job profiles, but they are developed from job
profiles. One cannot do competence profiling without having done job profiling. A key
challenge in many organisations is weak processes of job profiling, which leads to weak
processes of competence profiling. This in turn leads to poor skills auditing, and so has
a significant knock-on effect for strategic training. Though time consuming, we believe
that effective WSPs start with well-defined job profiles, which inform competence profiles, which then form the basis for skills auditing.
Drawing on examples
on page 23, which
framework for
competence
works best in your
Job
Profiles
Competence
Profiles
Key work areas informed
by organisational strategy
and job purpose
Knowledge, skill and work
orientation to fulfil key
work areas
There is a significant lack of methodologies for competence profiling. There does not
appear to be a generic and agreed methodology for such profiling and many professionals understand competence differently. From our experience, we suggest two possible
methodologies to help you define the competence required for different job profiles in
your organisation.
organisation?
22
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Applied competence in the National Qualifications Framework
In 1998, when the NQF was being developed and implemented, an applied competence
framework was defined against which to develop qualifications and assess competence.
It is called the applied competence framework in the NQF. Although not generally used
in defining competence these days, it continues to provide a useful framework. Applied
competence is a composite of practical, foundational and reflexive competences.
APPLIED
COMPETENCE
Practical Competence
the ability to perform work-related actions
is the ability to
perform work-related
tasks with
understanding and
reflexivity, and is a
composite of three
kinds of
interconnected
competence
+
Foundational Competence
understanding the knowledge and thinking
that underlies the action
Reflexive Competence
=
an integration of doing and understanding to
adapt and change practice over time
Changed and
improved
work-related
practice
Below is an example of the job profile and associated competences of a Field Ranger,
drawn from ECPTA. Note the relation between the organisation’s mission, the job purpose
of the Field Ranger, the key work areas (job profile) and the associated competences.
Organisation
mission
Best practice conservation management and sustainable utilisation of natural resources in the
Eastern Cape, in partnership with communities and other stakeholders.
Job purpose
Support conservation through conservation actions, monitoring and reporting on the condition
of natural assets in the reserve.
Key work areas
(job profile)
and associated
competences
Practical competence
(actions to be performed)
1. Monitor
and record
condition of
natural assets
in the reserve
¢
¢
¢
¢
Perform routine patrols
Foundational competence
(knowledge underpinning
actions)
¢
Read and record animal
movement and migration
Track animals
¢
Identify and communicate
conservation challenges,
like overgrazing, soil
erosion, changes in water
levels, fire patterns, etc.
¢
¢
Know what equipment is
needed and its purpose for
patrols
Know the geography of
reserve and location of natural
and cultural assets
Know basic first aid procedures
Identify and know
characteristics of animals and
plants in the reserve
Reflexive competence
(integrating doing and
understanding)
¢
¢
¢
Identify changes in
patterns and trends of
natural assets
Act immediately on
critical threats
Contribute to the
development of
conservation actions to
address these threats
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
23
2. Support
conservation
actions in the
reserve
¢
Perform minor repairs
¢
Know alien species
¢
Disarm snares
¢
Know fighting procedures
¢
Fight fires
¢
¢
Maintain heritage sites
¢
3. Communicate
with
stakeholders
and promote
conservation
and sustainable
use of natural
resources
4. Perform lawenforcement
duties
related to
transgressions
¢
¢
Support game capturing
and moving
Communicate
information on natural
assets
¢
¢
Engage communities
on sustainable and
responsible use of
resources ¢
Carry out an arrest
¢
Lay a charge
¢
Provide expert witness
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Job and competence
profiles are the
theory of what our
organisations should
Understand conservation
threats and actions to address
them
Know and understand uses and
users of natural assets
¢
¢
¢
Know a range of options
for communicating with
stakeholders
Know all regulations and
conditions of permits relating
to natural assets
Know firearm regulations
Knowledge of legal procedures
of arrest
¢
Act immediately and
efficiently in response to
any conservation threats
Participate in developing
and implementing longerterm actions to conserve
natural assets
Develop and implement
partnership approaches
with communities to
conserve resources
Develop proactive
approaches to
engage stakeholders
in conservation and
minimising transgressions
Knowledge of court
proceedings
Understand anti-poaching
measures
One of the key challenges in job and competence profiling is that we often start with
what we have. Job and competence profiles should be based on where we are headed
and what we will need in the future as the organisation develops. This kind of profiling
should have a future, theoretical focus; it is the vision, the dream. The reality is found in
the current employee profiles.
look like.
Employee profiles
are the reality
of what our
organisations look
like right here and
Because the external and internal environments are always changing, we cannot assume
that job and competence profiles will remain the same indefinitely. It is therefore advisable to review and reconsider these profiles about every five years. This is a feasible
timeframe, as most organisations develop strategic and business plans in this period of
time. The job and competence profiles should ideally be developed in relation to the
organisational strategy and business plan for a specified time period.
now.
Phase 3: Finding the skills gap
The difference is
the skills gap
to be addressed
through workplace
skills planning.
24
The skills gap is the difference between the job and competence profiles defined through
Phase 2 and the current competence and resultant performance of employees. Current
competence and performance is assessed through profiling current employees. This provides insight into the reality of skills in the organisation, as opposed to the theory and
vision of the job and competence profiles.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
A profile is undertaken for each employee relative to their job and competence profile
and is informed by:
Bear in mind that
knowing does not
¢
academic qualification, which includes all forms of formal study;
¢
additional skills programmes, training and short courses, both formal and informal;
¢
work experience and competence gained through key work areas over time;
¢
personal and professional attributes;
be necessary to
¢
curriculum vitae;
¢
employee self-assessments; and
triangulate
competence
¢
performance appraisals.
necessarily translate
into applying this
knowledge in
context. It might
across academic
qualification, short
courses and training
In the process of workplace skills planning, the gap between expected performance
and current performance is of most concern. As noted in Trish Persad’s example earlier,
the gap can be ascribed to a lack of skill or may be the result of other factors in the
workplace (see earlier diagram for examples). The WSP must capture any lack of skills
and suggest formal training or other developmental interventions to respond to these
skills needs.
and accumulated
work experience.
This would provide
a fuller picture of
the employee’s
competence and
performance at any
Step 3 — Compiling and submitting the WSP
given point in time.
Colleagues in our WSP task team suggest that once all the relevant information has been
collected in Steps 1 and 2, there should be wide consultation on the skills development
priorities identified. They further suggest compiling a draft WSP detailing interventions
for addressing the needs as well as the associated budgets for implementing these
interventions. The final step in preparing the WSP is getting it signed by the relevant
authorities and submitting it to the relevant SETA.
Consult management and employees on needs identified
Up to this point, much information has been gathered. In summary, it includes:
¢
International, regional and national trends and factors shaping the work done in the
organisation;
¢
National and sector-specific skills priorities;
¢
Organisational priorities;
¢
Human resource priorities; and
¢
Skills needs of all employees.
This information will support you in making the case for scarce and critical skills to be
addressed through training. It will also support you in securing the necessary resources
for implementing skills development and training.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
25
You would ideally
have engaged
all levels of
management
and staff in
the skills audit.
The summary of
Our colleagues advise that the information be prepared in a clear and coherent manner, to be communicated to executive management and employees through the training
committee. This may take the form of a skills audit report and a PowerPoint presentation
that summarises the key findings. A suggested format might include:
¢
¢
priorities should not
come as a surprise to
them at this stage.
should be seen
The internal HR environment and its implications for staff, training and skills
development;
¢
Sector trends and patterns and resultant skills priorities;
¢
Skills needs identified relative to job and competence profiles;
¢
Suggested training interventions to address these needs; and
¢
A suggested budget requirement.
These suggested
engagements
The external environment and implications this has for the business strategy;
as confirming the
scarce and critical
Compile the WSP for review
skills needs in
the organisation,
through a strongly
motivated case.
Preparing the information as above could be regarded as a draft WSP. However, many
who have worked with the WSP formats provided by SETAs agree that the level of detail
provided for in the proposed skills audit report above bears little resemblance to the
SETA WSP format. All SETAs use a particular format for the WSP. For the most part these
formats provide for more or less the same information: administrative details of the
SDF and organisation, employee profiles, scarce and critical skills identified according
to OFO codes (see Module 3), and proposed training interventions to address the skills
needs.
Many colleagues express frustration with the prescribed format as it limits one to a fairly
superficial presentation of organisational skills needs. Bear in mind, however, that the
WSP has two purposes for the SETA: (1) to provide pertinent employee information with
which to profile the economic sector, and (2) to provide a summary of skills needs for
the coming financial year. With this twofold purpose in mind, the prescribed format is
perhaps not the worst, given that the SETA processes a good number of these WSPs
depending on the size of the sector.
Consider preparing a
comprehensive WSP
for your internal use,
with a summary
drawn from it for
Our recommendation is to regard the skills audit report as your internal working WSP
document, and the WSP for submission to the SETA as a summary of your organisation’s
employee profile and skills needs for the next financial year. This allows you the latitude
to more comprehensively describe the skills needs in your organisation over both the
short term, as required by the SETA, and the medium and long terms, as required for
organisational growth and development.
submission to the
SETA.
26
When preparing the WSP in the prescribed SETA format, ensure that you are familiar with
the requirements for doing so. All SETAs provide detailed guidelines to support SDFs in
preparing the prescribed WSP. If all information is collated through Step 1 (Gathering
information) and Step 2 (Skills auditing), the process of completing the SETA-prescribed
WSP format will be less daunting. It might then be useful to circulate a draft WSP to the
training committee for review in preparation for final sign-off.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
The WSP must be signed off by the SDF, the training committee and a member of the
executive committee of your organisation. If the comprehensive and internal WSP was
presented and approved by the executive committee and the training committee, the
final one for the SETA ought to be similarly endorsed, as it summarises the former.
Submit the WSP to your SETA
WSPs are submitted annually to the SETA of registration on 30 April (formerly 30 June).
Information from the WSPs, over a five-year span, is integrated into the SSPs. The WSP
provides the primary source of information for profiling the sector in the SSP. Skills priorities identified in the WSP signal sector priorities to be addressed through the SSP.
It would seem that quality assurance for implementing the WSP in the organisation is
the responsibility of the SDF. This is evident in the competence profile of the SDF presented earlier.
Step 4 — Implementing skills development
interventions
Depending on the size of your organisation and the scope of skills needs identified,
implementing the WSP could be a small and manageable or a mammoth task. Our WSP
task team recommends developing an annual training schedule through which to plan
and direct implementation of skills development interventions. Equally important is to
communicate this plan to all affected staff members, to secure participation and support. Some of the affected staff include:
¢
¢
¢
The incumbent identified for skills development. It is important that participants in
skills training do so willingly to ensure greatest return on the investment.
The line manager of the incumbent, who needs to approve participation, particularly
in the event of the staff member being away from the workplace for an extended
period of time.
Support staff in the form of mentors or peer learners who avail themselves to support
the incumbent in the skills development programme.
Stakeholder consultation is emphasised throughout the WSP development process and is
equally important at this stage of implementing various skills development interventions.
The nature of skills needs identified through the skills audit will define the range of interventions required to address them, as per Phase 4 of the process. Ideally, engagement
with executive management around the outcomes of the skills audit will have secured a
reasonable budget with which to implement some of these interventions. Options for
skills training and development include:
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
27
Formal training
In the past there was
Formal training is often the first option in responding to skills needs. There are different
forms of formal training, including:
an overemphasis
on skills training
¢
at NQF levels 1–3,
predominantly
through
learnerships. The
¢
NSDS III argues
for progression
is an important
consideration in
arguing for a range
of skills development
interventions across
Part-time study in longer-term learning programmes, which perhaps best suits midand senior career professionals;
¢
Short courses that address a specific skills development need;
¢
Learnerships that integrate a theoretical component with work-integrated learning;
¢
Short skills programmes that address specific skills needs.
towards more
intermediate
and higherlevel skills. This
Full-time study in longer-term degree, diploma or certificate courses that support
intensive growth in a particular career direction. However, this means that the incumbent steps out of the work space for an extended period of time;
One of the key challenges with formal training continues to be its sometimes abstract
nature, with little attention to the application of learning in work contexts. The NSDS III
makes a strong argument for work-integrated learning and stronger partnerships between training service providers like universities and colleges and work organisations
where learning is taken up.
all levels of the NQF.
The NSDS III introduces the concept of PIVOTAL programmes – professional, vocational,
technical and academic programmes – that are occupationally directed and integrate formal learning in a university or college with supervised practical learning in the workplace.
To enable this key objective, provision has been made for the establishment of a PIVOTAL
grant that ring-fences 10% of a SETA’s mandatory grant as a subsidy to employers who
offer these integrated learning programmes.
Workplace-based learning
The C.A.P.E.
Some skills needs could be addressed through supervised learning in the workplace and
could include:
Bioregional
Programme of SANBI
¢
On-the-job coaching;
¢
Counselling around particular skills;
¢
Demonstrations;
¢
Mentoring; and
¢
Peer learning.
has developed a
source book on
mentoring in the
workplace that
could provide ideas
for supporting
workplace-based
learning. See www.
capeactio­n.org.
za.
28
Monitoring and evaluating skills development
Module 4 provides a guideline to ensure relevant and quality training and might provide
a good framework for monitoring and evaluating your responses to training needs in
your organisation.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Step 5 — Reporting on skills development
Reporting to the SETA on skills development is done through the ATR. An ATR is submitted on 30 April, covering the previous skills development period from April of the
previous year to March of the current year. The ATR of the previous skills development
cycle is submitted together with the next WSP.
As in the case of the WSP, the ATR is completed in a specific SETA format. And as with
the prescribed format for the WSP, many who have worked with the ATR acknowledge
its limitations in providing comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analysis of skills
development. So, as with the WSP, we recommend completing a comprehensive internal
skills development report and summarising the findings in the ATR as required.
MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning
29
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Module
The Organising
Framework for
Occupations
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Contents
Introducing the Organising Learning System
2
Some additions to the alphabet soup
2
The Organising Framework for Occupations
4
The structure of the OFO
4
Mapping job titles to OFO codes and occupations: A Case Study
17
The significance of the OFOs in skills planning
19
Some pitfalls to avoid before you start work with the OFOs
19
Mapping your organisation’s job titles to the OFO
22
Using the OFO codes in workplace skills planning
25
So what happens if I can’t find a match for one or more of my
job titles?
25
Working with the OFO in human resources
management
28
Aligning job profiles
28
Developing contextualised job advertisements
28
Guiding performance management
29
Guiding career development
29
The Occupations Qualification Framework
31
Qualifications and certificates in the OQF
32
Learning components in the OQF
33
Developing qualifications in the OQF
34
Appendix A: Conservation Jobs Mapped to OFO Occupations – 2012
36
Introducing the Organising
Learning System
Following the 2007 review of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the Occupational Learning System (OLS) is proposed as an occupationally directed approach to skills
development to meet the continuing skills needs in South Africa. Guided by the Organising Framework for Occupations (OFO), in which jobs are categorised into generic occupational groups with related titles, descriptors and tasks, qualifications and certificates
will be developed relative to these occupational groups. The development, offering and
assessment of qualifications will be guided by the requirements of the Occupational
Qualifications Framework (OQF), which defines specific curriculum requirements for occupationally directed learning.
Some additions to the alphabet soup
The Occupational Learning System
The OLS proposes an approach to skills development that is focused on learning to do
the job, described as job-focused and occupationally directed learning. Its development
and implementation is the responsibility of the Quality Council for Trade and Occupations (QCTO) and is guided by the OFO and enabled through the OQF.
The Organising Framework for Occupations
You need a clear definition of what the job requires in order to frame skills development
within those requirements. The OFO provides this standardised framework within which
to understand and describe a range of related jobs. It provides the framework for occupational categories (groups of related jobs) and offers descriptors and tasks for each category. The OFO offers a common language to describe the range of jobs in organisations
and sectors and to articulate skills needs relative to specific job groups. All role players
(employer organisations, Sector Education and Training Authorities [SETAs], providers,
assessors, etc.) then speak the same language in skills development, so minimising the
risk of misunderstandings.
The Occupational Qualifications Framework
The OQF provides guidelines for developing occupationally directed curricula that meet
the job-related skills requirements for occupations in the OFO. The OQF defines three
curriculum components for occupationally directed qualifications:
i) a knowledge component (what one needs to know to do the job effectively);
ii) a practical component (translating the knowledge into work practices); and
iii) a work experience component (an integration of knowing and doing in an authentic
workplace).
2
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
These curriculum components are developed relative to the occupation descriptors and
tasks as defined in the OFO.
Skills development in the NQF was structured around ‘learning fields’, for example, agriculture and nature conservation, physical planning and construction, and manufacturing,
engineering and technology. A myriad of qualifications were developed in relation to
these learning fields, in many cases duplicated across different economic sectors. The
review of the NQF recognised that this skills development framework was not that effective and efficient in ‘hitting the nail on the head’ in terms of developing necessary
skills for specific jobs or occupations. In response, attempts were made to more closely
link skills development and training to skills needs in specific jobs and occupations, for
example skills training specifically related to the occupational tasks of a Field Ranger,
such as law enforcement, species monitoring and recording, game capture and fire
management.
This demand driven, occupationally directed learning approach is intended to move
skills development away from the generic nature of learning fields and closer to skills
development for occupations, such as horticulturists, research managers, environmental managers, research technicians and veterinary technicians. This approach to skills
development is known as the Occupational Learning System (OLS), the development,
implementation and quality assurance of which is the responsibility of the QCTO.
In the OLS, in order to know what skills development and training is needed, a clear
framework of occupations is required within which these needs originate and to which
they contribute. The OFO provides the framework for categorising jobs across all economic and service sectors into occupational groupings with a range of titles, including
alternative and specialist titles. Each occupational grouping has clear descriptors and
tasks.
The development and offering of qualifications and courses and the assessment of learning in the OLS is undertaken in relation to the occupational groupings categorised in the
OFO.
Occupational
Learning
System
guided by
the OFO
enabled through
the OQF
for
occupationally
directed learning
and skills
development
This module focuses on the OFO as the guiding framework for the OLS, its application in
skills development and broader human resource processes, and the opportunities for
engagement in qualifications development to meet skills needs in environment, conservation and natural resource management.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
3
The Organising Framework for
Occupations
The OFO has gone
through a 15-year
evolution and
refinement
since 1998, to
more accurately
The OFO is best described as a skills-based coded classification system that captures all
jobs in the form of occupations. It provides the framework for identifying, articulating,
reporting and monitoring skills demand and supply in the South African labour market.
The OFO has been constructed from the bottom up by (i) analysing all jobs according
to similarities in tasks and skills required, (ii) categorising similar jobs into occupational
groupings, and (iii) classifying occupations into these groupings at increasing levels of
generality.
reflect jobs in
the South African
labour market. The
QCTO continues
to call for annual
recommendations
to further populate
and refine this
framework, which
is representative of
labour market needs
in South Africa.
The OFO provides everyone involved in skills planning and development with a common
language within which to understand and describe the many jobs in our organisations,
sector and country and to define the demand for and supply of skills in relation to these
jobs. The aim ultimately is to describe all related jobs in occupational groupings, using
the same language irrespective of the nature of your organisation. So, for example, the
Ecologist will be described relative to the same occupational group regardless of whether he/she is employed by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) national office, the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency on a reserve, the City of Cape Town in
scientific services, or a private conservancy in the Paarl mountains providing input into
conservation planning. The Environmental Manager will be described in the same way,
whether working in the waste management sector, the conservation sector, the forestry
sector or the food production sector.
The structure of the OFO
The OFO is structured according to
five levels of classification. Each level
is derived from the one preceding it.
Starting with the major groups, each
has a number of sub-major groups.
Each sub-major group has a number
of minor groups. Each minor group
has a number of unit groups. Each unit
group has a number of occupations
related to it, wherein occupationspecific titles, alternative titles and
specialist titles are found. This can be
visualised using building blocks across
the levels.
4
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Levels of classification in
the OFO
Level 1: Major groups
Level 2: Sub-major groups
Level 3: Minor groups
Level 4: Unit groups
Level 5: Occupations, alterna­tive
and specialist titles
1
8 major groups
Level
2
43 sub-major groups
across the 8 major groups
Level
3
98 minor groups across the 43
sub-major groups
Level
4
378 unit groups across the 98 minor groups
Level
5
1320 occupations, and 5103 specialisations, across
the 378 unit groups
Increasing level of classification
from level 1 to level 5
Level
Level 1: Major groups
The major groups are described by the Department of Higher Education and Training’s
(DHET’s) Guide to Using the OFO as the highest level of classification where one is distinguished from another according to skill level and the broadest concept of skill specialisation. There are eight major occupational groups in the OFO. Each has a one-digit classification code that is carried through each level of classification into the occupational code.
Each major group also carries a broad description of the nature of the jobs related to the
group, as well as an overview of related tasks.
Classification
code
Major group
title
Major group title descriptors
Managers
Managers plan, direct, co-ordinate and evaluate the overall
activities of enterprises, government and other organisations,
or of organisational units within them, and formulate and
review their policies, laws, rules and regulations.
2
Professionals
Professionals increase the existing stock of knowledge,
apply scientific or artistic concepts and theories, teach about
the foregoing in a systematic manner, or engage in any
combination of these activities.
3
Technicians
and
Associate
Professionals
Technicians and associate professionals perform mostly
technical and related tasks connected to research and the
application of scientific or artistic concepts and operational
methods, and government or business regulations.
4
Clerical
Support
Workers
1
Clerical support workers record, organise, store, compute and
retrieve information related, and perform a number of clerical
duties in connection with money-handling operations, travel
arrangements, requests for information and appointments.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
5
5
Service
and Sales
Workers
Service and sales workers provide personal and protective
services related to travel, housekeeping, catering, personal
care, or protection against fire and unlawful acts, or
demonstrate and sell goods in wholesale or retail shops and
similar establishments, as well as at stalls and on markets.
Skilled
Agricultural,
Forestry,
Fishery, Craft
and Related
Trades
Workers
Skilled agricultural, forestry, fishery, craft and related trades
workers apply specific knowledge and skills to construct and
maintain buildings; form metal; erect metal structures; set
machine tools; or make, fit, maintain and repair machinery,
equipment or tools; carry out printing work; produce or
process foodstuffs, textiles or wooden, metal and other
articles, including handicraft goods; grow and harvest field or
tree and shrub crops; breed, tend or hunt animals; produce a
variety of animal husbandry products; cultivate, conserve and
exploit forests; and breed or catch fish.
7
Plant and
Machine
Operators
and
Assemblers
Plant and machine operators and assemblers operate and
monitor industrial and agricultural machinery and equipment
on the spot or by remote control; drive and operate trains,
motor vehicles and mobile machinery and equipment; or
assemble products from component parts according to
strict specifications and procedures. The work mainly calls
for experience with and understanding of industrial and
agricultural machinery and equipment, as well as an ability
to cope with machine-paced operations and to adapt to
technological innovations.
8
Elementary
Occupations
Elementary occupations involve the performance of simple
and routine tasks which may require the use of hand-held
tools and considerable physical effort.
6
Jobs are classified in the major groups according to skill level. Skill level is associated
with an occupation and not an individual, and is measured by (i) formal education and/
or training, (ii) work experience, and (iii) the amount of on-the-job training required to
competently perform the tasks within an occupation.
The OFO is organised around five skills levels (see diagram on the next page), which are
correlated to the education and training levels of the NQF and the skills levels referred
to in the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS III).
For example, the jobs for which post-graduate professional qualifications are required
with extensive experience will be mapped to major groups 1 and 2. Where a professional
degree is required with some experience, these jobs will be mapped to major groups
3, 4 and 5. Where lower level or no academic qualifications are required, these will be
mapped to major groups 6, 7 and 8.
6
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
NSDS III
skills levels
NQF
levels
OFO skills
level
OFO major groups
10
9
Advanced
5
1 Managers
2 Professionals
8
7
6
3 Technicians
and associate
professionals
4
4 Clerical
support
workers
5
Intermediate
4
3
Elementary
3
5 Service
and sales
workers
2
6 Skilled
trade
workers
7 Pland and
machine
operators
and
assemblers
2
1
1
8 Elementary occupations
Major groups also define a set of tasks for related occupations. The examples below for
major groups 2 and 6 were chosen as bearing some relation to the jobs in the environment, conservation and/or natural resource management sectors. As can be seen, the list
of tasks is very broad. They provide an initial inroad into the OFO to begin mapping your
organisation’s job titles against the OFO occupational codes and titles.
Major Group 2: Professionals
Tasks include:
¢
Conducting analysis and research, and developing concepts, theories and operational methods, and advising on or applying existing knowledge related
to physical sciences, including mathematics, engineering and technology, and to
life sciences, including the medical and health services, as well as to social sciences and humanities;
¢
Teaching the theory and practice of one or more disciplines at different educational levels;
¢
Teaching and educating handicapped persons;
¢
Providing various business, legal and social services;
¢
Creating and performing works of art; providing spiritual guidance; preparing scientific papers and reports;
¢
Supervision of other workers may be included.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
7
Major Group 6: Skilled Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery, Craft and
Related Trades Workers
Tasks include:
¢
Sowing, planting, spraying, fertilising and harvesting field crops;
¢
Growing fruit and other tree and shrub crops, garden vegetables and horticultural products;
¢
Breeding, raising, tending or hunting animals mainly to obtain meat, milk, hair,
fur, skin, sevicultural, apiarian or other products;
¢
Cultivating, conserving and exploiting forests; breeding or catching fish; cultivating or gathering other forms of aquatic life;
¢
Storing, and basic processing of produce;
¢
Constructing, maintaining and repairing buildings and other structures; casting, welding and shaping metal;
¢
Installing and erecting heavy metal structures, tackle and related equipment;
¢
Making machinery, tools, equipment, and other metal articles;
¢
Setting for operators, or setting and operating various machine tools;
¢
Fitting, maintaining and repairing industrial machinery, including engines and vehicles, as well as electrical and electronic instruments and other equipment;
¢
Making precision instruments, jewellery, household and other precious-metal articles, pottery, glass and related products;
¢
Producing handicrafts;
¢
Executing printing work; producing and processing foodstuffs and various articles
made of wood, textiles, leather and related materials;
¢
Supervision of other workers may be included.
See the tasks in bold type in the two examples above. Can you link any of the jobs in your
organisation to these? List them below.
Major Group 2:
Major Group 6:
8
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
TASK: Finding an initial match to the major groups in the OFO
List any five jobs in your organisation. Include jobs across the various employment
levels and grades;
¢
copy of the 2013
OFO at www.
Using the table below –
¢
You can find a
greenmatter.
co.za. Have a look
at the job tasks for
Review the key work areas or key performance areas (KWAs/KPAs) of the jobs
that you have selected;
each major group.
Complete the
¢
Review the tasks in the OFO major groups;
task on the left to
¢
See if you can find an initial match between the five jobs that you have listed and
familiarise yourself
with the OFO job
the major groups in the OFO.
titles, descriptors
Jobs in my organisation
Number
Job title
KWA*
Possible matches to the OFO
OFO major
group
and tasks.
Related tasks**
1
2
3
4
5
* Use only the KPAs/KWAs. In most organisations these are between 4 and 10. Higher-level jobs
often have more KPAs/KWAs than those at lower levels.
**Choose only those OFO tasks that relate to the job in your organisation. Remember that
these tasks in the OFO cover a broad spectrum, of which only some might be relevant to your
organisation.
The coding system in the OFO for all occupations starts with the
one digit of the major group. All occupations in major group 2 for
professionals will start with a 2, as in the case of Botanists (OFO code:
213106) and Zoologists (OFO code: 213109). All occupations listed
in major group 6 for skilled agriculture, forestry, fisheries, craft and
related tradeworkers start with a 6, as in the case of a Nurseryperson
(OFO code: 611304) or Landscape Gardener (OFO code: 611302), more
commonly known as Groundsman, Nursery Worker, Nursery Attendant
or Tree Breeder in conservation organisations. Look out for this as you
work with the OFO.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
9
Level 2: Sub-major groups
Each major group has a number of sub-major groups of related occupations. These submajor groups are the second level of classification and start to go into more detail of the
occupational context and related skill.
Major groups
No. of sub-major
groups
1. Managers
4
2. Professionals
6
3. Technicians and Associate Professionals
5
4. Clerical Support Workers
4
5. Service and Sales Workers
4
6. Skilled Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Crafts and Related Trade
Workers
8
7. Plant and Machine Operators and Assemblers
3
8. Elementary Workers
6
From this
example, could
The six sub-major groups for major group 2: Professionals are:
you guess which
sub-major group
conservation
professionals
are likely to be
mapped to?
21 Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals
22 Health Professionals
23 Teaching Professionals
24 Business and Administration Professionals
25 Information and Communications Technology Professionals
26 Legal, Social and Cultural Professionals
The ‘2’ is the one digit code drawn down from the major group and the second digit,
1–6, is the reference to the specific sub-major group.
The sub-major groups start to group occupations relative to their particular disciplines,
as can be seen in the above examples. They also define specific groups of occupations
with descriptors of what these professionals typically do and the tasks related to each
occupational group. The following example shows the relation between tasks in major
group 2 and sub-major group 25.
10
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Job tasks of major group 2:
Professionals
Job tasks of sub-major group 25: Information
and Communications Technology Professionals
Can you identify
any job in your
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Conducting analysis and research,
and developing concepts, theories
and operational methods, and
advising on or applying existing
knowledge related to physical
sciences, including mathematics,
engineering and technology, and to
life sciences, including the medical
and health services, as well as to
social sciences and humanities;
Teaching the theory and practice of
one or more disciplines at different
educational levels;
Teaching and educating
handicapped persons;
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Providing various business, legal
and social services;
Creating and performing works of
art; providing spiritual guidance;
preparing scientific papers and
reports;
Supervision of other workers may
be included.
Mark the words in both columns that
show the relation between the major
and sub-major groups.
¢
Researching information technology use in
business functions;
organisation that
Identifying areas for improvement and
researching the theoretical aspects and
operational methods for the use of computers;
to sub-major
might be mapped
group 25, as on
the left?
Evaluating, planning and designing hardware or
software configurations for specific applications,
including for Internet, intranet and multimedia
systems;
Designing, writing, testing and maintaining
computer programs;
Designing and developing database architecture
and database management systems;
Developing and implementing security plans and
data administration policy, and administering
computer networks and related computing
environments;
Analysing, developing, interpreting and
evaluating complex system design and
architecture specifications, data models and
diagrams in the development, configuration and
integration ofcomputer systems.
Mark the words in this column that start to more
specifically define this occupation group in job
context and specialisation.
TASK
Go back to the five jobs you identified earlier. Have a look at the details of the
descriptor and tasks for each sub-major group in the major groups that you selected.
Which sub-major group would these jobs comfortably be mapped to?
Jobs in my organisation
Job title
Sub-major group
Bear in mind as you
work with the OFO that sub-major
groups have
two digits, the
first drawn from the
associated major
group and the
second being specific
to that sub-major
group.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
11
Level 3: Minor groups
Minor groups are the third level of classification, with more detailed information focusing
on discipline-specific and context-related occupational groupings, for example:
In which minor group
Sub-major group 21: Physical, Mathematical and Engineering
Science Professionals
would you find a
conservation
professional?
211 Physical and Earth Science Professionals
Where are you
212 Mathematicians, Actuaries and Statisticians
likely to find
213 Life Science Professionals
Conservation
Planners?
214 Engineering Professionals
215 Electrotechnology Professionals
216 Architects, Planners, Surveyors and Designers
As in the major and sub-major groups, tasks are defined for minor groups with more
specific reference to the discipline and context, for example:
Note that the
minor groups have
Job tasks for major
group 2: Professionals
a three-digit
code, for example,
216. The first digit
¢
(2) denotes the
major group, the
first and second
digits (21) the submajor group, and all
three digits (216)
the particular minor
group.
¢
12
Conducting analysis
and research, and
developing concepts,
theories and operational
methods, and advising
on or applying existing
knowledge related
to physical sciences,
including mathematics,
engineering and
technology, and to life
sciences, including the
medical and health
services, as well as to
social sciences and
humanities;
Teaching the theory and
practice of one or more
disciplines at different
educational levels;
Job tasks for sub-major group
21: Physical, Mathematical
and Engineering Science
Professionals
¢
¢
Conducting research, enlarging,
advising on or applying
scientific knowledge obtained
through the study of structures
and properties of physical
matter and phenomena,
chemical characteristics
and processes of various
substances, materials and
products, and of mathematical,
statistical and computing
concepts and methods;
Advising on, designing and
directing construction of
buildings, towns and traffic
systems, or civil engineering
and industrial structures, as
well as machines and other
equipment, and advising on
and applying mining methods,
and ensuring their optimum
use;
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Job tasks for minor
group 213: Life Science
Professionals
¢
¢
Collecting, analysing
and evaluating
experimental and
field data to identify
and develop new
processes and
techniques;
Providing advice
and support to
governments,
organisations
and businesses
about ecological
sustainable
development of
natural resources.
¢
¢
¢
¢
Teaching and educating
handicapped persons;
Providing various
business, legal and
social services;
Creating and
performing works of
art; providing spiritual
guidance; preparing
scientific papers and
reports;
Supervision of other
workers may be
included
¢
¢
¢
¢
Surveying land and sea and
making maps;
Studying and advising on
technological aspects of
particular materials, products
and processes, and on
efficiency of production and
work organisation;
Preparing scientific papers and
reports;
Supervision of other workers
may be included.
Are you beginning to see your conservation professional emerge in the OFO?
Have a look at the KPAs/KWAs of one or more of your conservation professionals and see
if a map to the OFO definitions and job tasks becomes apparent.
TASK
Look at major group 2: Professionals and complete the table below for the number
of minor groups in each sub-major group.
Sub-major group
21 Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals
No. of
minor
groups
6
22
23
24
25
26
Level 4: Unit groups
Unit groups start to group together more specifically related occupations. They have a
four-digit code – see below how this code is derived from the major, sub-major and minor
groups. For example:
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
13
Minor group 213: Life Science Professionals
2131 Biologists, Botanists, Zoologists and Related Professionals
2132 Farming, Forestry and Fisheries Advisors
2133 Environmental Protection Professionals
As with all previous levels of classification, the unit group also defines with a greater level
of specification a descriptor and tasks typically associated with this occupational group,
as in the following example for unit group 2133: Environmental Protection Professionals.
Environmental Protection Professionals study and assess the effects on the environment of human activity such as air, water and noise pollution, soil contamination,
climate change, toxic waste, and depletion and degradation of natural resources.
They develop plans and solutions to protect, conserve, restore, minimise and prevent further damage to the environment.
Tasks include:
¢
Conducting research, performing tests, collecting samples, performing field and
laboratory analysis to identify sources of environmental problems and recommending ways to prevent, control and remediate the impact of environmental
problems;
¢
Assessing the likely impact that potential or proposed activities, projects and
developments may have on the environment, and recommending whether such
developments should proceed;
¢
Developing and co-ordinating the implementation of environmental management systems to enable organisations to identify, monitor and control the impact
of their activities, products and services on the environment;
¢
Conducting audits to evaluate the environmental impact of existing activities,
processes, wastes, noises and substances;
¢
Assessing an organisation’s compliance with government and internal environmental regulations and guidelines, identifying violations and determining
appropriate remedial action;
¢
Providing technical advice and support services to organisations on how best to
deal with environmental problems in order to reduce environmental damage and
minimise financial loss; and
¢
14
Developing conservation plans.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Level 5: Occupations and specialisations
Occupations are listed in unit groups with titles, descriptors and even more specific
tasks. In the above example of Environmental Protection Professionals, Conservation
Scientist (OFO code 213301) and Environmental Scientist (OFO code 213302) are listed
– see below.
Find in the 2013
OFO the details
for these two
occupations.
Because the OFO is a generic framework, the exact titles used in your organisation are
not likely to be found. The OFO does offer alternative and specialist titles which might
be more descriptive of the titles used in your organisation. Continuing with the example
of Environmental Protection Professionals, alternative and specialist titles offered in the
OFO include:
Have a look at the
descriptor and tasks.
Can you map any of
your organisation’s
jobs to these
occupations? List the
jobs.
Classification
level
OFO
code
Occupation title
Major group 2
2
Professionals
Sub-major group
21
Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals
Minor group
213
Life Science Professionals
Unit group
2133
Environmental Protection Professionals
Occupation
213301
Conservation Scientist
Alternative Titles and Specialisations:
Animal Ecologist
Conservancy Advisory Scientist
Conservation Officer
Ecological Researcher
Ecologist
Fish and Games Officer
Forestry Conservationist
Species Protection Officer
Fisheries Advisor
See in this
213302
Environmental Scientist
Alternative Titles and Specialisations:
Environmental Advisor
Environmental Auditor
Environmental Consultant
Environmental Officer
Environmental Research Scientist
Environmental Waste Officer
Environmentalist
example how the
occupation code
is derived, drawing
one digit from each
of the major, submajor, minor and
unit groups, with
the last two specific
to the occupational
group.
Look at the job
tasks of these
occupations in the
2013 OFO, which
are the same for
the alternative titles
and specialisation.
Can you find your
Conservation and/
or Environmental
Scientists here?
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
15
Throughout this discussion reference has been made to the KPAs or KWAs of jobs and
tasks in OFO occupation groups. It is critical, as you attempt to map jobs in your organisation to the OFO codes and occupations, that you use the KPAs or KWAs and the tasks
in the OFO. The job tasks become more defined as you move from the major to the submajor and minor groups. The unit group is the last level at which job tasks are defined.
So, ultimately, having used the job tasks of the major, sub-major and minor groups to
direct you towards a potential OFO match, the defining link or match is done relative to
the unit group tasks.
In August 2011, a task team of professionals from conservation agencies and CATHSSETA convened a workshop in which conservation jobs in the sector were mapped to
OFO occupations. The intention at the workshop was to:
¢
Support colleagues in navigating the OFO, which can be an intimidating and overwhelming framework at first sight; and
¢
Map jobs in the conservation sector to occupations in the OFO – though this exercise focused only on conservation, this resource aims to support others in the
environment sector to follow a similar exercise of mapping organisational jobs to
OFO occupations and codes.
The outcome of this workshop is a map of conservation jobs to OFO codes and occupations. Appendix A shows this map of conservation jobs and the relative OFO
occupations and codes.
Any takers for mapping other environmental jobs?
16
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Mapping job titles to OFO codes
and occupations: A Case Study
Step 1
The task team that participated in this exercise of mapping conservation jobs included
colleagues from the DEA, both the national office and Oceans and Coasts, South African National Parks, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Gauteng Department
of Agriculture and Rural Development, Northern Cape Department of Environment and
Nature Conservation, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal
Wildlife, Endangered Wildlife Trust and WWF-SA. The team spanned human resource
management and development professionals and operational managers in specific areas
of work. This is how the task team mapped conservation jobs:
As far as we know, Presha Ramsarup, an Independent HCD Consultant was the first to
The associated
take on the OFOs for the environment sector. Presha trawled through what was then
resource Supporting
OFO version 9 of the OFO framework and selected all possible occupations related to
Environment
the sector.
Occupations –
Selected OFO
Members of the task team, through a pre-workshop assignment, were asked to:
¢
list all conservation-related job titles in their organisations;
¢
review the KPAs/KWAs for all jobs – we also asked them to collate these job titles
into career groupings (e.g. conservation management, conservation scientists) and
Step 2
to bring these along to the workshop;
¢
review the selection of environment-related occupations, as per Presha’s
Codes showing the
selection of related
environmental
occupations can be
found at www.
greenmatter.
co.za.
document (see above), and highlight those that could potentially match the job
titles they had identified in their organisations; and
¢
look more closely at the tasks in the OFO occupations, identify a potential match
between the KPAs/KWAs of the organisation’s jobs and write the relevant OFO code and occupation alongside the organisation job title.
Collation of the input was completed by the task team prior to the workshop to
inform further workshop discussions.
Using the collated organisation job titles with suggested links to OFO codes and
occupations, and armed with job titles and descriptions provided by the different
conservation organisations, we literally worked through each group of occupations.
Step 3
We collated jobs into occupational groups of (i) executive to senior management; (ii)
conservation management; (iii) conservation planning; (iv) conservation science; (v)
information management; (vi) community conservation, outreach and education; and
(vii) law enforcement. In small groups during this two-day workshop, the task team:
¢
reviewed occupation titles, descriptors and tasks in the suggested OFO unit
groups in relation to the wide range of job descriptions they had on hand from
their respective organisations;
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
17
¢
identified jobs and OFO occupations that had a 75% match to related tasks; and
¢
recommended amendments to those that fell short of 75% to either change and/
or add to the OFO descriptor, tasks and alternative titles and specialisations.
Step 3 (cont.)
From this mapping exercise:
¢
260 organisation job titles were matched to 49 occupation titles and codes in the
OFO;
¢
it was recommended that job tasks for six occupations in the OFO be amended
to more adequately reflect what professionals in these jobs do in the field:
Programme Analyst, Conservation Scientist, Environmental Scientist, Park Ranger,
Urban and Regional Planner, and Environmental Manager; and
¢
two titles with suggested descriptors and tasks were recommended for addition
to the OFO: one to reflect professionals working in community conservation,
outreach and education, and the other in law enforcement and compliance, two
areas which are not addressed for the conservation context in the OFO.
Next steps
As an outcome of this workshop, CATHSSETA has undertaken to prepare and make a
submission to the QCTO for amendment and addition to the OFO, as recommended
above.
The HRD Network will use this framework of OFO occupations to explore existing
courses that respond to skills needs in these occupations and to identify gaps in and
prioritise courses for development.
18
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
The significance of the OFOs in
skills planning
SETAs draw on WSPs submitted by organisations to report on the demand for and supply
of scarce and critical skills to the DHET at a national level. SETAs are required to work
within the framework of the OFO as intermediaries in carrying this skills information
from associate organisations into the national context. It therefore makes sense to describe what we feed into the SETA as intermediaries using the same language as required
at a national level.
So, remember that…
…the OFO provides us with a common language through which to understand, describe, collate and communicate skills supply and needs across all economic sectors.
So when we talk of a Permit Officer in OFO language as a Species Protection Officer
(code 213301), the interpretation of the skills need is the same at organisation, sector and national levels.
Some pitfalls to avoid before you start work with
the OFOs
¢
The biggest challenge in mapping organisational job titles to the OFO is finding appropriate occupational titles in the OFO. Remember that you are unlikely to find your
organisation’s exact job titles reflected in the OFO, as this is a generic framework for
all jobs across all economic sectors. What you should aim for is to find the most appropriate match, for example:
OFO code and occupation
Organisation job titles
…a single reference to…
…a variety of job titles used in different organisations
213301 Species Protection
Officer
Manager: Wildlife Investigation
Marine Prosecution Officer
Anti-Poaching Officer
Anti-Poaching Unit Officer
Permitting Officer
Permit Officer
Manager: Special investigation, risk, security and large
mammal operations
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
19
¢
The OFO works with
occupations,
which are groupings
or clusters of related
jobs that perform
Another common challenge in working with the OFOs is that occupations are often
confused with alternative titles and specialisations. Occupations refer to ‘the group
of jobs’ that perform the same or similar tasks. Alternative titles and specialisations
offer alternatives to describing this cluster of related jobs that might be more appropriate to your organisational context and job titles. Using the same example as
before:
the same or similar
tasks.
OFO code and occupation
Alternative titles and specialisations
213301 Conservation Scientist
Animal Ecologist
Conservancy Advisory Scientist
Conservation Officer
Ecological Researcher
Ecologist
Fish and Games Officer
Forestry Conservationist
Species Protection Officer
Fisheries Advisor
¢
So, the organisational job titles listed in the previous example – e.g. Manager: Wildlife
Investigations, Permit Officer, Anti-Poaching Officer – are all mapped to the occupation of Conservation Scientist (OFO code 213301) and to the alternative title of Species Protection Officer (OFO code 213301). Although perhaps not called by either of
these titles in your organisation, the job tasks match those of these occupations in
the OFO.
A further challenge is trying to find a match to the OFO using only the occupation title
and descriptor. The essence of the occupation is in fact in the tasks associated with
that occupation. So you need to compare the KPAs/KWAs found in a job description in
your organisation with the tasks defined for occupations in the OFO to find the most
appropriate match. For example:
OFO occupations
Organisational job titles
213301 Conservation Scientist
20
Alternative Title: * Ecologist
Organisational Title: Ecologist
Descriptor: †
Job Purpose:‡
Develops and implements programmes and
regulations for the protection of fish, wildlife
and other natural resources.
To support biodiversity conservation
in the Eastern Cape through the
provision of sound scientific and
ecological advice and information to
the Eastern Cape Parks and associated
stakeholders.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Tasks include:
Key Performance Areas:
1. Conducting research, performing tests,
collecting samples, performing field and
laboratory analysis to identify sources of
environmental problems and recommending
ways to prevent, control and remediate the
impact of environmental problems.
1. Develop biodiversity management
policies and procedures.
2. Assessing the likely impact that
potential or proposed activities, projects
and developments may have on the
environment, and recommending whether
such developments should proceed.
3. Developing and co-ordinating the
implementation of environmental
management systems to enable
organisations to identify, monitor and
control the impact of their activities,
products and services on the environment.
4. Conducting audits to evaluate
environmental impact of existing activities,
processes, wastes, noises and substances.
5. Assessing an organisation’s compliance with
government and internal environmental
regulations and guidelines, identifying
violations and determining appropriate
remedial action.
6. Providing technical advice and support
services to organisations on how best to
deal with environmental problems in order
to reduce environmental damage and
minimise financial loss.
2. Provide scientific/ecological
advisory service to the
organisation and other relevant
stakeholders.
3. Develop, implement and coordinate research projects to
address priority information
needs.
4. Develop, implement and coordinate biophysical monitoring
programmes to address priority
information needs.
5. Contribute to reserve
management planning.
6. Contribute towards the
implementation of integrated
environmental management
affecting the reserves.
7. Contribute to regional and
national biodiversity conservation
initiatives.
8. Data management.
9. Manage and co-ordinate external
research projects.
10. Engage in institutional education,
training and mentorship.
7. Developing conservation plans.
Notes:
*Ecologist is an alternative title in the Conservation Scientist occupation of the OFO.
Tasks are defined for the unit group of Environment Protection Professionals (2133),
within which the Conservation Scientist occupation and alternative and specialist title
of Ecologist fall (213301).
†
The descriptor can be matched to the defined job purpose on a job description, as in
this example.
‡
¢
Another challenge to keep in mind when mapping job titles to the OFO is the differing
skills levels of occupations in the major groups. For example, managers and professionals are probably qualified at a post-graduate level with extensive experience and
a complex series of job tasks. Other job titles linked to professional qualifications
and job tasks with greater complexity are those in major groups 3, 4 and 5. Job titles
that require lower levels of qualification and involve less complex job tasks would
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
21
be linked to major groups 6, 7 and 8. So one is likely to find a match for a Botanist –
professionally qualified at a post-graduate level with a high degree of complexity of
tasks – in major group 2. A Groundsman, where a relatively lower level of qualification
is demanded with less job task complexity, is likely to be found at major group level 8.
For example:
OFO code and occupation
Organisation job titles
112101 Director
Director: Nature Conservation
General Manager: People and Conservation
Chief Director: Oceans and Coastal Research
213107 Marine Biologist
Marine Biologist
Coastal and Marine Ecologist
Marine Ecologist
314101 Life Sciences Technician
Priority Species Technician
Research Assistants
Bioregional Planning Technician
611304 Nursery Worker
Nursery Worker
Nursery Attendant
Tree Breeder
821203 Game Farm Worker
Animal Attendant
Mapping your organisation’s job titles to the OFO
See the DHET’s
Guide to Using
The DHET provides guidelines for mapping your organisation’s job titles to the OFOs,
which have been adapted for the purposes of this resource. The guidelines herein similarly draw on the case study of mapping conservation job titles to the OFO.
the Organising
Framework of
Occupations
¢
greenmatter.
co.za.
22
1. Getting the right tools
at www.
¢
¢
¢
The first step in mapping job titles to occupations in the OFO framework is to
familiarise yourself with the 2013 version. We have posted a copy of this on www.
greenmatter.co.za.
You might also want to work through the first part of this module to better
understand how the OFO is structured and your options for mapping job titles to
occupations.
The section above on avoiding the pitfalls might also be useful to consider as you
go along.
As in our case study above, some initial legwork has also been done in Appendix
A: Conservation Jobs Mapped to OFO Occupations and the resource Supporting
Environmental Occupations: Selected OFO Codes on the website www.greenmatter.
co.za.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
¢
2. Surveying the landscape
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
3. Finding a match
¢
List all job titles in your organisation.
Remove all indicators of seniority where this does not have a bearing on
qualification levels, experience and complexity of job task. For example, in the
case of a Senior Ecologist and Ecologist, the latter might report to the former,
and the tasks might differ in terms of support and oversight, but ultimately the
job tasks that they engage with are likely to be similar or the same. The same
applies, for example, to the Principal or Senior Field Ranger. However, where you
have a Research Programme Manager, a Researcher and a Research Assistant, you
might want to retain indicators of seniority, as the levels of complexity of the job
in terms of engaging in research could be different. However, you can only assess
this by knowing the job descriptions intimately. This exercise will serve to reduce
the list of organisational titles you ultimately need to map to the OFO.
Cluster related job titles. In the case study of conservation job titles above, we
used: conservation management, conservation, science, conservation planning,
information management, community conservation, outreach and education,
law enforcement and strategic management. This will differ depending on
your organisational context, but a good indicator could be your organisational
(departmental/unit/programme) structure.
Within each cluster you might also want to create a sub-cluster at different skills
levels – see the indicators in the section on major groups above.
Collect and collate job descriptions and organise these relative to the list of job
titles for easy reference.
Work through one cluster at a time. In the case study, we started with Executive
and Senior Management in major group 1 for managers. We then moved on
to potential matches in major group 2, i.e. job titles for which professional
qualifications are required, such as scientists and conservation managers.
Use a two-column table as below. Work down column one first, drawing from your
job descriptions, and when you have found a match to the OFO, complete column
two. Follow the example below:
Organisation Job Title:
OFO Occupation and Code:
Executive Director: Conservation
112101 Executive Director*
Job Description/Purpose:
Occupation Descriptor:
To develop a functional, competent and
sustainable organisation with particular
emphasis on the efficient and effective
implementation of best practice
biodiversity conservation.
Determines, formulates and reviews
the general policy programme and the
overall direction of an organisation,
within the framework established by a
board of directors or similar governing
body.†
Tasks include:
Tasks include: ‡
¢
¢
Manage the biodiversity conservation
team in support of the strategic plan;
Co-ordinate the business planning
and reporting of the Biodiversity
Conservation Division;
¢
Establishing and managing
budgets, controlling expenditure
and ensuring the efficient use of
resources;
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
23
¢
¢
¢
¢
3. Finding a match (cont.)
¢
¢
¢
Ensure appropriate and effective
planning of the activities of the
Biodiversity Conservation Division;
Develop biodiversity conservation
policies and decision-making
procedures and systems;
Manage the biodiversity knowledge
systems;
¢
¢
¢
Ensure compliance with biodiversity
legislation and policy;
Ensure an efficient and effective
operation of the Biodiversity
Conservation Division;
¢
Contribute toward developing the
strategic direction;
¢
Render Risk Management Services;
and
¢
¢
Perform EXCO membership functions.
Note in the second column that:
¢
* Executive Director is an alternative
title for the occupational group Director.
This is the descriptor for the
occupation Director and not the unit
group 1121 for Managers and Directors.
†
This is the level at which the match is
found, drawing on the tasks included for
the unit group 1121 for managers and
directors.
¢
‡
REMEMBER: You are not looking for a
perfect one-to-one match. you’re not
likely to find it. The best you can do is
look for a near or nearest match.
4. Keeping record
¢
24
¢
¢
¢
Authorising material, human and
financial resources to implement
organisational policies and
programmes;
Consulting with senior
subordinate staff and reviewing
recommendations and reports;
Determining objectives, strategies,
policies and programmes for the
enterprise or organisation;
Ensuring the organisation complies
with relevant legislation and
regulations;
Monitoring and evaluating
performance of the organisation
or enterprise against established
objectives and policies;
Planning, directing and co-ordinating
the general functioning of an
enterprise or organisation;
Providing overall leadership and
management to the enterprise or
organisation;
Representing the organisation
at official occasions and board
meetings, in negotiations, at
conventions, seminars, public
hearings and forums;
Reviewing the operations and results
of the enterprise or organisation,
and reporting to boards of directors
and governing bodies; and
Selecting or approving the selection
of senior staff.
Remember that all skills planning and reporting must be done according to the
OFO. We recommend that your matches from job titles to the OFO occupations be
recorded for future use.
We used an Excel spreadsheet for this recording, listing the OFO code and
occupation (using the alternative or specialist title where this was available) in one
column and in the other listing all organisational job titles that were matched to
a particular OFO code and occupation – see Appendix A: Map of Conservation Job
Titles to OFO Occupations.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Using the OFO codes in workplace
skills planning
CATHSSETA’s Skills Development Facilitators’ Guide states that ‘the content of a WSP is
governed by law and, as such, the provision of some information is mandatory and includes’, among others, (i) the employment profile split per job type (i.e. OFO code), per
race, per gender, and (ii) the number of people planned to be trained in the organisation
by job type (i.e. OFO code), per race, per gender. It further states that ‘the SDF must identify both scarce and critical skills at the OFO six-digit occupational level and scarce skills
should be considered against the occupation itself’ (i.e. OFO code); ‘critical skills should be
reflected as specific skills within the occupation’ (i.e. OFO code).
From this it is evident that CATHSSETA, as with all other SETAs, defines skills needs relative to the OFO occupational codes. That means that WSPs similarly have to be done
relative to the OFO occupational codes. And to do this, skills needs have to be identified
and described relative to the OFO occupational codes, which requires a mapping of your
organisational job titles to the OFO codes.
So what happens if I can’t find a match for one or
more of my job titles?
CATHSSETA’s 2010
Skills Development
Facilitators’ Guide
describes the OFO as
a skills-based coded
classification system,
encompassing all
occupations in
the South African
context. It replaces
the previous Standard
Occupational
Categories (SOC
codes). This guide also
provides guidelines
for mapping jobs to
the OFO – see www.
cathsseta.org.
za.
As a sector we
have started to do
some of this work.
You might find the
You might find that in one or more cases you are unable to find a match to the OFO.
When mapping the conservation job titles this was the case for:
guidelines above and
the methodology
used for mapping
¢
¢
¢
Compliance-related jobs, such as Field Ranger, Compliance Officer, Staff Sergeant,
Park Wardens and District Conservation Officials.
conservation job
Community and socially related jobs, such as Social Ecologists, Manager: Social Science
Research, Community Conservation Manager, People and Parks Manager, Co-ordinator: Social Planning, Community Conservation Officer, Community Outreach Officer
and Community Facilitator.
complete the map
titles useful to
for your organisation.
Education-related jobs, such as Environmental Educator, Environmental Education Officer and Interpretation Officer.
The DHET facilitates an annual process of amendment to the OFO. The 2013 version is
currently being used. SETAs interact with their constituencies and then make recommendations to DHET for additions of titles. Through the mapping of conservation job titles,
CATHSSETA, in collaboration with the sector, is supporting submissions for the inclusion
of occupations related to compliance, community conservation and education. In these
submissions:
¢
The submission has to go to DHET via a SETA and cannot come from an individual organisation as it has to be a representative of the sector as a whole;
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
25
¢
¢
¢
¢
The development of the submission must be done through a consultative process
across constituent organisations, as it is similarly a sector-based submission;
A case must be made for this inclusion based on scope of occupations in organisations,
and significance and relevance of this occupation to the core business of organisations
across the sector;
An individual organisation’s needs are unlikely to be entertained;
Submissions should ideally include the suggested occupation, descriptor and tasks,
which we have done drawing on job descriptions across conservation organisations .
Ultimately, befriend and work with your SETA of registration to bring about any
additions to the OFO!
Almost, but not quite…
You might discover in some cases that you cannot find an appropriate match for your
organisational job titles, for example where the job descriptor doesn’t quite capture
the essence of the job or there are glaring gaps in the tasks. In the conservation job
titles mapping exercise, we agreed that:
¢
We won’t get caught up with trying to get the titles of occupations amended as
these serve mainly as a reference. So, for example, Park Ranger is not a job title
typically used for our conservation managers and professionals, but we felt it
more important to focus on an amendment to the descriptor and tasks in submissions via CATHSSETA to DHET. We agreed as a group to live with the title of Park
Ranger, since our submissions cannot work towards a grand-scale revision of what
is a generic framework, but need to focus on what is most important in the framework. So think about what you are able to comfortably ‘live with’ in the OFO.
¢
Where we found glaring gaps in descriptors and tasks, and where we thought it
important to recommend additional alternative and specialist titles, recommendations were made in this regard. For example, a recommendation was made to
amend the descriptor of Park Ranger (code 213307) to include greater emphasis
on reserve management and other conservation areas, such as botanical gardens,
not currently accommodated in this descriptor. The submission will also include
recommendations for three additional tasks that speak to managing assets in the
conservation space, and managing the necessary infrastructure, for example in
tourism and financial and human resource management, felt to be key work areas
in this job. A suggested addition is also being made to alternative and specialist
titles in this occupation to include more emphasis on reserve or conservation estate management, such as Garden Curators in SANBI.
26
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Some advice from the experts:
¢
Don’t aim to rewrite the OFO to suit your own organisational context. Bear in
mind that the OFO is a generic framework for all jobs across all economic sectors
in South Africa. Work towards a comfortable match of about 75% and live with the
difference.
¢
Try to aim for inclusion of an additional title in the alternative or specialist title as
a first step into the framework.
¢
If the relevance and significance of the title is realised, it will grow from there into
an occupation.
Again, befriend your SETA, a good ally in working with the OFO.
The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) undertook an analysis of skills demand
through a review of newspaper advertisements over a three-year period. Three national newspapers were analysed and 125 000 jobs identified. These 125 000 jobs
were categorised into 28 000 unique jobs that were being advertised. Using the OFO,
the HSRC identified 1 200 occupations from these 28 000 jobs and 125 000 adverts.
The 125 000 jobs in this example were developed in diverse contexts, but could be
reduced to 28 000 unique jobs. Further classified using the OFO occupational categories, these 125 000 jobs were reduced to 1 200. This example reflects the potential of
the OFO to work towards job categorisation and greater standardisation. In a small
organisation this is perhaps not that significant. But think of its significance in an
organisation with between 500 and 1 000 employees. How much more significant at
sector level, where millions are employed, and in a country where multi-millions are
employed in diverse sectors.
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
27
Working with the OFO in human
resources management
The OFO is also useful in profiling and describing labour needs in an organisation and
provides a useful framework for human resource management. Providing a generic
framework that requires contextualisation at the organisational level, the OFO can be
used for the following:
Aligning job profiles
One of the key challenges in human resource management is the misalignment of jobs
within and across the sector, and sometimes even within an organisation itself. The OFO
provides the framework for greater standardisation within and across organisations in
a sector through aligning job profiles to the OFO descriptors and tasks. For example, all
organisational job profiles in the job examples below could be aligned to the descriptor
and tasks for the Data Management Manager (code 133103) in the OFO. The BGIS Manager in SANBI will have a similar job profile to the Biodiversity Information Manager in
Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency and the IT 4 Conservation Manager at the Endangered Wildlife Trust, each contextualised to the specific organisation’s needs.
OFO code and title
Organisational jobs
133103 Data Management
Manager
BGIS Manager
SABIF Manager
SIBIS Manager
Biodiversity Information Manager
Biodiversity Knowledge Manager
Biodiversity Data Manager
Biodiversity Database Manager
IT 4 Conservation Manager
Eco-Advice Co-ordinator
Eco-Advice – Coastal Systems Manager
Plant Records Officer
Wildlife Crime Database Controller
Developing contextualised job advertisements
As above in aligning job profiles to the occupation titles, descriptors and tasks of the
OFO, these standardised job profiles provide the basis for advertising jobs relative to the
generic skills defined in the OFO. These then need to be contextualised into the specific
organisational context in which the job is being advertised. This could aid the reading of
and responses to various advertisements through a standardised and clearer articulation
of job requirements.
28
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Guiding performance management
The occupation descriptor and tasks outlined in the OFO unit groups could provide useful guidelinesfor developing key performance indicators in performance management
systems. This could improve standardisation of performance management across similar
positions in the organisations and potentially minimise subjective assessments, a common challenge in performance management processes. See Module 6 for more on Performance Management
Guiding career development
You will find in mapping jobs to the OFO that related jobs at different levels often fall
into the same occupational grouping. This could facilitate vertical and horizontal career
progression within a specific occupational grouping. It could similarly enable the move
from one occupational grouping to another, for example from major group 3 to major
group 2 and onto major group 1. This framework could make more explicit the opportunities for career growth across occupational groupings. See for example Appendix A: Map
of Conservation Jobs to the OFO and below.
Example 1:
Conservation Manager
Protected Area Manager
Assistant Nature Conservator
Regional Ranger
Ranger Corporal
Ranger Sergeant
Senior Section Ranger
Assistant Section Ranger
VERTICAL CAREER PROGRESSION
213307 Park Ranger
Nature Conservator
National Stewardship
Policy Manager
Estate Manager
Stewardship Manager
Integrated Coastal
Management
Urban Conservation Area
Manager
Reserve Manager
Assistant Reserve Manager
Curator – Gardens
HORIZONTAL CAREER PROGRESSION
Biodiversity Conservation
Co-ordinator
Section Ranger
Duty Ranger
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
29
Example 2:
OFO code
314101
Life Sciences
Technician
30
Organisation
job title
OFO code
Organisation
job title
213307
Park Ranger
Conservation
Manager
213301
Conservation
Scientist
Nature
Conservator
Biodiversity
Officer
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
OFO code
Organisation
job title
112101
Executive
Director
Executive
Director:
Biodiversity
Management
112101
Director
General Manager:
Biodiversity
Conservation
The Occupations Qualification
Framework
Three qualifications sub-frameworks have been defined in the revision of the NQF:
¢
¢
¢
General and Further Education Qualifications Framework (GFEQF), which is the responsibility of the Umalusi Quality Council and spans education and training in schools and
further education and training institutions;
Higher Education Qualifications Framework (HEQF), the responsibility of the Higher Education Quality Council and spans academic training at university level from advanced
certificates through bachelors’ degrees, post-graduate diplomas, master’s and doctoral degrees; and
The Occupations Qualifications Framework (OQF), the responsibility of the QCTO and
focuses on occupationally directed learning.
Though this module focuses only on the OQF, the following diagram provides a framework within which to understand its role and function in skills development relative to
general, further and higher education.
NQF
5
NQF
1
FOUNDATIONAL LEARNING
COMPETENCE
UMALUSI
SCHOOLS
WORKPLACE
Grades 1
to 8
NQF
2
NATIONAL SKILLS CERTIFICATES NQF LEVELS 1 TO 10
NQF
6
NATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL AWARDS NQF LEVELS 1 TO 9
NQF
7
NQF
3
GETC
Grade 9
QUALIFICATION
NQF
8
NSC
Grade 11
ABET
4
WORKPLACE BASED
NQF
9
NQF
4
NSC
Grade 10
ABET
1 to 3
NQF
10
NSC
Grade 12
NC (V)
Level 2
LEARNING
CONTEXTS
NC (V)
Level 3
FET COLLEGES
Adv.
NC (V)
QUALITY COUNCIL FOR TRADE AND OCCUPATIONS
Adv.
Certificate
QUALITY
COUNCIL
Bachelors
Degree
NQF LEVEL
UNIVERSITIES
Post-grad
Diploma
HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY COUNCIL
Master’s
Degree
QUALITY
COUNCIL
LEARNING
CONTEXTS
QUALIFICATION
LEARNING
CONTEXTS
QUALIFICATION
Doctoral
Degree
Adapted from
The National Skills
Development Handbook
2010/2011
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
31
Qualifications and certificates in the OQF
Qualifications and certificates in the OQF span the full spectrum of NQF levels 1 to 10.
Learning through the OQF is occupationally directed, as opposed to the GFEQF which
provides for foundational learning and the HEQF, which focuses on academic and discipline-based learning.
The Skills Development Act (1998) defines an occupational qualification as one ‘…associated with a trade, occupation or profession, resulting from work-based learning and
consisting of knowledge, practical and work experience standards’. Qualifications or
part-qualifications are awarded on the basis of competence to perform within and relative to a specific occupation. This ability to perform competently is described as applied
competence – sometimes also referred to as occupational competence – and integrates
three components:
¢
Conceptual knowledge, theory and information specific to a particular occupation;
¢
Practical and applied skills as they relate to a specific occupation; and
¢
Workplace-based experience within the specific occupation.
Learning in the OQF, as is evident from these three competences, is strongly occupationally directed and workplace based and culminates in three kinds of qualifications and
certificates.
The National Occupational Award (NOA)
The NOA certifies that a person is competent to perform an occupation in its totality,
with understanding, the requisite practical skill and workplace-based experience. NOAs
are recognised by their title, which is made up of, for example:
NOA + OFO occupational title + NQF level + specialisation and context
National Occupation Award: Park Ranger Level 6
Specialisation: Reserve Management
The National Skills Certificate (NSC)
The NSC responds to the need for smaller units of competence other than the full occupational award. The NSC certifies a practitioner competent for an occupationally related
set of skills (not the entire occupation). Some contexts in which the NSC is more effective
than the NOA include:
32
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Responding to a particular specialisation in an occupation, for example, Geographic Information System skills in conservation planning or environmental impact assessment
training for Environmental Managers;
Innovation and development might require the acquisition of a new set of occupationally related skills, for example social learning processes for Stewardship Extension
Officers or Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement training for Environmental
Educators;
NOAs might be cumbersome and less effective for lower level occupations where an
NSC might provide a more focused approach in responding to skills needs;
Regulatory authorities might require some form of licensing for which practitioners
would be required to demonstrate competence, for example firearms licensing for
Field Rangers or first aid training;
Some jobs are made up of a group of discrete job tasks and the NSC could respond to
very specific training needs within a job task.
Foundational Learning Competence (FLC)
FLC is standardised ‘learning assumed to be in place’ for all occupational qualifications
from levels 2 to 4 of the NQF and addresses communications and mathematical literacy
required within an occupation. FLC focuses on foundational learning competence to access and progress through occupational learning.
Learning components in the OQF
The occupationally directed curriculum in the OQF has three learning components related to the three areas of competence described above. In qualifications development
processes these learning components are also referred to as curLearning components in occupational
riculum components. Together
qualifications and certificates
these learning or curriculum components specify requirements to
Conceptual
be covered in a qualification or
Minimum
knowledge,
Balance of
certificate. Each learning compo20%
theory,
40% allocated
information
nent must constitute at least 20%
across the
of the full curriculum. The balance
three learning
Practical
Minimum
components
of 40% can be allocated across the
and applied
20%
as appropriate
three curriculum components as
skills
and decided by
deemed appropriate by the ComCEP
Work
Minimum
munity of Expert Practitioners
experience
20%
(CEP – see below).
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
33
¢
¢
¢
Knowledge components must be addressed in the curriculum through identifying
knowledge and theory general to the occupation, as well as specialised and contextual
knowledge and theory.
Practical skills development can be enabled in a simulated work space and focuses on
the practice/practical skills associated with work in this occupation.
Work experience must be undertaken in a real and authentic workplace and provides
an opportunity for integrating knowledge and practice and applying it in the real work
context.
Learning in the OQF is therefore a combination of learning in the formal context and
learning in the workplace.
Knowledge and theory
Practical skills
Work experience
General, specialised and
contextual
Applying knowledge and
theory and developing skills
Integrating knowledge,
theory and practice in an
authentic work environment
Formal learning context
Workplace-based learning
Developing qualifications in the OQF
CEP:
A group of
practitioners
in a specific
occupation who are
Qualifications are developed by a Development Quality Partner (DQP). The DQP is drawn
from a Community of Expert Practitioners (CEP) and can be professional bodies, occupational institutes and associations, employer associations, trade unions, research institutes or the SETA. CATHSSETA, for example, could register as a DQP for the development
of qualifications related to conservation occupations through the Conservation Chamber.
knowledgeable about
current practices
in the occupation
– for example,
The DQP leads the process of qualifications development, drawing on the CEP through
the process for consolidation and validation of developments and decisions made in developing qualifications and certificates. Generally the process involves:
conservation
professionals,
Activity
environmental
managers, scientists,
Step 1
educators,
information
Step 2
etc.
34
Output
Identify the occupation
for which a qualification
or skills programme is
needed
OFO title and code identified,
descriptor and tasks verified
Profile the occupation
in terms of applied
competence (knowledge,
practical skills and work
experience)
Occupational profile in line
with the OFO unit group title,
descriptor and tasks
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Consultations
Community
of expert
practitioners
Step 3
Design learning process
and identify subjects
and topics necessary for
knowledge component
Learning framework and
subjects and topics for
knowledge component
Step 4
Validate learning
process with broader
constituency
Approved learning framework
Community
of expert
practitioners
Step 5
Develop assessment
guidelines
Sample assessment tasks and
exemplars
Lecturers,
trainers and
providers
Step 6
Qualification and
certificates developed
Registered qualifications and
certificates
Qualification
Development
Facilitator
Lecturers,
trainers and
providers
The development of qualifications is a broadly consultative process and requires ongoing interactions with the CEP, who are the occupational practitioners familiar with the
intimate details of the job. It is, however, not feasible for all practitioners to be involved
all the time. The following diagram shows the various points in the process that require
inputs from the broader constituent CEP. These are points at which practitioners in the
field can make their inputs into qualifications development processes.
Steps
Participants
8
Qualifications and standards
development and registration
Qualifications Development
Facilitator (QDF) with QCTO for
registration
7
Develop the occupational
assessment specification
Assessment Quality Partner
together with the QDF
6
Consolidating and verifying
the curriculum framework
relative to occupational profile
CEP facilitated by the registered
QDF
5
Defining learning process and
curriculum framework
Working group nominated by
DQP and within CEP
4
Consolidation and verification
of occupational profile
CEP facilitated by the registered
QDF
3
Profiling occupation for which
qualification will be developed
Working group nominated by
DQP and within CEP
2
Qualifications scoping meeting
CEP directed by a registered QDF
1
DQP applies for registration to
develop qualification
For example, CATHSSETA or
professional body applies to
QCTO
Qualifications and standards development
with opportunity for participation at
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
35
Appendix A:
Conservation Jobs Mapped to
OFO Occupations – 2012
OFO title
Organisational title
112101 Chief Executive Officer
Chief Executive Officer
112101 Managing Director
Managing Executive: Conservation Services
112101 Executive Director
Executive Director: Biodiversity Conservation
Operations
Executive Director: Biodiversity Management
Chief Director
Chief Negiotiator
Executive Director: Operations
Chief Operations Manager
112101 Director
General Manager: Veterinary Services
General Manager: Land Estate Management
General Manager: Savanna Ecology
General Manager: Park Planning and Development
General Manager: People and Conservation
General Manager: People and Parks
Regional General Manager: Parks
General Manager: Operations
General Manager: Park Planning
Senior General Manager: Planning and Wildlife
Management
Senior General Manager: Science and Research
General Manager: Scientific Services
General Manager: Environmental Management
General Manager: Corporate Environmental
Investigations
General Manager: Policy and Governance
General Manager: Biodiversity Conservation
General Manager: Conservation Management
General Manager: Planning and Environment Coordination
General Manager: Protected Areas
Director: Biodiversity Management
Regional Manager
Chief Director: Conservation, Gardens and Toursim
Management
36
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
112101 Director (cont.)
Chief Director: Biodiversity Planning and
Mainstreaming
Director: Biodiversity Mainstreaming
Director: Managed Network
Chief Director: Sustainable Use of the Environment
Director: Nature Conservation
Chief Director: Oceans and Coastal Research
Chief Director: Oceans Conservation
Chief Director: Integrated Coastal Management
Chief Director: Biodiversity and Conservation
Chief Director: Transfrontier Conservation
Director: Oceans Conservation
Director: Biodiversity Education and Empowerment
Director: Ocean and Coastal Research
Director: Integrated Coastal Management
Director: Oceans Research
Director: Biodiversity Conservation
Director: Resource Use
Director: Biodiversity Risk Management
Director: Regulatory and Monitoring Services
Director: International Biodiversity Services and
Heritage
Director: Transfrontier Conservation Areas
Director: Planning and Development
Head: Scientific Services
Head: Biodiversity Research and Assessment
Director: Climate Change
121905 Programme or Project
Manager
SABIF Manager
Deputy Director: Resource Protection
Deputy Director: ICM
Deputy Director: Estuary Management
Scientific Manager: Oceans and Coastal Research
Scientific Manager: Biodiversity Research
Programme Manager: Grasslands / Freshwater /
Fynbos / Invasives / GMOs
Head: Conservation Partnerships and Projects
Stewardship Programme Manager
121301 Policy and Planning
Manager
Senior Manager:Policy Research and Development
133101 Chief Information Officer
Director: Biodiversity Information Management
Manager: Policy Research and Development
Manager: Science Support
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
37
122301 Research Manager /
Research Director
Chief Director: Applied Biodiversity Research
Chief Director: Climate Change and Bio-adaptation
Director: Zoological Systematics
Chief Director: Biosystematics and Collections
Deputy Director: Oceans and Coastal Research
133103 Data Management Manager
BGIS Manager
SIBIF Manager
Biodiversity Information Manager
Biodiversity Knowledge Manager
Biodiversity Data Manager
Biodiversity Database Manager
Biodiversity information management and
dissemination
IT 4 Conservation Manager
Eco-Advice Co-ordinator
Eco-Advice - Coastal Systems Manager
Plant Records Officer
Wildlife Crime Database Controller
251202 Programmer Analyst
Systems Analyst
– with suggested amendment
to the descriptor and tasks and
recommended change to spelling of
GIS in the OFO – see report, section 6
251202 GiS Specialist / … /
Technician
GiS Research Technician
Senior GIS Analyst
Marine GIS Analyst
213105 Cell Geneticist
Quantitative Geneticist
213107 Marine Biologist
Marine Biologist
Coastal and Marine Ecologist
Marine Ecologist
213202 Agricultural Scientist
Reproductive Biologist
263203 Geographer
Geographer
213302 Environmental Auditor
Environmental Health Scientist
213305 Air Pollution Analyst
Atmostpheric Modeller
211201 Meterologist
Meteorologist
Climate Scientist
211402 Geophysicist / Hydrologist
Hydro-geophysicist
Hydrologist
Geohydrologist
38
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
213301 Ecologist
Ecologist
Park Ecologist
Regional Resource Use Ecologist
Eco-Advice
Eco-Advice Coastal Systems
Freshwater Ecosystems Ecologist
213106 Botanist
Botanist
213108 Microbiologist
Microbiologist
213109 Zoologist
Zoologist
Mammologist
263101 Environmental Economist
Environmental Economics
211401 Geological / 211402
Physical Oceanographer
Oceanographer
213102 Biologist
Biologist
213304 Soil Conservationist
Soil Scientist
213105 Biotechnologist
Biotechnologist
263202 Archaeologist / 211401
Palaeontologist
Archeologist
216501 Cartographer
Cartographer
Chief Cartographic Information Manager
213106 Plant Biologist / Ecologist
Threatened Plant Ecologist
Plant Ecologist
Alien Species Ecologist
213301 Animal Ecologist
Threatened Animals Ecologist
Animal Ecologist
314101 Life Sciences Technician
Marine Research Technicians
Ecological Technician
Priority Species Technician
Resource Use Research Technician
Aquatic Technician
Terrestrial Technician
Research Assistants
Biodiversity Officer
Environmental Officer
Nature Conservation Technician
Planning Technician
Protected Area Planning Technician
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
39
314101 Life Sciences Technician
(cont.)
Bioregional Planning Technician
213301 Conservation Scientist
Field Officer
– with proposed amendments to the
tasks list to capture monitoring and
evaluation of resarch programmes
and adding an alternative title – see
report, section 6
Senior Field Officers and Project Executants in
specific contexts
Integrated Environmental Management Technician
Nature Conservation Scientist
Specialist Scientist
Production Scientist
Protected Area Audit and Expansion Scientist
Co-ordinator: Integrated Environmental Management
213302 Environmental Scientist
Remote Sensing
– with proposed additions to the task
list and alternative titles – see report,
section 6
Data Encoding and Georeferencing Supervisor
Environmental Chemist
Agro-meteorologist
Waste Management Specialist
Coastal Engineer
225101 Veterinarian
Wildlife Veterinarian
213307 Park Ranger
National Stewardship Policy Manager
– with addition to unit groups tasks,
amendment to occupation descriptor
and addition to alternative titles –
see report, section 6
Protected Area Manager
Urban Conservation Area Manager
Conservation Manager
Estate Manager
Reserve Manager
Curator - Gardens
Stewardship Manager
Integrated Coastal Zone Manager
Assistant Reserve Manager
Biodiversity Conservation Co-ordinator
Nature Conservator
Assistant Nature Conservator
Section Ranger / Section Head
Senior Section Ranger
Regional Ranger
Duty Ranger
216401 Urban and Regional Planner
– with suggested amendment to
unit group title, descriptor, tasks,
occupation and descriptor – see
report, section 6
Principal Planner: Integrated Environmental
Management
Alien Species Threat Planner
District Conservation Officer
Planner: Environmental Management Systems
Protected Area Planner
40
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
216401 Urban and Regional Planner
(cont.)
Biodiversity Planner
Conservation Planner
Bioregional Planner
Systematic Conservation Planner
IEM and Standards Planner
Development IEM Planner
Impact Assessor
Protected Area Planning Co-ordinator
Senior Conservation Planner
611304 Horticulturist
Horticulturist
821402 Nursery Assistant /
Groundsman
611304 Nursery Person /
Nursery Worker
611302 Landscape gardener /
Nursery Attendant
821401 Garden Workers
Tree Breeder
134904 Museum Manager
Museum Manager
262102 Curatorial Services
Manager
Curator
213302 Environmental Officer
Environmental Officer
134901 Environmental Manager
Environmental Manager
– with amendment to title, descriptor,
tasks and alternative titles – see
report, section 6
Programme Managers in different conservation
contexts, eg. carnivore, birds of prey, wildlife
Head: Biodiversity Research and Assessment
Head: Landuse Planning and Integrated
Environmental Management
Manager: Conservation Planning
Manager: Biodiversity Planning and Management
Co-ordinator: Integrated Environmental Management
Scientific Authority Co-ordinator
134901 Wild Life Management
Services Management
Head: Game Capture
Officer in Charge
Capture Officer
Wildlife Case Manager
Hunting and Extension Manager
Law and Policy Enforcement Manager
Law and Policy Manager
Permit Manager
Boma Supervisor
213301 Species Protection Officer
Permitting Officer
Permit Officer
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
41
Community Conservation
Wildlife Investigation Officer
– see report, section 7
Marine Prosecution Officer
Anti Poaching Officer
Anti Poaching Unit Officer
Field Ranger
Compliance Officer
Staff Sergeant
Nature Conservator Assistants
Park Wardens
Ranger Corporal
Ranger Sergeant
Assistant Section Ranger
Marine Ranger
821203 Game Farm Worker
Animal Attendant
Social Ecologist
Head: Socio-ecological Science
– see report, section 7
Social Ecologist Scientist - Research
Chief Technician: Social Ecology
Social Ecologist Scientist - Assessment
Social Ecologist: Environmental Awareness
Social Ecologist: Land Claims
Manager: Social Science Research
Community Conservation
Community Conservation Manager
– see report, section 7
People and Parks Manager
Co-ordinator: Social Planning
Community Conservation Officer
Community Outreach Officer
Economic Empowerment Officer
Community Facilitator
People and Conservation Officer
Manager: Awareness and Outreach
Regional Co-ordinators: People and Conservation
Manager: People and Conservation
Manager: Community Based Conservation
Manager: Youth Development
263206 Heritage Consultant
Cultural Heritage Officer
Manager: Cultural Heritage
Environmental Education
Environmental Education Manager
– see report, section 7
Manager: Environmental Education
Environmental Education Officer
Interpretation Officer
42
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Environmental Education (cont.)
Interpretive Officer
Cultural Heritage Site Interpretation Officer
235101 Education and Training
Advisor
Conservation Leadership Programme Manager
Conservation and Leadership Training Manager
Environmental Leaders Programme Manager
BHCD Programme Director
MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations
43
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Module
Relevant and Quality
Training
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Contents
Introducing relevant and quality training
2
Training programmes for the environment
4
Training needs in the sector
7
Responding to training needs
10
Evaluating quality and relevance of training
11
Evaluation before training: to inform the choice of training
programme
11
Evaluation during the training
16
Evaluating the impact of the course
18
Planning an evaluation
19
Introducing relevant and quality
training
Various approaches are used in organisations to address skills needs. These include
coaching, mentoring, learning exchanges, peer learning and the all-time favourite – training. Training is by far the most common response to skills needs and has become almost
synonymous with skills planning and development. Workplace skills plans and Sector
skills plans show evidence of this overemphasis on training in response to skills needs.
However, in many organisations training budgets are limited and if budget cuts are
implemented, the training budget goes first. Yet we also hear stories of unspent training
budgets being reallocated, or of organisations scrambling to use unspent budgets (often
less effectively) as the end of a financial year approaches.
To summarise, in the skills planning and development space there is often an overemphasis on the need for training coupled with financial challenges linked to limited budgets,
the threat of budget cuts or the reallocation of funds.
A first response to this challenging scenario is perhaps to consider alternative approaches to skills development, such as coaching, mentoring, counselling and peer learning, as
noted in Module 2: A Guide to Improved Workplace Skills Planning. However, it is important to recognise that training does have its place in response to some skills needs. For
example, as environmental impact assessment legislation evolves, training could support
practitioners to explore this evolving policy framework and its implications for development and conservation. Similarly, ongoing GIS refresher training might keep practitioners
abreast of the latest software advances to enable their work in conservation planning
and management.
Training can also complement other approaches to skills planning. For example, a junior
Community Conservation Officer may benefit from training in community-based natural
resource management, while at the same time working closely with his/her manager
in a mentoring relationship. In the same way, participating in an e-learning platform to
explore developments in the field of agriculture extension might support an understanding of extension approaches used by a senior staff member.
Given the significant role that training does play in skills planning and development, how
then do we ensure that the training is relevant and of a quality appropriate to justify
the investment of time and resources? This module aims to assist you in developing a
framework for assessing the relevance and quality of training offerings, to help you:
¢
Decide beforehand which programme is most appropriate to the skills development
needs in your organisation;
2
¢
Evaluate the training as it unfolds; and
¢
Evaluate the impact of the training back in the workplace.
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Before addressing these guidelines, however, we briefly look at common challenges associated with accessing quality and relevant training; at training programmes available
for conservation, environment and natural resource management; and at the ongoing
skills needs experienced by organisations and the ways in which some of them are responding to these needs.
Too few
accredited
providers and at
times also
geographically
inaccessible
There is
sometimes little
management
support for skills
development
Needs are not
always
appropriately
prioritised
Some short
courses are
pegged at an
inappropriate
accreditation level
for the potential
participants
KEY
CHALLENGES
IN ACCESSING
RELEVANT
AND QUALITY
TRAINING
There are no
providers in the
field dealing with
recognition of
prior learning in
relation to Field
Ranger training
No local training
for specific skills
requirements,
for example,
managing a World
Heritage Site
Mentoring to
support an
application of
learning in context
remains a key
challenge
Some short
courses are
particularly
expensive, and
unaffordable for
restricted training
budgets
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
3
Training programmes for the
environment
The list of skills
training programmes
is available in an
Excel spreadsheet
at www.
greenmatter.
co.za.
A review of training programmes for conservation training was commissioned in 2010 by
GreenMatte­r, a sector-wide partnership programme aimed at supporting skills development for biodiversity. The review reflects a range of training programmes to support
skills development for biodiversity, ranging from shorter, very specific courses to longerterm, full qualifications. The analysis offers an initial list of skills training programmes for
regular updating and classifies the programmes according to:
¢
Name and type of training service provider
Universities and private and public providers are listed in this resource. Trends show
that most longer degree and diploma courses are offered by universities or universities of technology, whereas short courses are offered mainly by smaller private
providers. These providers appear to be mostly private consulting firms and NPOs.
See advice on the
reputation of
the provider in
relevance and quality
indicators below.
¢
Course title
All skills programmes have relatively explicit titles and address specific skills. One
key trend emerging from these course focus areas, as reflected in the titles, is that
all short courses speak mainly to a very specific skills set, rather than to a particular
occupationally related set of skills. For example, some short courses listed are those
for Organic Vegetable Gardening, Horticulture, Wild Flower Identification, Climate
Change Adaptation and Mitigation, and Best Practice in Sewerage and Waste Water
Management. These courses appear to have developed in relation to a specific industry need and within a specific organisational context, defined either by the provider
or by associate organisations.
The longer courses offered by universities are those traditionally focused on foundational knowledge around a key area of focus, for example Nature Conservation,
Bachelor of Science and other traditional pre-service qualifications. Courses related
to specific functional areas that are emerging include that of Field Ranger and Guide.
Interestingly, despite
the various offerings
of Field Ranger
and Guiding, this
skills need remains in
many organisations.
¢
Frequency in offering
Most courses are offered either annually (in the case of longer courses) or on demand
(in the case of shorter courses). Some short courses are offered more frequently, for
example two or three times a year, and in one case – the Global Carbon Exchange – offerings are on a monthly basis.
A key challenge is
the accessibility
of these courses. It
is worth pondering
why this is so, given
¢
Prerequisites for participation
the wide array of
offerings, many on
demand.
4
All long courses define prerequisites as per the traditional university entrance requirements, for example matriculation pass for undergraduate diplomas or degrees and
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
the traditional first degree or diploma, honours and master’s for entry into honours,
master’s and doctorate studies respectively. Many short courses have no prerequisites other than literacy, cited in a few cases, although some require a matriculation
certificate.
¢
Duration of course
To what extent is
Long courses have the traditional university-based minimum duration, for example
three to four years for undergraduate, one year for honours, and two for master’s and
doctorate studies. Shorter courses generally last between one and five days although
a few are of longer duration, for example two months.
an application
of learning
facilitated?
Does the course
structure (including
¢
Course site
duration) enable
an appropriate
Many skills training programmes are off-site, which might have implications for the
practical application of learning in context. Some providers offer on-site training. However, consider whether this on-site training is in fact in relation to workplace-based
practices or simply a training venue on site, which might have the same challenges as
off-site training.
¢
application of
learning in context?
Costing of courses
Cost is often
Course costs generally range from R5 000 to R10 000, with some short courses on
offer for under R1 000.
associated with
quality, but
you may want to
¢
Accreditation status
consider other
quality indicators
Longer courses in the database are registered within the university accreditation system and so carry accreditation levels from six through to nine. A trend in short courses
is that they are either not accredited – posing a key challenge as many organisations
require some form of accreditation to secure an investment in training – or they are
accredited at levels one through five, perhaps inappropriate for the level at which the
training is required.
when selecting
appropriate
training for your
organisation’s needs.
How important is
accreditation in
¢
Contact details of provider
your organisation?
What levels of
The database provides users with the contact details of the respective providers.
accreditation
are required to meet
your training needs? Do you find any of
these options in the
database?
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
5
Think about the skills needs in your organisation. Are there any learning programmes
in the list that might address these needs? Write down the skills needs in the lefthand column and the learning programmes that might be appropriatein the righthand column.
Skills needs
6
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Learning programmes
Training needs in the sector
Following the exercise of mapping job titles for biodiversity to the OFO, as outlined
in Module 3 and contained in the Final Task Team Report for Mapping Conservation
Occupations (posted on www.greenmatter.co.za and available from the Conservation Chamber of CATHSSETA), our next job was to consider qualifications and skills
programmes available to meet the skills needs across each occupational group. The
ultimate intention of this exercise was to inform possible processes of qualifications
development in the sector and in collaboration with CATHSSETA. Taking one occupational group at a time, and considering the specific skills needs related to that group,
it became evident as participants in the HRD Network Workshop V worked through
the list that there is a wide spectrum of existing learning programme options to
meet the particular skills needs at different occupational levels.
In reviewing training programmes in relation to the occupations defined in the OFO,
there doesn’t appear to be a shortage of programmes responding to some of the scarce
and critical skills needs in the sector.
Scarce skills: insufficient people qualified and experienced for required occupations.
Scarce skills
refer to occupations/
competent
21 scarce skills identified in the environment sector
professionals for
jobs that are in short
supply, for example,
¢
Agriculture Extension professionals
¢
Curators for biodiversity collections
¢
Ecologists, especially for marine and aquatic environments
¢
Engineers with a biodiversity specialisation
Information
¢
Geneticists, Genomic Investigator, Molecular Biologist, Molecular Geneticist
Managers, etc. See
¢
GIS Specialists and Technicians
the Priority Skills
¢
HCD Specialists, Biodiversity Education and HCD Specialists, Human Resource and
Report 2012 for a
Taxonomists,
Ecologists,
Biodiversity
comprehensive list
Training Professionals
¢
ICT Specialists and Technicians with biodiversity skills: Service Managers, Systems
Analysts, Web and Multimedia Developers, Applications Programmers, Database
Designers and Administrators
¢
Lawyers with an environmental specialisation
¢
Monitoring Specialists, Species Protection Officers and Inspectors
¢
Policy Developers and Analysts, Urban and Regional Planners with biodiversity
of scarce and critical
skills for biodiversity
at www.
greenmatter.
co.za.
insight
(continued overleaf)
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
7
¢
Resource Economists with biodiversity-related specialisation
¢
Social Scientists specialising in environment, intellectual property and Indigenous
Biodiversity Knowledge Specialists
¢
Soil Scientists
¢
Statistical Ecologists and Modellers
¢
Taxonomists, Systematists for marine and terrestrial systems
¢
Biodiversity Monitors in marine and other ecosystems
¢
EIA Practitioners
¢
Protected Area Managers
¢
Social Ecologists
¢
Wildlife Veterinarians
As noted, there are enough training programmes for most of these scarce skills or occupations. The challenge appears to be that not enough people are trained in these areas,
and if they are, few have an interest in these particular job profiles or the necessary
experience to perform optimally in the job.
Anecdotal insights
suggest that it takes
up to 12 years
to train a fully
competent Ecologist
after foundational
For example, Ecologists are trained through a Bachelor of Science degree with a specialisation in Ecology, Zoology and/or Botany. However, to become a fully trained and
competent Ecologist requires a considerable amount of mentoring in the practical work
environment to apply learning and gain the necessary experience. A Taxonomist similarly
trains through a Bachelor of Science degree, with Taxonomy as a major, but this occupation appears to attract little interest in the academic world. Veterinarians tend to prefer
domestic animals to wildlife, rendering this a scarce skill in our sector.
learning through a
B.Sc degree.
A Biodiversity Information Manager, on the other hand – like a number of other scarce
skills such as Biodiversity Engineers, Social Ecologists and People Development Practitioners – requires the linking of two or more academic disciplines. For example, a Biodiversity
Information Manager requires both ICT skills and a Natural Science background, which
traditionally do not complement each other at universities. Similarly, the disciplines of
Engineering and Natural Sciences needed by the Biodiversity Engineer seldom co-exist
at universities. And People Development Professionals are trained in disciplines far removed from Biodiversity Professionals.
The challenge is then not always to develop specific learning programmes to meet these
needs, but to encourage entry into and specialisation in these scarce fields of study, as
well as to explore ways to bring certain disciplines together in the workplace. Responding to specific learning programmes needed, for example in the mixed disciplines needed
for the Biodiversity Engineer or the Biodiversity Information Manager, requires more of
a systems response through engaging with higher education institutions for curriculum
reorientation or innovation.
8
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
What are the scarce skills in your
organisation?
How can you respond to these
scarce skills in your organisation?
Critical skills: the absence of a specific skills set in an occupation.
Critical skills
Critical skills are a required competency set/set of skills within a particular job. A common challenge in our sector is that natural science professionals are often promoted into
management and leadership positions based on their natural science competence. This
creates a gap in leadership and management capacity among some management staff.
Similarly, skills such as social learning facilitation, stakeholder engagement, advocacy
and lobbying are rarely taught at training institutions and often require training in the
field rather than through a skills programme. This is also the case for integrative and
adaptive skills.
refer to a required
competency set, for
example GIS skills
for an Agriculture
Extension Officer
or management
skills for a Reserve
Manager.
Five sets of critical skills identified for biodiversity
Leadership skills
Management skills
Enabling skills
Integration skills
Adaptive skills
Leadership for
Often used
Social learning,
Working across
Working in contexts
senior and enabling
interchangeably
facilitation and
fields, disciplines,
of uncertainty and
managers in
with leadership skills
communication,
sectors and interests
complexity through
organisations and
but are a distinct
knowledge
critical and systems
the sector as a
yet related set of
brokering and
thinking
whole, towards
skills for effectively
advocacy, mentoring
organisational
managing resources
and role modelling
and sector-wide
to deliver on
innovation
organisational
strategy
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
9
What are some of the
critical skills in your
organisation?
In which job function
do you find them?
What are some of the
ways in which you can
address them?
Responding to training needs
Despite these common skills challenges in organisations, responses appear to be organisation specific. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, for example, has a training academy through which
it tries to respond to internal scarce and critical skills needs. Other organisations, such
as CapeNature, engage private training providers to address the leadership skills needs
specific to their particular organisation. Some use in-house specialists to train others,
such as Scientists in GDARD train others in GIS skills. Other approaches include bursary
programmes to address scarce skills, such as in the case of Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency awarding bursaries to members of communities adjacent to their reserves.
These are only some examples, with many more organisation-specific responses across
the sector. In this broad context of skills needs, some of which persist despite extensive
organisational investment, common questions among managers and learners are:
How do we choose quality and relevant training relative to our training needs and
organisation?
How do we ensure this quality and relevance through the offering of the course?
How do we know that the training has had its intended impact for the learners, the
work they do and, ultimately, the organisation?
These questions point to the need for closer evaluation of the following: the wide
spectrum of training programmes on offer to address specific skills needs, the training
programme as it rolls out and the impact of this training on the developing skills of individuals, how this translates into improved performance in their respective jobs and how
this contributes to effective and efficient organisations. In the next section we explore
some guidelines in the hope of answering these questions.
10
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Evaluating quality and relevance
of training
It is useful to evaluate training at three levels, each of which has a different focus. Although
there are many training programmes on offer to meet the training needs in institutions,
some are of a better quality and more relevant than others. The first level of evaluation is
to choose a particular course. Once the course has been chosen, you might want to evaluate its roll-out to get an
idea of how the trainChoosing
ees engage with the
Impact of
a training
learning strategies and
training
programme
content of the course.
This is your second level
After
Before
training
training
of evaluation. Once
the course has been
completed, the third
level of evaluation is to
During
determine what the imtraining
pact of the course has
been for the individual,
their job performance
and the strengthening
Trainees’ engagement
with the training programme
of the organisation.
Evaluation before training: to inform the choice of
training programme
Why do we do training in our organisations? Almost always, the ultimate objective is
to strengthen the organisation and the work it does within the sector. However, to do
this, we need to work on the competence of individual employees and the work they
do. The objective then of training is often broader than only the skills needs of individuals, though this is the starting point. Training also aims to strengthen the functional and
professional performance of individuals in the workplace.
As reflected in the database, there are many training programmes to choose from. How
then do you know which programme would be most suitable? The first step is to clarify
the objectives of the training, focusing not only on the skills needs of the individual, but
also more broadly on the implications of this training for improved performance towards
organisational and sector strengthening.
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
11
Think of a particular skills need that you have identified in your organisation.
Describe the
skills need of the
individual here.
How would addressing
this need improve the
individual’s performance
and the function/unit/
department’s performance?
Write down the objectives of your training.
12
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
How does this
improvement in
performance support
the strengthening of
your organisation?
Now that you have established the objectives of your envisaged training, how do you
choose the best option to meet these needs? We suggest using two key aspects to guide
your decision making, i.e. the quality and relevance of training.
The quality of training
When deciding on the quality of a training programme, you have to know what you are
looking for. What defines the quality of training?
Think of a course that you recently participated in, selected for learners in your
organisation or recommended to your executive for use in your organisation.
Name and describe the
course briefly here.
What are some of the things in this course that
shaped your choice? What indicated its quality or
lack thereof? Write some of these aspects in the
space below.
The things that you listed above start to define your understanding of what constitutes a
quality training programme. In effect, what you have done is to start defining quality indicators for training in your organisation. These might include, for example, the content of
the training programme, the training site, the
experience and qualification of the facilitators,
the way in which training is conducted or the
learning methodologies used, and possibly the
Eureta Rosenberg, formerly the
link between the training and the requirements
Strategic Advisor to the GreenMatter
of the workplace. These quality indicators can
Programme, says that quality in training
be useful in assisting you to select training prorefers to ‘… the strength of the content and the
grammes and motivate your choice, for example
educational (delivery) aspects of the course …’
to your Executive Committee, line managers or
human resource development manager.
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
13
Colleagues in the Organisational and Human Resource
Development Network offer some additional indicators which
might help your decision when choosing a quality training programme.
Indicators for quality training
Credibility of training provider
SAQA accreditation is not
¢
synonymous with quality. Neither are
¢
qualifications and experience. You
might need to use more than one set of
Accreditation of provider with relevant skills training authority
Programme approval with relevant skills training authority to
offer the suggested training
¢
Qualifications of trainers and assessors
¢
Experience of trainers and assessors
indicators to assess quality of training.
¢
Profile of provider in terms of experience of offering and
reputation as training service provider
Course details
The theory of the training programme
¢
might not match its practice. You
have the full right to interrogate
a programme before committing
your organisation. Ask critical questions
¢
¢
about the course and details, e.g. onsite training does not mean the same as
workplace-based training. The former
learning and the work of the learner.
Responsiveness to training needs and organisational-specific
contexts
Level of course (e.g.. NQF level) relative to level of learners’
qualification
¢
Programme of delivery
¢
Site of delivery
¢
Learning methodologies used
could simply use a training venue in the
workplace with very little link between
Extent to which aims and objectives align to specified training
needs and the organisational development requirements
¢
¢
Level of engagement of learners through tasks and on-course
interactions
Costing structure of the course
Course evaluation
A provider confident of their quality
¢
Existing ethos of evaluation on the course
offering would not hesitate to share
¢
Roll out of theory of course into practice
¢
Relevance of learning to workplace training needs
previous evaluations with a
potential client. You could also follow
up with some of the references
¢
offered.
14
Providers open and responsive to engage through formative
evaluation
¢
Learner feedback
¢
Organisational feedback
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
¢
A systems approach to training
¢
¢
offers the following additional quality
The course itself is an activity system of
interacting factors and processes/flows;
focus on the interaction between elements as
much as, or even more than, on the elements
themselves, e.g. a knowledgeable presenter
will not necessarily engage the learners. Think
of the coherence within and across the course.
indicators:
¢
A systems approach to training
¢
Adult learning theory
¢
Environmental learning theory
These three points might be useful
ideas to take into your engagement with
potential training providers.
Course delivery and design should take all of
the above into account, e.g. selection of
students (how they will relate to the purpose
and content), articulation with the workplace, a
course co-ordinator to hold the course together conceptually and logistically.
¢
¢
Adult learning
Eureta Rosenberg, formerly the
Strategic Advisor to GreenMatter,
The learners’ workplace is a system which
needs to interact effectively with the course
and the learner.
¢
¢
Environmental learning
Learners are part of the course system. They
bring much that is positive and challenging to
a course.
¢
Content cannot be simply and neutrally transmitted – learners need to actively
make meaning.
Applied – learners must see the relevance of content and activities.
Learners need opportunities to interact (with others, ideas, tasks) in order to
learn actively.
Acknowledge power relations and diverse backgrounds and ensure that all
have access/suitable learning opportunities.
¢
Engage diverse language styles.
¢
Language use is not neutral, but a critical element of teaching.
¢
Resources must support and/or extend taught content.
¢
Learning arises from doing.
¢
Work from what learners already know but also present new knowledge.
¢
Open-ended outcomes to learning – often seeking new solutions and practices.
¢
Participatory and egalitarian processes – we are all learners and teachers.
¢
Critical thinking – not to take information at face value.
¢
¢
¢
¢
All knowledge is open to review, but not all knowledge is equally valid (test
and seek reality congruence).
Foreground values and ethics and probe underlying assumptions.
Explore deep transformation in social, organisational and personal values and
practices.
Reflexivity – cycles of personal and social learning – acting – evaluating –
further learning.
¢
Positive – from action to better action (personal, organisational).
¢
Place current issues in historical context.
¢
Apply principles of holism, integration, even when teaching within a discipline.
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
15
The relevance of training
The relevance of training is included in considering the quality of training, but merits
reflection in its own right as well. When thinking about relevance, the question is –
relevant to what? If training is aimed at improving skills and performance, as well as
contributing to organisational strengthening and the work of the sector, then training
must be relevant to the individual trainee, the work they do with the organisation and,
more broadly, the organisation’s contribution within the sector. The following diagram
illustrates the need to consider the relevance of training to the individual, the organisation and the sector.
A review of these
sector
mandate
aspects at the three
levels will provide


organisational contribution to
mandate
sector skills need
indicators by
– for example:
Does the way in
which stewardship
is reflected in the
training align to the
organisation’s vision
organisational
strategy




TRAINEE
SECTOR
training programme
FUNCTION
& ORGANISATION
which to evaluate
the relevance of a
trainee
profile




function
role
tasks
skills needs at a broader scale
qualifications and experience
job profile
current skills
skills needs
and strategy? Is the
training pitched at
the right level for
Stewardship Officers
qualified at level 6?
Evaluation during the training
Does the training
content address the
skills need? Does it
locate stewardship in
a sector context?
Once an appropriate training programme has been chosen, you may be required to report
on the outcomes of the training to managers, executive committees or the respective SETAs. It is therefore useful to evaluate the roll-out of the course by defining key indicators
that will answer some of the questions you might have, such as:
¢
Could the trainees relate to the content of the training?
¢
Were they able to relate the content to their workplace-based function?
¢
16
Were the trainees simply passive recipients of the training or did they actively engage
with the trainer?
¢
Were the trainees able to engage with the assignments they were given?
¢
What were the outcomes of these assignments, and did they relate to their work?
¢
Did the trainees manage the pace of training?
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
You might also want to ask some questions of the training provider, for example:
¢
¢
¢
¢
Was the course organised well?
Was there a clear programme of work and was this managed in the time frame of the
training?
Were the materials used suitable and relevant to the training and the needs and experience of the trainees?
What was the quality of presentation, and did the presenter give attention to the
needs of the trainees?
¢
Did the course encourage active participation from the trainees?
¢
Was the assessment meaningful and did trainees learn from it?
What other questions would be useful for your reporting?
Write them down below as it might be a useful reference when you plan your
evaluation – more on this later.
By doing the
evaluation
yourself you often
gain good insight into
the learning taking
place, challenges
the trainees are
faced with, etc.
These kinds of observations often require you to be a part of the course – sitting in on
one or more training sessions, talking to the trainees during tea and lunch breaks and/or
talking to the presenter. During your planning processes you might want to allocate time
to undertaking these observations yourself, or plan for a colleague to do the evaluation
or factor in the cost of a consultant to undertake the evaluation.
These insights are
then useful when
you need to plan
further training
interventions.
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
17
Evaluating the impact of the course
What validates and justifies our investment in training? We don’t just train for the sake
of it; we have a bigger purpose in mind when we motivate for and initiate training. To
answer this question, we need to understand what the impact of the training was for the
individual, the organisation and the sector.
Improved employee
morale
Improved job performance
individual
Stronger funtional team
organisation
Increased participation in sectoral
advisory
forum
Our colleagues in
the HRD Network
have defined the
following broad and then
Skills needs
no longer
defined
in SSP
sector
Projects are successfully
implemented
Related to
organisational
strategy
impact
more specific indicators
for a hypothetical project
management course.
Increased targets
defined and met
¢ High performing
project managers
sustainability
effectiveness
¢ Increasing
projects
completed
¢ Progression
to other projects
relevance
efficiency
In house training
and refresher courses
for all staff
¢ On time
project delivery
¢ Cost saving in project delivery
18
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Examples of impact indicators
Increased involvement
in relevant projects
Planning an evaluation
The following framework is useful to plan your evaluation and outline the details through
which to collect data to inform it. Work through these details to develop your evaluation
plan.
What is the overall evaluation question that you need to answer?
Define the overall question that you want to answer. It could be as broad as: What has been the impact of the training?
What course would best suit our training needs? How are learners engaging with the course? Is the content of the course
relevant to our needs? Etc. It is important to start planning and undertaking your evaluation at this point as it will help you
to keep focus throughout the process.
Sub-question
Indicator
Evidence
Timing
From your broader question
above, start defining more specific
questions that will lead you to
answering the bigger question,
such as: Is the provider accredited
to offer this training? What
experience and qualifications do
the trainers have? What is the track
record of the provider? Etc.
For each subquestion, define what
the answer would
be an indication
of, such as: course
accreditation, relevant
experience of trainer,
credibility of provider.
For each sub-question
and indicator, ask what
and where you would find
evidence to support/answer
this question, such as: SAQA
website and programme
approval forms, CV of
trainer, website of training
provider.
For each sub-question
and indicator, define
an appropriate time to
access the evidence and
evaluate the question,
for example prior to
contracting the training
provider.
Below is an example of an evaluation plan for each of the suggested stages in evaluating
training.
Evaluation before the training
What is the overall evaluation question that you want to answer with regard to this training?
What is the quality of the training and how relevant is this to the training needs of our organisation and sector?
Sub-question
Indicator
Is the training provider accredited
and registered?
Credibility of the
provider
How long has this provider been
offering training in the sector?
Experience in training
and in the sector
Who are the training facilitators
and assessors and what
experience and qualifications do
they have relative to the training
and content requirements of the
training?
Qualification and
experience of the
trainers and assessors
Evidence
¢
¢
SAQA website
Provider accreditation
certificate
¢
Provider website
¢
Provider portfolio
¢
References
¢
Curriculum vitae of
all training facilitators
and assessors to be
involved in the training
Timing
Prior to contracting the
provider
Prior to contracting the
provider
Prior to contracting the
provider
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
19
What is the content of this
training and is it relevant to the
individual, their function, our
organisational mandate and
trends in our sector?
Relevance of content to
the training needs of the
individual, organisation
and sector
What are the key learning
strategies used and are they
appropriate to adult learning?
Relevance of training
to the learners and
workplace-based training
What opportunities are there
for linking training to workplace
focus?
Relevance of training
to meeting skills needs
and workplace-based
improvement
What is the total number of
trainees who can attend a course
at a time?
Focus on the individual
trainee
What is the cost of the course per
trainee
Affordability and value
for money
¢
¢
Training materials and/
or content framework
Organisational
strategy
¢
Function/unit mandate
¢
WSP and SSP
¢
Training framework
¢
¢
¢
¢
¢
Prior to contracting the
provider
Interview with training
provider
Training framework
Interview with the
training provider
Prior to contracting the
provider
Prior to contracting the
provider
Interview with the
training provider
Prior to contracting the
provider
Trainer profile
Prior to contracting the
provider
During the training
Now complete this framework using the example as a guide:
What is the overall evaluation question that you need to answer during the training?
What is the quality and relevance of learning during the programme?
Sub-question
Are the learners engaged
actively with the content of the
programme?
Indicator
Relevance of training
Evidence
¢
¢
Assignments
Observations
of interactions,
comments and
questions
Are the learners active
participants in training
interactions?
Does the presenter ensure that all
are engaged?
Do the trainees have an
opportunity to relate the learning
to their workplace?
20
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Timing
¢
¢
After feedback on
first and subsequent
assignments
During training
sessions
Do activities flow according to the
predefined programme?
Is the language used by the
presenter appropriate to the age
and experience of the trainees?
After the training
Here is another example and exercise to explore the details of your evaluation.
What is the overall evaluation question that you need to answer after the training?
What has been the impact of the training for the individual, the unit/function and the organisation?
Sub-question
Indicator
Evidence
Timing
How many trainees participated
in the training?
From which units/functions are
they?
Are the trainees able to apply
their learning in the work
environment?
Is there an improvement in their
individual performance?
Is there an improvement in the
overall performance of the unit/
function?
Is there evidence of improvement
in the organisation’s performance
evaluation related to this
function?
M&E Comparison
And finally, for clarity:
Monitoring
Ongoing ¢
Keeping records ¢
Often quantitative ¢
Evaluation
¢ From
time to time
¢ Analysing
records
¢ Quantitative
and qualitative
MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training
21
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Module
Engaging Diversity
and Inclusivity in
the South African
Workplace
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Contents
Diversity and inclusivity in the South African workplace
2
The darker and brighter sides of diversity
2
The scope of diversity in the workplace
4
Engaging diversity in the South African workplace
7
The benefits of a diverse staff complement
7
What of your own response to diversity?
8
A key requirement – a seasoned, competent facilitator
10
Creating a safe space for reflection and engagement
10
Beyond hearing to really listening
11
What then of inclusivity?
12
Diversity and inclusivity in the SA
workplace
South Africa is known for its diversity and is commonly referred to as the rainbow nation.
This rich diversity is similarly evident in our colourful nationa­l flag. Our colourfulness, our
diversity, is perhaps what sets us apart from other nations.
South Africa’s diversity comes in many shapes and sizes. In some cases diversity is derived
from our ancestry – from the many indigenous people of South Africa, as well as the
many settlers over time, including British, French, Belgian, Dutch, Chinese, Indian and
Malaysian, amongst others. With 11 official languages and some unofficial, South Africa
is amongst the most diverse nations in the world. Diversity also derives from a colourful
array of cultures, religions, customs and beliefs.
This level of diversity in the South African nation is paralleled in our work in the environmental sector, where we engage with one of the highest levels of biological diversity in
the world through a number of diverse professions. It would seem that in our sector we
cannot but recognise and work towards embracing diversity at the many different levels
at which it presents itself.
However, the environmental sector continues to suffer the consequences of the country’s political past, where diversity and difference were not necessarily embraced or encouraged to co-exist in any contexts. The sector has a related history of exclusion and
elitism in our work in conservation, which exacerbates the challenges of bringing together diversity and difference to the benefit of both individuals and organisations as a collective in the sector.
Despite the sensitive nature of the topic of diversity in the South African workplace, we
have included this module in the hope of opening up thinking around the benefits for
individuals and organisations of engaging with issues of diversity. We hope too that this
will stimulate thinking and action around how to turn what is often presented as a challenge into a positive opportunity.
All inputs – both individual and organisational – in this module are offered anonymously,
unlike in the other modules in this toolkit series. However, they are all true reflections of
experiences in the workplace as individuals and organisations struggle to move beyond
the negative perceptions of diversity. We hope they provide an opening for you and your
organisation to engage around the critical theme of diversity.
The darker and brighter sides of diversity
Asked in a workshop to reflect on some of the challenges associated with diversity in the
workplace, most respondents point to the lack of mentoring and support in the workplace, seen as a consequence of employment equity policies and some staff feeling less
2
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
secure as promotional positions open up in organisations. This invariably leads to a loselose situation: experienced and long-standing staff leave the organisation, taking their
wealth of experience with them, and new entrants are left to flounder in the dark in
the absence of support. This severely affects morale and can lead to high staff turnover
rates, consequently affecting the performance of the organisation as a whole.
Workshop participants identified ways in which to engage diversity to the benefit of individuals and organisational performance. Some of these ideas include:
Positive rather than
negative approach to
dealing with diversity
Rather than approaching diversity as a challenge in the
organisation, it might be useful to frame discussions within the
framework of organisational performance and development,
focusing on the advantages and strengths to the organisation.
Start with self
Through an exercise (discussed later in the module), participants
were encouraged to first reflect on their own thinking and
actions related to diversity, and then to embrace diversity
and attempt to understand the others’ fears, reservations,
etc. Suggestions included starting with reflections and
acknowledgement of one’s own prejudices, racism, trust (or
mistrust) and then being willing to engage with others around
theirs without personalising the encounters.
Shared space for
dialogue
Create a space at an organisational level for reflection on how
people understand diversity and its potential benefits and
collectively explore ways to embrace and engage diversity for
individual and organisational benefit. Suggestions included
workshop spaces and safe dialogues.
Openness
When embarking on this journey all participants need to know
that it requires open engagement around how diversity can be
harnessed to benefit all individuals in the workplace and the
organisation as a whole. This might require some exploration
of emotional intelligence and how this can be collectively
harnessed to achieve the required dialogue among staff
members.
Building a culture of
learning
Most discussions around the challenges associated with
diversity focused on the lack of willingness to share insights
and experiences. Rather than approaching this as a negative
issue, perhaps tackle it from the desire to stimulate a culture of
learning by encouraging sharing and learning across functions
and levels in the organisation.
Given the sensitivities of our past, these approaches require strong and empathetic
facili­tation in safe social spaces. We return to these aspects after first exploring what is
meant by diversity in the workplace.
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
3
The scope of diversity in the workplace
In South Africa, because of our political past diversity is often reduced to a distinction
between different race groups, most notably black and white. In some cases gender is introduced into the equation, expanding the diversity to four distinct groups: black, white,
male, female. These four groups are sometimes expanded to eight groups when the
race classifications of our past are introduced, to include coloured and Indian. In thinking
about diversity, perhaps the first place to start is to critically interrogate our own understandings of diversity in the South African workplace.
Write down in this space the first words that come to mind when you think
about diversity.
AGE
Diversity in any workplace is a lot richer than simple reference to race and gender. Diversity is also shaped by:
In any workplace you will find different generation groups, from the fast-moving,
microwave-era techno junkies like the Millennials (born from 1990 onwards) to the
more conservative, slower-paced, all good things take time, techno-averse Boomers
(born in the fifties and sixties), and everything in between. Members of these
different groups think, behave and exist in the world in different ways. For example
from good old in depth literature review to answer a work related question to the
more common quick paced google searches of the day. Even within generational
groups, for example the generation Xers born between 1972 and 1989, you would
probably find extensive diversity. Most of those born in the latter five years of this
group are unlikely to have experienced the protest actions of the mid-eighties that
preceded democracy in South Africa, and that shaped the identity and relations of
those who were at school in the heat of the 1976 to 1985 school protests.
Of the Boomers (1953 to 1969), Xers (1972 to 1989)
and Millennials (1990 to 2004)…
¢
¢
¢
4
Which is the largest group in your organisation?
Generally speaking, what is the attitude of each
group to:
¢ Engaging change;
¢ Relationships in the workplace;
¢ Ethics in the workplace?
How can you make optimal use of the age diversity
in your organisation?
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
LANGUAGE
South Africa’s eleven official languages reflect a very broad diversity. The language
diversity in any given organisation is likely to be affected by the region or province
in which the organisation is situated. Although it is unlikely to include all 11 official
languages in communications in the workplace, it is still likely to reflect a fairly wide
scope of diversity. And this is without taking into account the ‘unofficial’ languages
like Chinese, Italian and Russian.
¢
¢
How many languages are spoken in your
organisation?
What are some of the benefits of this language
diversity for your organisation and the work you
do?
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism are some of the religions of
South Africans. All of them help shape individuals’ beliefs and traditions.
¢
RELIGION
¢
¢
¢
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
¢
How many religious groups are there in your
organisation?
Do you have a policy that recognises this religious
diversity in your organisation? If so, how is this
done?
How many of these religions do you know
something about?
Would you be interested in knowing how these
religions shape the beliefs and traditions of your
colleagues?
Of what value can these religions and
their impacts be to you and all staff in your
organisation?
There is also a diverse range of professional backgrounds in organisations: from
Field Rangers and Nature Conservators working in protected areas, to Community
Conservation Officers and Stewardship Officers working in communities,
Biodiversity Planners and Biodiversity Information Officers informing our
conservation approaches, Taxonomists, Ecologists, Botanists and Zoologists – to
name only some of those trained specifically in the natural sciences. There are also
those who trained in the social, economic and legal sciences, like Social Ecologists,
Resource Economists, Environmental Lawyers and Environmental Educators. A
further layer trained in the corporate services, like Financial Directors, Human
Resource Development and Management professionals, communications staff and
so on.
You might have this information from your most
recent skills audit, but reflect again on this from a
diversity point of view:
¢
¢
¢
How many professional (job) groupings do you
have in your organisation?
How many people staff each grouping?
What do these groupings show about the
diversity in academic background of your staff
complement?
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
5
ACADEMIC BACKGROUND
Diversity in academic background can be broken down even further when
considering the institution from which the professionals come. Not all universities
engage particular disciplines in the same way. For example, traditional universities
are considered to be more theoretically inclined than universities of technology,
with stronger emphasis on integration into the workplace in the latter, for example
through work-integrated learning. These different approaches are likely to shape
professionals differently, for example a Stewardship Officer with a Bachelor of
Science degree majoring in Botany will have a different background to a National
Diploma graduate in Nature Conservation or a Stewardship Officer who works with
agricultural land owners and graduated with a Bachelor in Agricultural Sciences.
Similarly, the nature and structure of the Bachelor of Science degree at the Nelson
Mandela Metropolitan University might be different to that of the same degree at
the University of Limpopo. In certain cases you might not even find a match for a
course offered by one university at another university, for example the Bachelor of
Science Conservation Ecology degree offered at Stellenbosch University. In addition,
teaching and research practices differ from one university to another, resulting in
extensive difference in the workplace.
This level of diversity in academic background
is almost inevitable, given that there are 23
universities in South Africa. How can this benefit your
organisation?
These are just some areas of diversity. List any others you can think of in your organisation.
6
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Engaging diversity in the South
African workplace Those in the environment sector in South Africa work tirelessly and passionately towards
a common goal of securing and/or restoring the diverse ecological assets of the world,
and of South Africa specifically. We do this because we know that our collective wellbeing is dependent on this diverse ecological base that supports all life on Earth. Ecological or biological diversity is therefore central to the work we do in the sector – the more
diverse, the better.
Ironically, the same cannot be said for the way we treat our social diversity. We tend
to shy away from any discussion or engagement with the topic of diversity, and many
regard these discussions as synonymous with changing the race demographic of our
organi­sations. Admittedly, in many organisations this is one of the transformation priorities – though not always the only one. It might be useful to reflect on the advantages and
strengths of having a diverse staff complement in our organisations.
The benefits of a diverse staff complement
The benefits of a diverse workforce
Quoting Hellriegel, D.,
¢
Improves corporate culture
Jackson, S.E. and Slocum,
¢
Improves employee morale
J.W. (1999), a colleague
¢
Leads to a higher retention of employees
shares these benefits of a
Leads to easier recruitment of new
employees
diverse workforce.
¢
¢
Decreases complaints and litigation
¢
Increases creativity
¢
¢
Decreases interpersonal conflict between
employees
Enables the organisation to move into
emergingmarkets
¢
Improves client relations
¢
Improves productivity
¢
Improves bottom line
¢
Maximises brand identity
¢
Reduces training costs
Use a colour highlighter to mark the benefits that you can most relate to in your
organisation. What evidence of this do you/would you like to see in your organisation?
Write this in the adjacent space.
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
7
What of your own response to diversity?
A moment for
One of our colleagues in the HRD Network led us through the following exercise to
reflec­t on our own diversity within a group. From this he demonstrated our individual diversity, as well as our various memberships of certain groups. You might want to try this
with groups in your organisation. See the side notes on how to facilitate these conversations in a diverse South African workspace.
self-reflection
Note that the aspects in
the left-hand column are
simply listed as points of
reflection and are not
posed as questions.
STEP I
Your response
Name
Designation
Age
These are just some
examples of our
individuality that can reflect
both differences from
others AND similarities
Education
First language
Gender
with others. You might want
to play around with and
revise these aspects.
Having experienced the
exercise, it is useful not
to explain any of the
Religion
Race
Sexual orientation
Nationality
aspects, for example sexual
orientation, but rather to
allow people to respond as
they will.
15 minutes are allocated
for completing this
Social class
Physical health
Mental status
Marital status
‘questionnaire’, and
it should be done
individually without
discussion.
No. of children
Residential area
STEP II:
We reflect on our responses to STEP I by considering the statements below:
The one aspect we are
most proud of
The one that we are least
comfortable with
The one thing we feel is
most interesting about
ourselves
8
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
STEP III: We are encouraged to share our reflections as in Step II with the group, in no
order of preference
We listen while the other is talking, with no comment
We use ‘I’ statements to centre our person in these reflections
We ground ourselves physically in the space with our feet flat on the ground
We focus strongly on being present with our colleagues
THE
GROUND
RULES
FOR
SHARING
We are seated in a circle to emphasise the community within which we share
Be a witness to yourself
Avoid reassuring others
Maintain confidentiality
Take responsibility for how you are feeling
Recognise and use the safety of the space in sharing
Reflect on the insights and learning
STEP IV:
Reflections on our experience of the exercise
Interesting to see
diversity in our own
individuality AND also
in our membership
with others
Very little
inhibition and though
a group of personal
strangers, a willingness
to share a bit of
ourselves
Even in a group
that we think is similar,
diversity still comes
through
Provides a lesson
in our own response
to diversity
Diversity runs
very deep and often
broader than our
initial conceptions of
diversity
Perceptions are
just that and are
not necessarily true,
particularly in relation
to how we perceive
others
Given an ear with
the right tools and
sentiment provides
a safe space for
expression
Elicits a feeling of
connectedness to
others, as well as
within the group
Even in a
collective, I still am
AND also exist in
relation to others
Creates a
significant selfawareness... of
what diversity is...
‘I’ statements are
profound
Through
expression in this
safe space we are able
to see into our own
vulnerabilities and
those of others
Learn how to
appreciate and
understand your own
diversity and that of
others
A safe forum
encourages dialogue
and allows us to let
our guard down
somewhat
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
9
A key requirement – a seasoned, competent
facilitator
The role of a Process Facilitator is a diverse one that will be important during the diversity process. The facilitator uses a variety of skills in order to motivate people and help
the process move forward.
Credible and trustworthy
Strong process facilitation skills
Sensitive to emotional needs
of participants
Sensitive in knowing
and relating to group
dynamics
Does not hold judgment
Aware of own role and
impact within a group
Can submerge into the
vulnerability of the group,
but also hold the distance to
see and manage the overall
process.
Sensitive and empathetic
Able to hold the
confidentiality and the
sensitivity of group
sharing
Strong social skills and a
people’s person
Open to many possibilities
Creating a safe space for reflection and
engagement
It is important for the individuals in a group process to feel safe. The facilitator plays an
important role in co-creating this safe environment. Individuals in the group feel safe
when they can freely express themselves without fear of being judged or condemned. To
assist in creating this safe space, centring exercises helps the group to connect both with
their inner self and with each other to allow the flow of the process.
10
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Reflect on
experiences
of the space to
improve this
in future
Open up
the space for
comments by
invitation to
do so
Allow sharing
without comment
Share the
ground rules
A colleague shares
Allow
everyone some
time to settle
some pointers to
creating a safe space
for expression of self.
Some
Ground Rules
Sit square in your seat, feet flat on the
ground and hands in the lap, with palms facing
upward to create a physical openness
Guide
the group
through settling
physically
Seat participants in an open circle with no inner
obstructions such as desks, bags, etc.
Keep the circle only as big as it needs to be, eliminate
all open spaces to create a closeness in the group
Guide
the group
through settling
psychologically
Turn all cell phones off or leave in a place where
they cannot be heard
Provide
reassurance
where needed
Close windows, doors and blinds or
curtains to eliminate all outside
distractions
Ensure
all ears are
present when
others have the
floor
Ensure
the silence
is maintained
during individual
inputs
Open up
the space with
a time of quiet
reflection
Be clear in
communicating
the activity
instructions
Beyond hearing to really listening
Another prerequisite for encouraging dialogue around a sensitive issue such as diversity
is to encourage people to really listen to one another, as they would expect others to
listen to them. Drawing on the exercise above:
STEP V:
Reflecting on our own ability to really listen
In random pairs, share and reflect on one thing that you heard your colleague
offer in STEP II of the exercise: (i) one thing you are most proud of; (ii) one thing
you liked least in your profile; (iii) the most interesting aspect of your reflection.
Another exercise
that highlights the
significance of being
How did this
reflection and
hearing from your
partner make
you feel? Some
colleagues share
their reflections.
heard by the other is
Heard and felt
that my contribution
was significant in
process
shared by the HRD
COMING
TOGETHER
Reinforced the
safe space to openly
reflect
Network.
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
11
What then of inclusivity?
During our deliberations around diversity, we explored inclusivity as a way of opening
ourselves up to diversity, difference and change in our work spaces.
STEP VI:
Inviting diversity, difference and change into our spaces
In the same open circle as earlier, using the same rules and facilitator but this time standing,
extend your right hand and place it on the upper arm of the person to your right. Push into
them with a fair amount of force. Everyone at this stage is being pushed and is pushing against
another. Resist the push from the person next to you. Consider the feeling.
In the same circle as above and still standing, repeat the exercise, but this time embrace the
push rather than resisting it. Follow the movement of its force.
Reflect on your observations of the two actions and share with the group what you learnt
from this.
‘Leaning into the push of my
partner lessened the pressure I
felt … this in turn prompted me to
soften my own push …’
EMBRACING
DIVERSITY WITH
INCLUSION
12
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
So perhaps if we open ourselves
up to engaging with diversity
as a positive – as we did when
we went with the flow of the
push – we might experience the
engagement positively, learning
and growing through it and so too
lessening the impact of what we
feel and experience as an intrusive
discussion, thought and action!
MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace
13
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Module
Managing
Performance
for Growth and
Development
Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Contents
Introducing performance management
2
Our common thorn
3
What is performance management?
4
Performance management at an organisational level
6
Organisational strategy: the pivotal point for performance
management
7
The responsibility of organisational performance
7
From organisation to individual performance management
8
The Employee Performance Management and Development System: friend or foe?
10
Step 1 — Entering into a performance agreement
12
Step 2 — Performance review and assessment
14
STEP 3 — Managing the outcomes of the review
16
Life after performance management
19
Introducing performance
management
Performance management is a natural part of the workplace. For many it is a dreade­d,
administrati­ve-intensive event that happens at least once a year, very often twice. Usuall­y,
it involves a discussion with line management on
how we have performed over a period of time
relative to our key performance areas. The outcomes of these discussions generally include being assigned a rating, for example a 4 – described
as performing above average – or a 2 – described
as below average performance. A 3, even though
described as performance on target, is ofte­n not
considered good enough.
So why do we need these ratings? Is it to strut
our stuff, full of pride, down the corridors of the
workplace as a ‘4’ employee? Or is it perhaps so that we can judge ourselves and even
others against these benchmarks? To complicate matters further, we may be told that,
on average, a certain percentage of employees must be rated as high performers, a certain percentage as average and a certain percentage as underperforming, not on the
basis of their actual performance, but based on norms derived in a very different context. And so the infamous bell curve
enters into the equation, to distribute our performance according to
the norm. Once our performance
has been moderated and amended
according to the norms of the bell
curve, the reward system enters the
stage. What bonus is linked to our
assigned rating and does it really reflect reward for good performance?
Although this may read like a horror
story, many can surely relate to it. However, does performance management have to be
like this? Or should we work towards reorienting our conceptions of performance management, our engagement with the processes and ultimately the outcomes thereof? This
module encourages a reorientation of performance management. Firstly, a reorientation
that shifts performance management into the realm of organisational performance as
well as individual performance, and not only the latter. Secondly, a reorientation away
from performance management as primarily for recognition and reward, and towards
this as a secondary outcome after individual, organisational and sectoral growth and
develop­ment.
2
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Our common thorn
In the scenario described above, many challenges are experienced in performance management. We itemise these below to remind ourselves of the context from which we
should be proactively moving away – what we call ‘our common thorn’.
Lack of courage
to deal with
underperformance
Changing
mandates
Disjuncture
between
organisational
development
and performance
management
Approached
as punitive
measure
Lack of job
descriptions
and weighting
Appraiser
bias
Poor or no
follow-up
PERFORMANCE
MANAGEMENT
Lack of
compliance
Disparity
among
individuals
Rating and
weighting
Hierarchical
vs egalitarian
approach
Inconsistency
and lack of
uniformity
Dependent on
capacity of all
to engage
Frameworks
for rating
and reward
Minimal or
no buy-in at
all levels
Constraints
of bell curve
Association
with recognition,
rating and reward
In your organisation…
…which of these can you recognise?
…how can you turn this around?
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
3
What is performance
management?
In one sentence, write down your understanding of performance management:
Now ask a few of your colleagues to share their understandings of performance
management in one sentence.
What are some of the similarities and differences in your own and that of your
colleagues’ descriptions of performance management?
Similar
Different
Professor Sangweni, former chairperson of the Public Service
Commission, described performance management as a leadership and
management tool (2003), and as being “a systematic process that involves all
employees in improving organisational effectiveness and performance to achieve
the organisational strategy.”
This description of performance management highlights some key aspects that might
start to challenge how we think about and act within performance management processes:
4
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Implied by
What it is not
What it is
A systematic
process
A once-off event that happens
in the middle and at the end
of a financial year, involving a
discussion and consequent filling
out of administrative templates.
A system embedded within a
number of related and diverse
processes of engaging in the
workplace in an ongoing manner.
Involves all
An individually focused event
at the mercy of a biased line
manager or appraiser.
A collective and collaborative
process that sees the individual
in relation to the collective
staff complement and the
organisation’s performance.
Improving
organisational
effectiveness
and performance
Focused on the individual’s job
separate from the organisation
and work environment within
which the individual finds him- or
herself.
Focused on collective striving
towards a better organisation
through the collective
contributions of all employees.
Organisational
strategy
Focused on only the individual
and their individual place in the
organisation.
Focused on supporting the
organisation to achieve its
strategic objectives.
The ultimate purpose of performance management is therefore to monitor and appraise
how the organisation is doing in relation to the objectives it has set through its strateg­y
and through the contributions of its various employees. The process of performance
management therefore includes defining and understanding the organisational strategy,
planning how to delive­r on this strategy, appraising progress towards achieving the strategy and reporting on the process in order to further improve individual and organisational
performance.
AT AN ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL
1
2
Strategy
definition
Planning to
deliver on
strategy
3
Appraising
performance
against strategy
and plans
4
Reporting for
further planning
AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
5
Performance management is often focused only at the level of appraisal (step 3 in the
process), which is conflated with performance management in its entirety, and at the
individual level (the bottom half of the diagram). But we need to develop a broader perspective on performance management and see it in the context of this bigger picture.
This requires a breakthrough at two levels:
Breakthrough
from performance appraisal
to performance management
Breakthrough
from individual performance
to organisational performance
e manage
rmanc
me
rfo
nt
e
P
lp
sationa erforma
ani
nc
g
e
Or
Performance
appraisal
Individual
performance
Thinking about performance management in this broader context could perhaps take
away the associated anxiety. It is no longer about me but about my contribution, together with that of many others, to achieving the vision of our organisation. And it is no longer a dreaded event, but a moment in a longer process.
Performance management at an organisational
level
The starting and pivotal point of performance
An organisation’s
management at both an organisational and an
performance is
individual level is the organisational stratreviewed or
egy. It might be useful to frame organiappraised
Mission
sational performance in the framework
against these
of your organisation’s mission and vibenchmarks
sion. Your organisational strategy is
Vision
supported by a range of systems,
structures and processes that
support working towards and
STRATEGY
achieving its strategic objectives – of which performance management is
Processes and systems
one.
Performance management
6
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Organisational strategy: the pivotal point for
performance management
Organisational strategies are normally expressed as longer-term goals, most often for
five-year periods. Performance management over the five-year period would then be
benchmarked against the strategic goals. Some examples might include: securing ecological integrity of biological resources, and ensuring that ecosystem services support
the socio-economic well-being of all. These goals are quite vague, but provide a longerterm vision for where the organisation sees itself in the future. They are also often defined in relation to the employment and performance contract of the head of the organisation and provide a basis for reviewing his/her performance.
Within strategic goals, key strategic objectives are often defined for shorter periods of
time, generally for one year to match the organisation’s financial year. The strategic objectives clarify what needs to be done and how over the shorter period of time, in support of achieving the organisational goals.
Organisations define strategies in various ways. Some simply define their organisational
goals and strategic objectives in relation to legal mandates. A more common trend, used
mostly but not exclusively in the corporate sector, is the balanced scorecard approach to
defining strategy.
The balanced scorecard is a performance management tool for describing, measuring
and reporting organisational performance. It provides a framework within which to
define, plan, measure and report on:
South African
National Parks
has been using the
balanced scorecard
approach to manage
¢
Financial goals;
¢
Customer-related goals;
¢
Internal process-related goals;
¢
Goals related to growth and development.
organisational
performance for a
number of years.
Recently, WWF-
SA adopted
the balanced
The organisational strategy provides the road map towards achieving the vision of the
organisation. The performance management process assesses how an organisation is doing en route to realising this vision.
scorecard approach
to managing
organisational
performance.
The responsibility of organisational performance
Organisational performance is usually the management and leadership responsibility of
the Executive Committee, accountable to a board of directors or shareholders. A CEO,
director or the highest organisational authority is generally the person responsible for
performance at this level.
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
7
Whereas
organisational
performance might
reside in a particular
unit or person’s
portfolio, we all
have a role
to play in the
The responsibility for organisational performance is structured differently in different organisations. In some bigger organisations, dedicated units with several people
are designated to implement, review and report on organisational performance. Some
organisations designate a Chief Operations Officer to hold the portfolio of organisational performance. In smaller organisations, this function is often included in the human
resource function. The latter does however hold a potential risk. By virtue of its organisational profile, human resource management focuses more on the individual than the
organisation. This could result in organisational performance falling by the wayside and
not getting the attention it deserves , if linked to human resource management.
performance of our
organisation.
What does your organisation’s organogram look like and where does the
organisational performance portfolio sit? Use this space to outline this positioning
and to comment on the effectiveness of this placement.
From organisation to individual performance
management
Organisational performance management processes are often disaggregated to individual units or directorates. There they are further disaggregated into different
programmes or components of the units and these are ultimately disaggregated into
individual performance management processes. It is useful to consider individual performance management frameworks in the context of the broader programme, unit/
directorate and organisational framework. This provides an understanding of where an
individual fits into the organisation and what contribution they make to the organisational strategy.
8
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
WWF-SA uses a balanced scorecard approach to organisational performance. Scorecards have
been developed against which to assess performance at different levels in the organisation.
FRAMEWORK FOR ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW
Organisation
scorecard
TRANSLATION
Unit
scorecard
TRANSLATION
Programme
scorecard
TRANSLATION
Individual
scorecard
FRAMEWORK FOR INDIVIDUAL REVIEW
CEO
Unit Heads
Programme
Managers
Individual
Staff
Managing individual performance
An individual’s performance is managed for two purposes:
Performance is
¢
To support his or her contribution to organisational performance; and
also managed to
¢
To facilitate career growth and development.
correct underperformance.
Individual performance management can be reflected in relation to organisational performance management as shown in the following diagram.
This is dealt with
separately as
we encourage a
positive approach
to performance
management.
Mission
Vision
STRATEGY
Processes and systems
Performance management
Work-related behaviour and actions
Work-related outcomes translating into
organisational outcomes
Organisational performance
management
Planning • Review • Reporting
Individual performance
management
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
9
The Employee Performance
Management and Development
System: friend or foe?
The EPMDS is
available on www.
The Employee Performance Management and Development System (EPMDS) offered by
the Department of Public Service and Administration (2007) defines the aim of performance management as
dpsa.gov.za.
planning, managing and improving employee performance … to optimise employees’
output in terms of quality and quantity, thereby improving … overall performance.
This aim resonates with the approach to performance management taken in this module,
which is to improve individual performance to in turn improve organisational performance. We could extend this further to see the process as supporting an improvement in
sector-wide performance.
The EPMDS provides a standardised framework for employee performance management
across the public sector. The intention of this framework is to standardise performance
management approaches for increased effectiveness and efficiency in the public service.
Guidelines are provided on:
¢
the development of performance agreements;
¢
developing strategy-based work plans;
¢
assessing generic assessment factors;
¢
personal development plans; and
¢
assessment.
EPMDS OBJECTIVES
10
¢
Establish a performance management culture in the public service
¢
Improve service delivery
¢
Ensure that all jobholders know and understand what is expected of them
¢
Promote interaction on performance between jobholders and their supervi­sors
¢
Identify, manage and promote jobholders’ development needs
¢
Evaluate performance fairly and objectively
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Though developed specifically for the public service, this framework provides useful
guidance for a performance management process in other sectors as well.
EPMDS PRINCIPLES
¢
Departments shall manage performance in a consultative, supportive and nondiscriminatory manner to enhance organisational efficiency, effectiveness and
accountability.
¢
Performance management processes should link to broad and consistent
development plans and align with the department’s strategic goals.
¢
Performance management processes shall be developmental and shall allow for
recognising effective performance.
¢
Performance management procedures should minimise the administrative
burden on supervisors while maintaining transparency and administrative justice.
Read through the EPMDS and the appendices and identify what aspects of this
framework will be useful to strengthen your performance management approaches.
List the relevant EPMDS guidelines in the left column below, and in the right column
reflect on the aspects of your current process that these guidelines will address.
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
11
The individual performance management process flows out of the organisational
manage­ment framework as follows:
strategy
definition
planning
to implement
strategy
reviewing
achievement
of strategy
reporting
and managing
outcomes
planning
and agreeing on
performance
review and
assessment
managing
assessment
outcomes and
reporting
This leads into three critical steps in the process:
Step 1 — Entering into a performance agreement
The performance agreement is a critical step in the performance management process.
The absence of such an agreement in many organisations is where the process unravels.
The performance agreement clarifies, through agreement between the employee and
the line manager, what the benchmark of performance is against which the employee
will be assessed for a specified period.
As noted, individual performance must be framed within the organisational strategy. It is
currently common practice for the employee and the line manager to enter into a signed
performance agreement that outlines the employer’s expectations for the period and
the employee’s agreement to meet those expectations.
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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Box 1: Affirming an employee’s role and identity
The workplace and how the individual
feels in relation to the workplace
contribute to self-actualisation
and esteem. The performance
morality,
discussions and agreement
creativity,
provide a good opportunity
spontaneity,
problem solving, lack of
to affirm the individual in
prejudice, acceptance of facts
relation to the workplace.
SELF-ACTUALISATION
ESTEEM
self-esteem, confidence, achievement,
respect for others, respect from others
LOVE / BELONGING
friendship, family and sexual intimacy
LOVE / BELONGING
security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family,
health, property
PHYSIOLOGICAL
breathing, food, water, sex, homeostasis, excretion
Box 2: Performance agreements and strategy
The point has been made that an individual’s performance is managed relative to
the strategy for the organisation and the work plans through which to achieve that
strategy. The work plan of the individual therefore needs to be defined relative to
the broad organisational strategic plan.
ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY AS OVERARCHING GUIDE TO WORKPLANNING
Organisation
Unit /
Directorate
Programme
Individual
WORKPLANS
Work plans should
include:
Key performance
indicators (KPIs)
¢ Weighting of various
KPIs
¢ Specific
measurables,
translated into
outcomes, outputs
and time frames
¢ Resource
requirements
¢
EPMDS makes provision for recognising an employee’s
attributes that are less easily quantified and which fall
outside of the spectrum of the KPIs. These are referred to
as Generic Assessment Factors and include:
Job knowledge
Technical skills
¢ Acceptance of
responsibility
¢ Quality of work
¢ Reliability
¢ Initiative
¢ Communication
¢ Flexibility
¢
¢
Interpersonal
relationships
¢ Team work
¢ Planning and
execution
¢ Leadership
¢ Delegation and
empowerment
¢
Management
of financial
resources
¢ Management
of human
resources
¢
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
13
Box 3: Professional development plans
The professional development plan, or PDP, identifies particular skills needs of the
employee and formulates a plan to respond to these needs. Two comments bear
mention here:
Which skills would assist you in
doing your job more effectively and
aid your career development?
There is more to skills development
than training
When identifying skills needs,
we tend to focus on only generic
workplace-based skills, like computer
skills, financial management, report
writing, project management, etc.
Very seldom do we consider other
skills that would help us to do our
particular job more effectively, for
example a course in Community
Based Natural Resource Management
or Environmental Impact Assessment,
or assessors training or GIS training.
In most organisations, training is
overrated as a response to skills
needs. Training has its purposes,
but so too do other development
processes, like mentoring, learning
exchanges, group interactions,
coaching and counselling. See Module
4 for more detail on these options.
What skills are specific to your
particular job profile?
What other learning processes
could you integrate into your skills
development plan?
The performance agreement provides the basis for a review of performance in a given
cycle. However, it also provides a framework for self-management by the employee,
in terms of specifying exactly what must be achieved within the organisation’s performance period. It must therefore be put in place at the start of a performance management cycle.
Step 2 — Performance review and assessment
The term ‘performance review’ is used interchangeably here with ‘performance appraisal’. This is the dreaded ‘event’ to which we referred earlier – the moment when all in an
organisation fervently complete the necessary forms. However, this module argues for a
different way of thinking about performance management and appraisal/review.
14
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Most organisations use an annual performance management cycle that
corresponds to its financial year. This makes sense, as it links strategy
planning to financial planning for the year. Most often performance
agreements are negotiated before the start of the financial year,
reviews are done mid-term through the year and a final assessment
completed prior to the end of the financial year. And so the cycle
begins again… PROCESS, PROCESS, PROCESS
Performance
review
intervals
Rating scales
Most organisations use a 5-point rating scale, as
proposed also in the EPMDS, with 1 being consistent
underperformance and 5 being consistently excellent.
See Box 4
Some
important
considerations
in the review
and assessment
process
Preparation
for the
review
discussion
Ideally, both employee and line manager should
prepare for the review discussions timeously.
This allows time to reflect on performance over
time and engage in the discussions from a more
informed perspective. Line managers are not
preoccupied with performance management
on a day-to-day basis so these preparatory
discussions could be prompted by HR through a
simple reminder.
Some review and assessment basics
Choose an appropriate venue that allows for
privacy.
The review
discussions
Ensure sufficient time to allow for effective
preparation.
Consider a portfolio of evidence that substantiates
performance ratings.
Provide constructive feedback and objective
assessment.
Emphasise task and performance above ratings, as
they can be a big distraction.
Be explicit about a development orientation.
Start with an overview of the organisation’s
performance to contextualise the discussions.
Moderation
Most organisations use a process of moderation to ensure consistency
across the organisation and to eliminate any possible bias in the
process.
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
15
Box 4: The evil of the rating scale
Rating scales were most likely developed to assist in the review and assessment
of performance. However, in many organisations the rating of performance has
taken over from the actual performance being assessed. So the rating becomes the
primary aim of the review and assessment and the performance shifts to second
place, only recognised in as far as it informs the rating. This is a great loss for
performance management, review and assessment.
‘…we have made performance
management about rating
and reward and lost sight of
performance…’
A fair reflection?
‘… how does the rating scale
serve us in performance
management?’
Any ideas?
The lighter side of rating performance
According to the EPMDS, a rating of 3 means you are simply doing your job, on
target, nothing more, nothing less – what you should be doing to earn your salary.
There are many jobs that allow for over-performance and we should motivate
employees towards these benchmarks.
However, there are also jobs where over-performance isn’t desirable. For example,
over-performance for a Firefighter at an airport is only possible in the context of an
air emergency.
Number-based rating scales trigger thoughts of a school report card. Are we not
past that already? How about a colour-based rating scale that simply indicates
over, average and underachievement to alert one to the need for strengthening
performance?
STEP 3 — Managing the outcomes of the review
Performance management is not a once-off annual event, but is preceded by much
plannin­g over time and linked to the organisational planning processes. Once the performance reviews and assessments have been completed, line managers need to provide
feedback to employees and manage the outcome of the review process.
16
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Managing performance outcomes of the…
Overachiever
Overachievement is what most of us hold up as an example in an organisation, and rightly
so, as we work towards stronger, more effective organisations. There are, however, some
challenges associated with overachievement as an outcome of the performance review:
¢
¢
¢
Ensure that the achievement still delivers on the strategy of the organisation. Some
overachievers go off on their own tangent separate from the organisational goals, which
could cause consequent challenges.
Overachievers very often need to be stimulated in the work environment in an ongoing
way. When planning performance for the overachiever, try to identify an area that would
sufficiently stretch the employee.
Sometimes it is important to recognise when overachievers have reached their ceiling in
the organisation and when it is time to let them go. Many believe that all the investment
in the person while they were with the organisation will be lost when they leave.
But rather consider this a contribution to strengthening the sector, albeit in another
organisational context.
Average achiever
This is the ‘3’ in the workplace, the person just doing the job to the expected level of
performance. Do we leave them in the complacency of average performance? Some might
choose to, but this does nothing to encourage new and innovative ways of working. It also
adds little to the growth and development of the organisation. Stretch targets are used
to nudge individuals beyond their average performance in the workplace. These targets
are defined precisely to egg people on towards a ‘4’ or better than expected performance.
Employees are not disadvantaged in performance reviews if these stretch targets have not
been met.
Underachiever
This is no doubt every line manager’s biggest nightmare. Most organisations have policies
and procedures for dealing with under performance. However, before engaging in any of
these processes, it might be useful to explore the reasons for under performance, as they
may not always lie with the employee. Other reasons for under performance might include:
Poorly defined roles and responsibilities – highlighting the importance of the performance
agreement;
These reasons for
¢
Poorly defined or structured business processes;
could be established
¢
Inhibiting work structures and flows;
through the
¢
Lack of technology;
¢
Bureaucracies, team dynamics, organisational politics, etc.;
¢
Skills gaps.
performance
agreement
and review
processes.
¢
under performance
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
17
Performance Management Barometer
Rate your organisation, with 5 being the top
score
Performance contracting and reviews are an
inherent part of the organisational culture
Performance management is an organisational
and not only an HR matter
All performance contracts in the current cycle
have been completed and are on file
Performance reviews are completed for and by
all employees with a smile
There is always follow-up on performance
reviews
Individual performance management is clearly
linked to organisational performance
18
Score total:
Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity
Reflect on the reasons for your rating
5
4
3
2
1
Life after performance
management
Organisations should be striving to inculcate a culture of performance management for
growth and development of both individuals and the organisation.
Phiwa Zulu, a Management Consultant who guided our discussions
around performance management, suggests sharing the following analyses in the
organisation to stimulate this culture. This should be done at Executive Committee
level, among line managers and also among all employees.
Performance Management Compliance Report: Example
This analysis could be
Department
Headcount
Agreements
Outstanding
1st Review
2nd Review
Conservation
Management
14
9
5
6
0
Marketing
4
4
0
4
0
Human Resources
9
7
2
5
0
Finance
10
0
10
0
0
TOTAL
37
20
17
15
0
placed on the Executive
Committee meeting agenda
Performance Analytics (Example)
Business Performance vs Individual Score Aggregates
to explore reasons
for non-compliance
with the process,
coupled with an appeal to
the highest management
level to support its
implementation.
This analysis clearly
shows the link between
Business Targets
(Planned)
Targets Achieved
(Actual)
Aggregate
Performance Scores
Comments
(Correlation: Yes/No)
organisational and unit
Increase park visits by
10% from 10,000 to
11,000 per annum
Visits decline by 5%
from 10,000 to 9,500
Marketing & Sales (3.6)
Guest Services (2.9)
No. xxx
to place performance
100% completion of
all unit organograms,
job descriptions, performance contracts
Only 30% of units
have completed organograms, 50% JDs,
10% contracts
OD & PM Team (3.9)
unit heads score avg of
3.5 on people management KPA
No. xxxx
Increase customer
satisfact­ion index
from 4.0 to 7.0
(on 10 point scale)
Customer satisfaction
remains unchanged
at 4.0
Units with direct and
indirect influence:
¢ Catering (3.3)
¢ Guest Services (4.2)
¢ Facilities Mngt (2.5)
¢ Reception/
Check-in (3.5)
Problem areas highlighted by customer
surveys were xxx.
Teams responsible
xxx. Scores obtained
in keeping/not in
keeping. KPAs & KPIs
do not address...
performance. It also helps
management in an
organisational context,
and provides the basis
for a structured and
informed conversation
on how to improve
organisational and
unit performance.
What does your executive
committee think of your
analysis?
MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development
19
Contributing partners
First published by GreenMatter in 2014
Editor: Dr Glenda Raven
Design: Dudu Coelho