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Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

Human ResourceDevelopment Toolkit

for Biodiversity

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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 creat e a

supportive space for communities of practice in organisational and human resource de­

velopment to meet, engage with good practice and develop key workplace­based 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.

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Human Resource Development Toolkitfor 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

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Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

Module Working Well with

SETAs

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Contents

Introduction 2

All the players and what they do 3

Choosing your SETA 5

Choosingaparkingbay 7

PrioritisingenvironmentalskillsacrossSeTAs 8

Shop around 9

Registering as an employer 10

Registrationasanewemployer 10

Inter-SeTAtransfers 11

Accreditation as a training provider 12

Storiesfromtheaccreditationtrenches… 13

Engaging with SETAs 15

SkillsplanningwithyourSeTA 16

Funding for skills development and training 18

TheNationalSkillsFund 18

TheSeTAmandatorygrant 18

TheSeTAdiscretionarygrant 18

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Introduction SETAs are mandated through the Skills Development Act of 1998 to oversee and man-

age 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 em-

ployer 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 Afri-

can 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 or-

ganisations 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 devel-

opment to demystify the many acronyms used, clarify roles and responsibilities and

encourage more active and effective engagement with SETAs for improved skills plan-

ning and development in our environment and biodiversity sectors.

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3MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

All the players and what they doIn 2009, with the restructuring of key government departments, the responsibility for

national skills development shifted from the Department of Labour (DoL) to the Depart-

ment 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 coun-

try. 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 follow-

ing 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 man-

date spans artisanal, vocational, academic and professional training.

Skills development is one of five branches in DHET, together with corporate services, hu-

man 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 de-

velopment. 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.

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 Minis-

ter 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, how-

ever, 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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5MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

Choosing your SETADo 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 demar-

cation 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)

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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, dif-

ferent 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 train-

ing needs they respond to are linked to qualifications registered with a different SETA.

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.

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7MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

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, wa-

ter 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

and links to the SIC codes

and SETA demarcation.

See below for more on the

process of registration and

inter-SETA transfers (ISTs).

Organisations in the HRD

Network are mainly reg-

istered with Agri SETA,

CATHSSETA, E&WSETA and

LGSETA. A smaller number

are registered with MER-

SETA, MICTS, PSETA and

TETA.

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.

ENVIRONMENT

CATHSSETA

ETDPSETA

E&WSETA

AgriSETA

TETA

MICTS

MERSETA

LGSETA

PSETA

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 compre-

hensive 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 effi-

cient 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 aus-

pices 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 com-

mitted to providing ongoing support to SETAs to address environmental skills planning.

This signified a breakthrough for the environment in national skills planning and develop-

ment. 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 com-

mitting to paying more attention to environmental skills planning over the next five years.

Thomas Mathiba, Director: Sector Education, Training and Development in the DEA,seesanadvantageinHRdNetworkparticipantorganisationsbeingspreadacrossanumberofSeTAs.Thomasarguesagainstshifting

allenvironmentalorganisationsintooneormoreSeTAssothatthesectorhasa

greaterspreadofrepresentationacrossmultipleSeTAs.

Whatifourtrainingneeds

arenotprioritisedbythe

SeTAofregistration?

…staywhereyou

areandtrytomake

environmentapriority.

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9MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

Shop around

Some organisations, like the Plastics Federa-

tion, 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.

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 MER-

SETA 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.

SETA shopping list:

¢ CATHSSETA

¢ AgriSETA

¢ PSETA

¢ LGSETA

¢

¢

¢

Mumsie Gumede, former CEO of WESSA,advises:‘IttookthreemonthsofworkingwithbotheTdP

SeTAandlGSeTA,andnotrelyingoneitheroneofthetwotodrivetheprocess,beforetheMouthatmeets

WeSSA’strainingneedsastheaccreditedprovideroflearningprogrammesregisteredwithlGSeTA.’

Mbali Ngcobo, former Human Resource Development Manager for Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife,supportingtheformerCeoofWeSSA,reiterates:‘IfyouareregisteredwithoneSeTAyouhavetoliaisedirectly

withtheeTQAintheother.’

Nwabisa Ntantiso, former Training and Development Manager for Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency,saysthat,inthisshoppingmaze,‘theWSPgoesonlytotheprimarySeTAwithwhichyouare

registered.ongoingandconsideredengagementiswhatachievesworkacrosstheSeTAsthroughMous.’

Prudence Ramsery, of the Sustainability Institute,remindsusthatworkingwithSeTAsisvery

differentdependingonwhetheryouareanemployerorganisationoratrainingprovider.

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Registering as an employerAs defined by the Skills Development Levies Act (SDLA), it is the responsibility of the

employe r 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 Com-

missioner 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 col-

lection and disbursements.

Registration as a new employer

Step 1

TheapplicationtoregisterwithaSeTAissubmittedtoSARSthroughthesame

processofregisteringforemployeesTaxandtheunemploymentInsuranceFund.

employersusetheSARSguidelineson(i)corebusinessoftheorganisation;(ii)SIC

codes;and(iii)SeTAdemarcation.

Step 2TheCommissionerofSARS,inconsultationwithdHeT,verifiestheregistration

applicationwithreferencetotheSdlA(section5)andtheSeTAdemarcationin

termsoftheSICcodes.

Step 3TheCommissionerregisterstheemployerorganisationwiththeappropriateSeTA

inrelationtotheSICcodesandtheorganisation’scorebusiness.

Step 4TheCommissionerrecordstheemployerorganisation’sregistrationontheSdl

employersdatabase,whichisusedtomanagethecollectionanddisbursementof

theskillslevy.

Step 5TheCommissionerinformstheemployerorganisationofregistrationthrougha

SARSform,theEmployees Tax: Notice of Registration.

Step 6SkillslevyallocationsaremadeaccordingtolistingsontheSdlemployers

database.

Step 7

TheSeTAverifiesregistrationofthenewemployerorganisationontheSdl

employersdatabaseforcorrectSeTAallocation,usingtheemployer’score

businessasperbusinessregistrationandSICcodes.IftheSeTAhasgroundsforthe

classificationbeingincorrect,itsubmitsanappealtodHeTforreclassification.

Step 8

TheSeTAacknowledgestheclassificationinwritingandinformstheemployerof

thechamber,chambercodeandgrantsystemtowhichithasbeenallocated.If

theemployerhasanygroundsforconsideringtheallocationtobeincorrect,itcan

submitanappealtothedirectorGeneral:dHeT.

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11MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

Inter-SETA transfers

Step 1SeTAsreceiveapplicationsforISTsbetweenAprilandJuneofeachyear.employers

registertheinteresttotransferfromtheSeTAofcurrentregistration.

Step 2TheSeTAverifiestheapplicationandensuresthattheemployerorganisation’s

corebusinessisinlinewiththeSICcodesandtheSeTAdemarcationtowhichitis

requestingtransfer.

Step 3

IftheapplicationforregistrationisapprovedbytheSeTA,itisforwardedtothe

dHeTwitharecommendationfortransfer.Ifnot,theemployerorganisationis

entitledtoawrittenexplanationofwhytheapplicationhasnotbeenapproved.

TheemployerorganisationhastherighttoappealagainsttheSeTAdecisiontothe

dHeTusingprescribedappealforms.

Step 4dHeTverifiestheapplicationandrecommendationrelativetotheorganisation’s

corebusiness,theSICcodesandtheSeTAdemarcation,andforwardsthe

applicationwithrecommendationtotheCommissionerofSARS.

Step 5TheCommissionerwillapprovetheapplicationandreclassificationonlyifsatisfied

thattheskillslevyispaiduptodate.onceapproved,thetransferisrecordedon

theSdlemployersdatabase.

Step 6

dHeTisresponsibleforcommunicatingthetransfertobothSeTAs.Thenew

SeTAacknowledgesthetransferandcommunicatesitscodesandsystemstothe

employerorganisation.ThenewSeTAliaiseswiththepreviousSeTAregarding

employeeinformation.

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 ac-

cording to the SOPs on inter-SETA transfer

of skills levies. Theoretically, ISTs sound

quite straightforward. However, consider-

ing the many role players involved and the

challenges of skills development, it might

be best to heed the advice of colleagues:

SANBI was provisionally registered with CATH SSETA (formerly Theta), given its

tourism focus linked to conservation. Taking this directive from SARS, it cemented

registration with CATHSSETA. However, learning programme provision in CATHS-

SETA 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.

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.

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Accreditation as a training providerThe Skills Development Act (SDA) of 1998 requires ETQAs in each SETA ‘to accredit con-

stituent providers for specific standards and qualifications registered on the NQF’ for

quality assurance of training provision. SETAs define a three-phase process of accredit-

ing 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 ac-

credited. These include:

¢ registration as a service provider;

¢ providing evidence of sound financial and organisational structure to deliver the pro-

posed learning programmes; and

¢ providing evidence of the development and implementation of rigorous quality man-

agement systems.

Phase AExpression of

Intent

ProviderssubmitanexpressionofintenttotheSeTAto

registerasatrainingprovider.Thisexpressionofintent

issubmittedontherelevantformsandfocusesonthe

businessregistrationstatusoftheentity,theorganisational

structure,financialviability,availableresourcesand

theintendedscopeofprovision.TheSeTAassessesthe

organisationalandfinancialfeasibilityoftheproviderto

offertheproposedscopeoftraining.

Phase BApplication for

Accreditation

WithSeTAapproval,theprovidersubmitsaformal

applicationforaccreditation.Thisisaccompaniedby

aportfolioofevidencetosupporttheapplication.All

SeTAsprovideguidelinesforcompilingtheseportfoliosof

evidence,whichincludeevidenceof:

¢ organisationalstructure(andmanagementofquality,

programmedesign,development,assessmentand

moderation,staffandadministration);

¢ financial,administrativeandphysicalresources,including

staff;and

¢ detailsofprogrammedesign,developmentand

assessment.

SeTAsencourageproviderstoundertakeaself-evaluation

throughthedevelopmentofaportfolioofevidence.Thisis

followedbyadesktopevaluationbytheSeTA.

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13MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

Phase COn-site

Evaluation

TheSeTAverifiesPhaseBwithanon-siteevaluation

withtheprovider.SeTAthenaccreditstheproviderfora

minimumoftwoyears,accordingtoCATHSSeTAguidelines.

eTdPSeTAaccreditsprovidersforthreeyearstocoincide

withthereviewperiodofqualifications.Theproviderthen

hastoreregisterasaprovider.

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 con-

tent, materials, assessment, alignment to

unit standards, etc.

The Wildlife and Environment Society of

South Africa (WESSA) submitted its inten-

tion to become accredited and received a

self-evaluation pack to guide the develop-

ment of the application. As a requirement

for accreditation they had to develop a

quality management system which Jona-

than Wigley – a trainer with the organisation

– 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.

Adamsaysthat,‘ourapplicationonlyincluded

oneunitstandard…purposelydonetosimplify

analreadycomplicatedprocess…wehadthe

trainingmaterialsandassessmentsonhandsoit

madethingsslightlyeasier.’

likeeWT,Jonathan says,‘Wewereonly

accreditedtooffertheeTdPlevel5qualification

…wearecurrentlyexpandingourscope.’

Prudence Ramsery of the Sustainability Institute,withreferencetotheiraccreditationjourneyadvisesthefollowinginresponsetothechallengeoflengthy

processesandhighstaffturnover:‘Keepapapertrailasareferenceincasepeople

moveonandnewpeoplepickuptheprocessmidway.’

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14 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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.

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:

Nwabisa Ntantiso, formerly Training and Development Manager for Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency,scoutstheCATHSSeTAwebsiteabouteverytwoweeksforpeopletoengagewithandupcomingeventsandprojects

withwhichtheycangetinvolved.

Jonathan Wigley, from the SustainEd Unit at WESSA,sharesthat

accreditationwasapprovedonfirstsubmissionoftheapplication,whichisveryrare

intheSeTAlandscape.

Someexamplesofbuildingandmaintainingtheserelationshipsinclude:

¢ invitingtheeTdPSeTAQualificationsdevelopmentManagertoastrategic

planningsessiontoreviewandrevisetheeTdPlevel5qualification;and

¢ ongoingengagementswithlGSeTAtoappointWeSSAasanInstituteforSector

andoccupationalexcellence.

Mumsie Gumede, former CEO,saysthatthreemonthsisallittooktocement

aMoubetweeneTdPSeTAandlGSeTAtoenabletheofferingofskillstraininginthe

localmunicipalities.

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15MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

Engaging with SETAsA priority identified at the second Network meeting was the need for increased represen-

tation 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 gover-

nance. 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 devel-

opment, 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 Environmen-

tal 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.

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16 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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.

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.

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 organ-

ised 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.

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17MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

SECTOR SKILLS PLANSSSPs 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.

WorkplaceSkills Plans

NSDS III

THE EPICENTREFOR SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT

… if it is not in the WSP, it

won’t be in the SSP – and

it will most likely not be

funded

The NSDS proposes broad strategic goals to direct sec-

tor 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.

WSPs are developed by and within individual organisa-

tions. 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.

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18 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Funding for skills development and trainingThe 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 vul-

nerable 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 train-

ing 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 Train-

ing (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 ap-

proval from the SETA Board.

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19MODULE 1 – Working Well with SETAs

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),appliedforparticipationinanABeTprogrammethatwasadvertisedontheCATHSSeTAwebsite.

Theprogrammewasfundedasaspecialprojectfromthediscretionarygrantfund.

eCPTAreceivedR2.6millionforABeTtrainingforstaff.Sinceatrainingproviderhad

beenappointedbyCATHSSeTA,eCPTAhadlittlevoiceorcontroloverthequalityand

ultimaterolloutoftheprogramme.

Dennis Mtsweni, in Water Services: Sector Development in the DWA,describesaproposalsubmittedtothelGSeTAtoexplorewaysofimproving

skillsinthewaterandwastewatertreatmentworks.ThroughaMoubetween

lGSeTAanddWA,adiscretionarygrantofR40millionwasapprovedfortrainingin

Gauteng.dWAwassubsequentlyrequestedtosubmitproposalsforfurtherrollout

ofthetrainingintootherprovinces.Theseproposalswereapprovedandtrainingwas

scheduledforstart-upinFebruary2011.

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.

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Module Improved Workplace

Skills Planning

Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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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

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Workplace skills plansWorkplace 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 ad-

dress 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 organi-

sations in strengthening the processes through which they develop WSPs, with the ulti-

mate 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 ad-

dressed 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.

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3MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

Challenges in workplace skills planningMany human resource management and development professionals agree that various

challenges are experienced during workplace skills planning. Some of these occur at an or-

ganisational level and others at the sector skills planning level in the SETAs. These profes-

sionals 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 sugges-

tions 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 de-

velopment and future anticipated skills needs.

¢ Skills development and training is sometimes not

viewed as a strategic priority and at times lacks ex-

ecutive and broader management buy-in and sup-

port.

¢ 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, rep-

resentivity and engagement.

¢ Many WSPs reflect generic workplace-based skills

needs, like computer training, financial manage-

ment and report writing, among others, and criti-

cal 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 frequent-

ly outsourced to consultants and not institution-

alised 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 rela-

tive to course offerings marketed by training pro-

viders.

¢ Few organisations have skills planning and de-

velopment quality management systems, which

might result in poorer quality approaches to defin-

ing and addressing skills needs.

¢ Few organisations’ skills needs are defined in rela-

tion to the Organising Framework for Occupations

(OFO) used by the SETAs, which then results in a

misalignment of skills needs defined at an organi-

sational 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 reflect-

ing on issues of quality.

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Preparing the workplace for learningColleagues who have developed a number of annual WSPs advise us to prepare the in-

ternal 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 se-

curing the necessary financial and human resources to facilitate the timeous develop-

ment and submission of the WSP.

Registering a Skills Development Facilitator (SDF)

The SDF is responsible for providing strategic guidance, support and management to the organisation in devel-

oping and implementing a skills planning and development strategy. Key responsibilities of the SDF include:

Trish Persad from South African Weather Services (SAWS), whohasextensiveexperienceinworkingwithSeTAs,advisesregisteringanSdFas

soonaspossibleandusingtheSeTAtrainingsystems

toensurethedevelopmentofcapacityfortheSdFto

leadskillsdevelopmentinyourorganisation.

All SETAs require organisations to nomi-

nate 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 registra-

tion. The SDF could be an employee of

the organisation or an external consultant

who represents more than one employer

organisation.

¢ Facilitating the process of identifying key organi-

sational skills needs to meet the organisation’s

mandate;

¢ Undertaking a skills audit in relation to the iden-

tified needs to pinpoint immediate, medium-term

and long-term skills gaps in the organisation;

¢ Defining a range of skills development strategies

to address skills needs in the immediate, medium

and long term;

¢ Developing an annual WSP, ensuring its endorse-

ment in the organisation and submitting it time-

ously to the SETA of registration;

¢ Overseeing, supporting and quality assuring the

implementation of skills development interven-

tions to meet the immediate skills needs as de-

fined in the WSP;

¢ Monitoring and evaluating skills development in

the organisation relative to needs and reporting

to the SETA through the ATR;

¢ Liaising with the SETA around access to the discre-

tionary grant and facilitating the development and

submission of appropriate proposals to access this

grant.

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5MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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 plan-

ning and development needs of the organisation.

Unit Standard Registration

NumberTitle of Unit Standard

114924demonstrateanunderstandingofoutcomes-basededucationinthe

NationalQualificationsFramework

15217 developanorganisationaltraininganddevelopmentplan

15218Conductananalysistodeterminetheoutcomeofskillsdevelopment

interventions

15227 undertakeskillsdevelopmentadministration

15228Adviseontheestablishmentandimplementationofaquality

managementsystemandskillsdevelopmentpractices

15232 Co-ordinateplannedskillsdevelopmentinterventions

Alma Johnson, Deputy Director: Human Resource Development for Mpumalanga Economic Development, Environment and Tourism, outlinesthefollowingadditionalresponsibilitiesoftheSdFinherorganisation:

¢ Facilitatethecareerdevelopmentofemployeesin

theorganisation;

¢ Identify,evaluateandadviseemployees

andemployeronexternalandinternalskills

developmentstrategies;

¢ Setupandmanagetheskillsdevelopment

committee;

¢ Alignhumanresourcepolicytoskillsdevelopment;

¢ Supportthedevelopmentandimplementationofa

developmentalperformancemanagementsystem;

¢ Facilitateprocessesofrecognitionofpriorlearning

andenableformalisationofqualifications;

¢ Managetheuptakeoflearnerships,skills

developmentprogrammesandotherskills

developmentinterventions

initiatedthroughtheSeTA.

TheSAQAwebsite

www.saqa.co.zahasmoredetailson

theunitstandards

offeredbytheeTdP

SeTA.

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Setting up a training committee

The Skills Development Act requires skills planning and development to be representa-

tive and take place through extensive stakeholder consultation across the organisation.

The training committee, sometimes called Skills Planning Committee (SPC) or Work-

place Training Committee (WTC), is responsible for facilitating this representivity and

consultatio n.

The training committee must represent both employer and employee interests. All

SETA s suggest the inclusion of employee representative bodies on this training commit-

tee, as well as a representative for non-unionised employees. CATHSSETA, for example,

requires a training committee of at least five members, with two representing manage-

ment, two representing employees and the SDF as the fifth person.

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 min-

utes 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.

ThepersonalandprofessionalattributesthatAlmasuggestsfortheSdFinclude:

¢ organisationalauthority

¢ Maturity

¢ Credibility

¢ Assertiveness

¢ Flexibility

¢ Strongleadershipskills

¢ Astronginterestinpeople

development.

Forefficient

functioningof

representative

bodies,thetraining

committeeoften

doublesupasthe

Employment Equity

Committee.

¢ Strongorganisationalskills

¢ Self-motivation

¢ Problem-solvingskills

¢ Abilitytobesupportive

¢ Strongcommunicationsskills

Because the nature, size and structure of or-

ganisations differ, it is difficult to define ge-

neric guidelines for constituting the training

committee. However, a key guideline is to

ensure representation at all levels of man-

agement 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

Desiree English, formerly the Senior Manager for Human Resource Development and Utili zation at Cape Nature, tellsusitisimportanttoensure

representivityacrossmanagementlevels,including

executiveandseniormanagementlevels,toensure

thecredibilityofthetrainingcommittee.

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7MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

Rene Du Toit, SANBI’s Deputy Director for Training and Development, sharesthefollowingguidelinesforestablishingthetrainingcommittee:

¢ SANBI’strainingcommitteeiscoupledtoitsemploymentequitycommittee,calledtheemploymentequity

TrainingCommittee(eeTC);

¢ GuidelinesforrepresentationontheeeTCincluderepresentationfor:

¢ differentoccupationallevels,i.e.managementandemployeelevels;

¢ differentoccupationalcategories,i.e.functionallevels,e.g.research,education,gardens,bioregional

programmes,corporateservices,etc.;

¢ employeeunionrepresentative;

¢ regionalsites–SANBIhasninegardensacrossprovincesandrequiresrepresentationfromallthesesites;

regionalsiterepresentationmustbecoupledtothepreviousthreebulletedpoints;

¢ theemploymentequityManager,whoservesasthechairpersonforthecommittee;

¢ theemploymentequityCo-ordinator;

¢ theSdF;

¢ asecretaryfromtheHumanResourcedivision;

¢ ThesizeoftheeeTCwiththeseguidelinesforrepresentationis13members,withtheeeManager,eeCo-

ordinator,SdF,secretaryandnineregionalrepresentativesacrossmanagementandfunctionallevelsand

employeeunions;

¢ These13membersshouldberepresentativeintermsofgender,racegroupsandpeoplewithdisabilities;

¢ TenureofofficefortheeeTCisthreeyearsfromdateofelection,whichisausefultimeframetoensure

continuity;

¢ objectivesoftheeeTCwithrespecttoemploymentequityare:

¢ toachieveandmaintaineffectiveeetransformationatSANBI;

¢ toensurecompliancewithallrelevantlegislation;

¢ objectivesoftheeeTCwithrespecttoskillsdevelopmentandtrainingaretoconsiderandgiveinputinto:

¢ theidentificationofstrategicskillsdevelopmentpriorities;

¢ theprocesstobefollowedinthedevelopmentoftheWSP;

¢ SANBI’sproposedyearlyWSPandtheneedforitto:

¢ complywiththerequirementsoftheCATHSSeTA;

¢ bebasedonagapanalysisbetweenthecompetencyrequirementsoftheposition(existingandfuture),

andtheassessedcompetencyofeverystaffmember;

¢ beintegratedwithotherhumanresourcedevelopmentinitiativessuchastheemploymentequityPlan,

careerdevelopmentplansandsuccessionplans;

¢ befairandbenefitallraceandgendergroups,categoriesandlevels;

¢ bealignedwithnationalandsectorskillstargets;

across all key directorates and/or departments in the organisation. Ultimately, the guid-

ing principle is to give voice to all levels and functions of job profiles in the organisation.

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ theproposedimplementation,monitoringandreviewmechanismsoftheWSPforeachyear;

¢ thedraftATRandtherequirementsoftheCATHSSeTAinthisregardforeachyear;

¢ ThesedetailsofthecompositionandfunctioningoftheeeTCarecontainedinofficialtermsofreference,

whichalsoincludedetailsof:

¢ thenumberofmeetingsandmeetingprocedures;

¢ members’codeofconduct;

¢ confidentialityanddisclosureofinformation;

¢ processingofdecisions;

¢ disputeresolution.

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 bud-

get 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 al-

ways 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 ap-

plication of learning in the work context.

Trish Persad, Senior Manager for Human Capital Development at South African Weather Services (SAWS),sharesaPowerPointpresentationthatshepresentstoseniormanagementinher

organisationtosecuresupportforskillsplanninganddevelopment.Theoutlineincludes:

¢ Astatementontheimportanceofidentifyingandrespondingtotrainingneedstomeettheperformance

standardsoftheorganisation;

¢ Thelevelofpotentialskillstrainingneedsatindividual,occupationalandorganisationallevels;

¢ TheresponsibilityforskillstrainingfromtheHRdManager,inconsultationwithseniormanagementandall

employees;

¢ Thetrainingcommittee,itscomposition,competencerequirements,rolesandresponsibilities;

¢ Internalprocessesofidentifyingneedsandrespondingtothem;and

¢ AflowdiagramthatshowsthepathoftheWSPintotheSSPandontotheNSdSIII.

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9MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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 in-

dividual 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 inter-

ventions 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.

Workplace Skills Plans feed into the SSPs. They make a significant contribution to iden-

tifying 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 five-

year 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.

SSP

NSDS III

ESSP

WSP

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 con-

tribution 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 En-

vironmental Sector Skills Plan (ESSP) – see

below – a resource was developed by a Na-

tional Environmental Skills Planning Forum

(NESPF) to guide SETAs in integrating the

environmental driver and environmental

scarce and critical skills into the SSPs.

An Enabling Document for All SETAs starts with an

introduction of new opportunities and challenges asso-

ciated with green growth and sustainability against the

backdrop of climate change, energy shortages, natural

resource degradation and other environmental chal-

lenges. It also then highlights the implications of this

context for developing new skills and reorienting ex-

isting skills to enable sustainable growth in the South

African economy. It provides a five-page spread of driv-

ers and potential environmental skills needs relevant

to each of the SETAs , as indicated in the outline below:

Thomas Mathiba, Director: Sector Education, Training and Development, Department of Environmental Affairs,saysthedeAistheonlygovernmentdepartment

tohaveenteredintosystemicengagementwith

skillsdevelopmentatanationallevel.

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.

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11MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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

Plannin g Forum also availed themselves to work directly with SETAs to ensure integra-

tion 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 devel-

opment 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 (HRDS-

SA) 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 inter-

ventions, 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.

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

The Environmental Sector

Skills Plan

The Department of Environ-

ment’s Directorate: Sector

Education and Training com-

missioned the development of

an ESSP in 2009, in partnership

with Rhodes University. The fi-

nal ESSP was released in 2010.

It provides a comprehensive

assessment of scarce and

critical environmental skills

– to meet immediate and long-

term needs – to ensure green

growth and sustainability in

the face of increasing envi-

ronmental challenges, such as

climate change, increased energy demands, increased waste generation, water availabil-

ity and increasingly degraded ecosystems.

Key findings in the ESSP to guide our approaches to environmental skills develop-

ment include:

¢ The need for a proactive (rather than reactive), co-ordinated (rather than ad

hoc) and systemically integrated (working collaboratively into the skills devel-

opment 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 man-

agement, 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;

¢ 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.

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13MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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 con-

sideration in skills planning. As reflected

in the abstract on the left, the new en-

vironment strategy, which refers to the

ESSP, is up there among other key gov-

ernment priorities, signifying the greater

consideration afforded the environment

in skills planning.

The eight goals of the NSDS III define broad priorities that should inform skills devel-

opment at organisational, sector and national levels. They do not cover economic

sector-specific content, but rather indicate critical means towards addressing skills short-

ages 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

Page 10 of the NSDS III describes this strategy as being ‘…

informed and guided by other overarching government

programmes, especially the Human Resource Develop-

ment Strategy for South Africa, requirements of the New

Growth Path, the Industrial Policy Action Plan … the Me-

dium Term Strategic Framework, the rural development

strategy as well as the new environment strategy…‘.

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14 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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. Stake-

holder 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…

Ensuring adequate time for consultation demands careful planning of all processes in-

volved 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:

¢ 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;

¢ Sign off by the training committee so that any changes can be integrated before ta-

bling at the executive committee meeting;

¢ 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;

¢ Collecting organisation-specific information: this is probably the most time-consuming,

consultative process; the processes of competence profiling, skills auditing, perfor-

mance 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.

Colleagues

experiencedin

developingand

submittingWSPs

advisethatwe

shouldnot wait until 30 April is looming,butmake

atimeousstartto

thedevelopmentof

theWSPtoensure

timeforallnecessary

proceduresahead

ofsubmission.

Perhapsaim for 30 March andleaveAprilfor

anyunforeseen

eventualities.

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15MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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, addi-

tional 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,suggeststhatitmightbeusefultocouple

engagementwithseniormanagementonthesignificanceofskillsdevelopmentand

trainingtobudgetnegotiationsforimplementingtraininginterventionswithina

financialyear.

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16 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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.

Thisprocess flow hasbeensuggested

byanominatedtask

teamtosupport

WSPs,ledbySolly

Mosidi(Independent

TrainingConsultant)

withkeyinputs

fromReneduToit

(SANBI)andNwabisa

Ntantiso(formerlyof

eCPTA).

STA

KE

HO

LDE

R E

NG

AG

EM

EN

T T

HR

OU

GH

OU

T

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Implement, monitor and evaluate actions

of the WSP

Information gathering to inform

the WSP

Skills auditing

Compile and submit the WSP

Report on implementation of

the WSP

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17MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

Step 1 — Gathering information

A WSP is only as good as the understanding that informs its develop-

ment and implementation. Our task team suggests that a range of

information is considered, processed and shared in workplace skills

planning.

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 infor-

mation 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 Mod-

ule 1) as the quality assurer of occupationally directed training

and skills development.

¢ Sector-specific skills development information sources, including:

¢ 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;

¢ 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:

¢ Identifying scarce and critical skills for inclusion in your WSP (ESSP,

Enabling Document, SSPs);

Engagements

External stakeholders that

youarelikelytoengagein

thisprocessofinformation

gatheringinclude:

¢ SAQA

¢ dHeT

¢ SeTA

¢ deA

¢ HRdNetwork.

engagementwithexternal

stakeholdersmightinvolve:

¢ gatheringinformation;

¢ buildingupuseful

networks;

¢ lobbyingsupportfor

developingandimple-

mentingtheWSP.

Internal stakeholders

mightinclude:

¢ executivemanagement,

tosecuresupportand

resourceallocationfor

theprocessofplanning

andimplementingthe

WSPandunderstanding

strategicprioritiesinthe

shortandmediumterm;

¢ linemanagement,to

sharenationalandsector

prioritiestotakeintoac-

countindefiningjoband

competenceprofiles;

¢ HumanResources,to

ensureanunderstanding

oftrends,patternsand

developmentslikelyto

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18 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ Identifying strategic trends and patterns for skills development in

the sector that will shape skills needs in your organisation (ESSP,

SSPs);

¢ 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:

¢ 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 strat-

egies, transformation strategies, growth, change or retrenchment

plans, vacancies that are difficult to fill and recruitment trends.

shapeskillsplanningand

training;

¢ HRprioritiesovertheshort

andmediumtermthatwill

shapeskillsplanningand

development;

¢ Summaryofemployeeper-

sonaldevelopmentplans;

¢ Trainingcommittee,to

ensurethisgroupofrep-

resentativesmovesinthe

samedirectionofworkplace

skillsplanning.

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.

Step 2 — Skills auditing

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.

Itiscriticaltolink skills planning

prioritiesto

national,sector

andorganisational

priorities.

The Theory

COMPETENCEPROFILES

...competence required by individual employees

to deliver on the organisation’s mandate

Skills auditingis the process

through which this gap is identified...

...and fed into the WSP

The Gap

Theory – Reality

The Reality

EMPLOYEEPROFILES

...competence that employees have, as

reflected in their academic background

and experience

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19MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

This section encourages you to consider skills needs in relation to the competence re-

quirements of your organisation.

Trish Persad, Senior Manager: Human Capital Development at SAWS,sharesthisprocessof

competenceprofiling,

employeeprofilingand

identifyingskillsneeds.

Analyse service delivery requirements

What are the short-, medium- and long-term objectives?

What products or services must be delivered to achieve these?

Identify skills requirements

What skills are needed to achieve the goals and objectives?

In which occupations will you find these skills?

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

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?

What posts are required?

What roles must be performed by incumbents in these posts?

Pha

se 1

: Det

erm

ine

skil

ls r

equi

rem

ents

Pha

se 2

: Des

crib

e co

mp

eten

cy p

rofi

les

Develop atraining plan

Evaluate training

Facilitate learning

Conduct assessments

IT Specialist OtherFinance Officer

HCD Practitioner

Admin Officer

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20 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Pha

se 3

: Id

enti

fy s

kill

s ne

eds

Pha

se 4

: Id

enti

fy t

rain

ing

and

no

n-tr

aini

ngin

terv

enti

ons

to

ad

dre

ss s

kill

s g

aps

Measure individuals against competence requirements

Does the person demonstrate the competence requirements for this post?

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?

What is the cause of the performance gap?

Why is performance not what it should be?

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?

Formal or informal training is the most appropriate

option

Identify the most appropriate learning route, e.g.:¢ Full-time study¢ Part-time studies¢ Internship¢ Learnership¢ Short course ¢ Skills programme

Other workplace-based development intervention is

more appropriate

Identify the most appropriate option, e.g.:

¢ Formal mentoring¢ Coaching ¢ Demonstration¢ Workplace-based

training

Inform

edbyem

ployeeself-assessm

entandfo

rmal

perfo

rmanceap

praisal

Cause of the performance gap: lack of skills

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 ad-dress the causes of underperformance and is not

the focus of WSPs.

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21MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

Phase 1: Human resource planning

A well-known saying in human resource circles is that ‘people are our most valuable as-

set’. 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 objec-

tives 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 Tool-

kit (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 identi-

fies external factors likely to shape change in the internal organisational environment.

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 organisa-

tion. In the context of WSPs, these

factors are likely to shape our

organisational strategies and con-

sequently our job and competence

profiles.

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 in-

ternal 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

ThedPSA’sStrategic

Human Resource

Planning: Guidelines

and Toolkitprovides

adetailedprocess

forstrategichuman

resourceplanning

inanorganisation.

Thisdocumentin

availableonthe

dPSAwebsite,

www.dpsa.gov.za.

P Politicalfactors

E economicfactors

S Socialfactors

T Technologicaldevelopments

E environmentalfactors

L legislativefactors

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22 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 gener-

ally 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 pro-

files, which then form the basis for skills auditing.

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 profession-

als 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.

drawingonexamples

onpage23,which

framework for competence

worksbestinyour

organisation?

JobProfiles

Key work areas informed by organisational strategy

and job purpose

CompetenceProfiles

Knowledge, skill and work orientation to fulfil key

work areas

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23MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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.

Practical Competencethe ability to perform work-related actions

Foundational Competenceunderstanding the knowledge and thinking

that underlies the action

Reflexive Competencean integration of doing and understanding to

adapt and change practice over time

APPLIEDCOMPETENCE

is the ability to

perform work-related

tasks with

understanding and

reflexivity, and is a

composite of three

kinds of

interconnected

competence

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)

Foundational competence(knowledge underpinning actions)

Reflexive competence(integrating doing and understanding)

1. Monitor and record condition of natural assets in the reserve

¢Performroutinepatrols

¢Readandrecordanimal

movementandmigration

¢Trackanimals

¢Identifyandcommunicate

conservationchallenges,

likeovergrazing,soil

erosion,changesinwater

levels,firepatterns,etc.

¢Knowwhatequipmentis

neededanditspurposefor

patrols

¢Knowthegeographyof

reserveandlocationofnatural

andculturalassets

¢Knowbasicfirstaidprocedures

¢Identifyandknow

characteristicsofanimalsand

plantsinthereserve

¢Identifychangesin

patternsandtrendsof

naturalassets

¢Actimmediatelyon

criticalthreats

¢Contributetothe

developmentof

conservationactionsto

addressthesethreats

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24 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

2. Support

conservation

actions in the

reserve

¢Performminorrepairs

¢disarmsnares

¢Fightfires

¢Maintainheritagesites

¢Supportgamecapturing

andmoving

¢Knowalienspecies

¢Knowfightingprocedures

¢understandconservation

threatsandactionstoaddress

them

¢Actimmediatelyand

efficientlyinresponseto

anyconservationthreats

¢Participateindeveloping

andimplementinglonger-

termactionstoconserve

naturalassets

3. Communicate

with

stakeholders

and promote

conservation

and sustainable

use of natural

resources

¢Communicate

informationonnatural

assets

¢engagecommunities

onsustainableand

responsibleuseof

resources

¢Knowandunderstandusesand

usersofnaturalassets

¢Knowarangeofoptions

forcommunicatingwith

stakeholders

¢developandimplement

partnershipapproaches

withcommunitiesto

conserveresources

4. Perform law-

enforcement

duties

related to

transgressions

¢Carryoutanarrest

¢layacharge

¢Provideexpertwitness

¢Knowallregulationsand

conditionsofpermitsrelating

tonaturalassets

¢Knowfirearmregulations

¢Knowledgeoflegalprocedures

ofarrest

¢Knowledgeofcourt

proceedings

¢understandanti-poaching

measures

¢developproactive

approachesto

engagestakeholders

inconservationand

minimisingtransgressions

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.

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 advis-

able 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.

Phase 3: Finding the skills gap

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 pro-

vides insight into the reality of skills in the organisation, as opposed to the theory and

vision of the job and competence profiles.

Jobandcompetence

profilesarethe theoryofwhatourorganisationsshould

looklike.

employeeprofiles

arethe reality ofwhatour

organisationslook

likerighthereand

now.

Thedifferenceis

the skills gap tobeaddressed

throughworkplace

skillsplanning.

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25MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

A profile is undertaken for each employee relative to their job and competence profile

and is informed by:

¢ 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;

¢ curriculum vitae;

¢ employee self-assessments; and

¢ performance appraisals.

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.

Step 3 — Compiling and submitting the WSP

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.

Bearinmindthat

knowingdoesnot

necessarilytranslate

intoapplyingthis

knowledgein

context.Itmight

benecessaryto

triangulate competenceacrossacademic

qualification,short

coursesandtraining

andaccumulated

workexperience.

Thiswouldprovide

afullerpictureof

theemployee’s

competenceand

performanceatany

givenpointintime.

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26 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Our colleagues advise that the information be prepared in a clear and coherent man-

ner, 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:

¢ The external environment and implications this has for the business strategy;

¢ 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.

Compile the WSP for review

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.

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.

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.

Youwouldideally

haveengaged all levels of

management and staffin

theskillsaudit.

Thesummaryof

prioritiesshouldnot

comeasasurpriseto

thematthisstage.

Thesesuggested

engagements

shouldbeseen

asconfirmingthe

scarceandcritical

skillsneedsin

theorganisation,

throughastrongly

motivatedcase.

Considerpreparinga

comprehensiveWSP

foryourinternaluse,

with a summary drawnfromitfor

submissiontothe

SeTA.

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27MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

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 pri-

orities 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 pre-

sented 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 sup-

port. 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 in-

terventions 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:

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28 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Formal training

Formal training is often the first option in responding to skills needs. There are different

forms of formal training, including:

¢ 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 incum-

bent steps out of the work space for an extended period of time;

¢ Part-time study in longer-term learning programmes, which perhaps best suits mid-

and 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.

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 be-

tween training service providers like universities and colleges and work organisations

where learning is taken up.

The NSDS III introduces the concept of PIVOTAL programmes – professional, vocational,

technical and academic programmes – that are occupationally directed and integrate for-

mal 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

Some skills needs could be addressed through supervised learning in the workplace and

could include:

¢ On-the-job coaching;

¢ Counselling around particular skills;

¢ Demonstrations;

¢ Mentoring; and

¢ Peer learning.

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.

Inthepasttherewas

anoveremphasis

onskillstraining

atNQFlevels1–3,

predominantly

through

learnerships.The

NSdSIIIargues

forprogression

towardsmore

intermediate and higher-

level skills.Thisisanimportant

considerationin

arguingforarange

ofskillsdevelopment

interventionsacross

alllevelsoftheNQF.

TheC.A.P.e.

Bioregional

ProgrammeofSANBI

hasdevelopeda

sourcebookon

mentoringinthe

workplacethat

couldprovideideas

forsupporting

workplace-based

learning.Seewww.capeactio n.org.

za.

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29MODULE 2 – Improved Workplace Skills Planning

Step 5 — Reporting on skills development

Reporting to the SETA on skills development is done through the ATR. An ATR is sub-

mitted 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.

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Module The Organising

Framework for Occupations

Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

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Contents

Introducing the Organising Learning System 2

Someadditionstothealphabetsoup 2

The Organising Framework for Occupations 4

ThestructureoftheoFo 4

Mapping job titles to OFO codes and occupations: 17A Case Study

The significance of the OFOs in skills planning 19

SomepitfallstoavoidbeforeyoustartworkwiththeoFos 19

Mappingyourorganisation’sjobtitlestotheoFo 22

Using the OFO codes in workplace skills planning 25

SowhathappensifIcan’tfindamatchforoneormoreofmy 25jobtitles?

Working with the OFO in human resources 28management

Aligning job profiles 28

developingcontextualisedjobadvertisements 28

Guidingperformancemanagement 29

Guidingcareerdevelopment 29

The Occupations Qualification Framework 31

QualificationsandcertificatesintheoQF 32

learningcomponentsintheoQF 33

developingqualificationsintheoQF 34

Appendix A:ConservationJobsMappedtooFooccupations–2012 36

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Introducing the Organising Learning SystemFollowing the 2007 review of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), the Occupa-

tional 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 Organis-

ing Framework for Occupations (OFO), in which jobs are categorised into generic occu-

pational 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 oc-

cupationally 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 Occupa-

tions (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 occu-

pational categories (groups of related jobs) and offers descriptors and tasks for each cat-

egory. 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).

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3MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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, agri-

culture 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 ef-

fective 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, environmen-

tal 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 eco-

nomic 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 learn-

ing in the OLS is undertaken in relation to the occupational groupings categorised in the

OFO.

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, conser-

vation and natural resource management.

OccupationalLearning System

guided bythe OFO

enabled throughthe OQF

for occupationally

directed learning and skills

development

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

The Organising Framework for OccupationsThe 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.

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 wheth-

er he/she is employed by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) national of-

fice, 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 occupation-

specific titles, alternative titles and

specialist titles are found. This can be

visualised using building blocks across

the levels.

TheoFohasgone

througha15-year evolution and

refinementsince1998,to

moreaccurately

reflectjobsin

theSouthAfrican

labourmarket.The

QCTocontinues

tocallforannual

recommendations

tofurtherpopulate

andrefinethis

framework,which

isrepresentativeof

labourmarketneeds

inSouthAfrica.

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, alterna tive

and specialist titles

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5MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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 distin-

guished from another according to skill level and the broadest concept of skill specialisa-

tion. There are eight major occupational groups in the OFO. Each has a one-digit classifi-

cation 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.

Classifi-cation code

Major group title

Major group title descriptors

1 Managers

Managersplan,direct,co-ordinateandevaluatetheoverall

activitiesofenterprises,governmentandotherorganisations,

oroforganisationalunitswithinthem,andformulateand

reviewtheirpolicies,laws,rulesandregulations.

2 Professionals

Professionalsincreasetheexistingstockofknowledge,

applyscientificorartisticconceptsandtheories,teachabout

theforegoinginasystematicmanner,orengageinany

combinationoftheseactivities.

3

Technicians and

Associate Professionals

Techniciansandassociateprofessionalsperformmostly

technicalandrelatedtasksconnectedtoresearchandthe

applicationofscientificorartisticconceptsandoperational

methods,andgovernmentorbusinessregulations.

4Clerical Support Workers

Clericalsupportworkersrecord,organise,store,computeand

retrieveinformationrelated,andperformanumberofclerical

dutiesinconnectionwithmoney-handlingoperations,travel

arrangements,requestsforinformationandappointments.

Increasing level o

f classificatio

n

from

level 1 to level 5

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

Level 4

Level 5

8 major groups

43 sub-major groupsacross the 8 major groups

98 minor groups across the 43sub-major groups

378 unit groups across the 98 minor groups

1320 occupations, and 5103 specialisations, acrossthe 378 unit groups

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

5Service

and Sales Workers

Serviceandsalesworkersprovidepersonalandprotective

servicesrelatedtotravel,housekeeping,catering,personal

care,orprotectionagainstfireandunlawfulacts,or

demonstrateandsellgoodsinwholesaleorretailshopsand

similarestablishments,aswellasatstallsandonmarkets.

6

Skilled Agricultural,

Forestry, Fishery, Craft and Related

Trades Workers

Skilledagricultural,forestry,fishery,craftandrelatedtrades

workersapplyspecificknowledgeandskillstoconstructand

maintainbuildings;formmetal;erectmetalstructures;set

machinetools;ormake,fit,maintainandrepairmachinery,

equipmentortools;carryoutprintingwork;produceor

processfoodstuffs,textilesorwooden,metalandother

articles,includinghandicraftgoods;growandharvestfieldor

treeandshrubcrops;breed,tendorhuntanimals;producea

varietyofanimalhusbandryproducts;cultivate,conserveand

exploitforests;andbreedorcatchfish.

7

Plant and Machine

Operators and

Assemblers

Plantandmachineoperatorsandassemblersoperateand

monitorindustrialandagriculturalmachineryandequipment

onthespotorbyremotecontrol;driveandoperatetrains,

motorvehiclesandmobilemachineryandequipment;or

assembleproductsfromcomponentpartsaccordingto

strictspecificationsandprocedures.Theworkmainlycalls

forexperiencewithandunderstandingofindustrialand

agriculturalmachineryandequipment,aswellasanability

tocopewithmachine-pacedoperationsandtoadaptto

technologicalinnovations.

8Elementary Occupations

elementaryoccupationsinvolvetheperformanceofsimple

androutinetaskswhichmayrequiretheuseofhand-held

toolsandconsiderablephysicaleffort.

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.

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7MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for 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 environ-

ment, 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.

NSDS IIIskills levels

NQF levels

OFO skills level

OFO major groups

Advanced

10

5 1 Managers 2 Professionals9

8

7

4

5 Serviceand sales workers

4 Clerical support workers

3 Technicians and associate professionals

6

Intermediate5

37 Pland and

machine operators

and assemblers

4 6 Skilled trade

workers

Elementary

3 2

28 Elementary occupations1

1

Major Group 2: Professionals

Tasks include:

¢ Conducting analysis and research, and developing concepts, theories and op-

erational 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 sci-

ences and humanities;

¢ Teaching the theory and practice of one or more disciplines at different educa-

tional levels;

¢ Teaching and educating handicapped persons;

¢ Providing various business, legal and social services;

¢ Creating and performing works of art; providing spiritual guidance; preparing sci-

entific papers and reports;

¢ Supervision of other workers may be included.

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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:

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 horticul-

tural 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; culti-

vating or gathering other forms of aquatic life;

¢ Storing, and basic processing of produce;

¢ Constructing, maintaining and repairing buildings and other structures; cast-

ing, 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 ve-

hicles, as well as electrical and electronic instruments and other equipment;

¢ Making precision instruments, jewellery, household and other precious-metal ar-

ticles, 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.

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9MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Youcanfinda

copyofthe2013

oFoatwww.greenmatter.co.za.Havealookatthejobtasksfor

eachmajorgroup.

Completethe

taskontheleftto

familiariseyourself

withtheoFojob

titles,descriptors

andtasks.

TASK: Finding an initial match to the major groups in the OFO

Using the table below –

¢ List any five jobs in your organisation. Include jobs across the various employment

levels and grades;

¢ Review the key work areas or key performance areas (KWAs/KPAs) of the jobs

that you have selected;

¢ Review the tasks in the OFO major groups;

¢ See if you can find an initial match between the five jobs that you have listed and

the major groups in the OFO.

Jobs in my organisation Possible matches to the OFO

Number Job title KWA*OFO major

groupRelated 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.

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Level 2: Sub-major groups

Each major group has a number of sub-major groups of related occupations. These sub-

major groups are the second level of classification and start to go into more detail of the

occupational context and related skill.

Major groupsNo. of sub-major

groups

1. Managers 4

2. Professionals 6

3. TechniciansandAssociateProfessionals 5

4. ClericalSupportWorkers 4

5. ServiceandSalesWorkers 4

6. SkilledAgriculture,Forestry,Fisheries,CraftsandRelatedTrade

Workers

8

7. PlantandMachineoperatorsandAssemblers 3

8. elementaryWorkers 6

The six sub-major groups for major group 2: Professionals are:

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.

Fromthis

example,could

youguesswhich

sub-majorgroup

conservation professionals

arelikelytobe

mappedto?

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11MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Job tasks of major group 2: Professionals

Job tasks of sub-major group 25: Information and Communications Technology Professionals

¢ Conductinganalysisandresearch,anddevelopingconcepts,theoriesandoperationalmethods,andadvisingonorapplyingexistingknowledgerelatedtophysicalsciences,includingmathematics,engineeringandtechnology,andtolifesciences,includingthemedicalandhealthservices,aswellastosocialsciencesandhumanities;

¢ Teachingthetheoryandpracticeofoneormoredisciplinesatdifferenteducationallevels;

¢ Teachingandeducatinghandicappedpersons;

¢ Providingvariousbusiness,legalandsocialservices;

¢ Creatingandperformingworksofart;providingspiritualguidance;preparingscientificpapersandreports;

¢ Supervisionofotherworkersmaybeincluded.

¢ Researchinginformationtechnologyuseinbusinessfunctions;

¢ Identifyingareasforimprovementandresearchingthetheoreticalaspectsandoperationalmethodsfortheuseofcomputers;

¢ evaluating,planninganddesigninghardwareorsoftwareconfigurationsforspecificapplications,includingforInternet,intranetandmultimediasystems;

¢ designing,writing,testingandmaintainingcomputerprograms;

¢ designinganddevelopingdatabasearchitectureanddatabasemanagementsystems;

¢ developingandimplementingsecurityplansanddataadministrationpolicy,andadministeringcomputernetworksandrelatedcomputingenvironments;

¢ Analysing,developing,interpretingandevaluatingcomplexsystemdesignandarchitecturespecifications,datamodelsanddiagramsinthedevelopment,configurationandintegrationofcomputersystems.

Mark the words in both columns that show the relation between the major and sub-major groups.

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

Canyouidentify

anyjobinyour

organisationthat

mightbemapped

tosub-major group 25,asontheleft?

Bearinmindasyou

workwiththeoFo

thatsub-major groups have two digits,thefirstdrawnfromthe

associatedmajor

groupandthe

secondbeingspecific

tothatsub-major

group.

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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:

Inwhichminorgroup

wouldyoufinda

conservation professional?

Whereareyou

likelytofind

Conservation Planners?

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:

Job tasks for major group 2: Professionals

Job tasks for sub-major group 21: Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals

Job tasks for minor group 213: Life Science Professionals

¢ Conductinganalysisandresearch,anddevelopingconcepts,theoriesandoperationalmethods,andadvisingonorapplyingexistingknowledgerelatedtophysicalsciences,includingmathematics,engineeringandtechnology,andtolifesciences,includingthemedicalandhealthservices,aswellastosocialsciencesandhumanities;

¢ Teachingthetheoryandpracticeofoneormoredisciplinesatdifferenteducationallevels;

¢ Conductingresearch,enlarging,advisingonorapplyingscientificknowledgeobtainedthroughthestudyofstructuresandpropertiesofphysicalmatterandphenomena,chemicalcharacteristicsandprocessesofvarioussubstances,materialsandproducts,andofmathematical,statisticalandcomputingconceptsandmethods;

¢ Advisingon,designinganddirectingconstructionofbuildings,townsandtrafficsystems,orcivilengineeringandindustrialstructures,aswellasmachinesandotherequipment,andadvisingonandapplyingminingmethods,andensuringtheiroptimumuse;

¢ Collecting,analysingandevaluatingexperimentalandfielddatatoidentifyanddevelopnewprocessesandtechniques;

¢ Providingadviceandsupporttogovernments,organisationsandbusinessesaboutecologicalsustainabledevelopmentofnaturalresources.

Sub-major group 21: Physical, Mathematical and Engineering Science Professionals

211 Physical and Earth Science Professionals

212 Mathematicians, Actuaries and Statisticians

213 Life Science Professionals

214 Engineering Professionals

215 Electrotechnology Professionals

216 Architects, Planners, Surveyors and Designers

Notethatthe

minorgroupshave

athree-digit code,forexample,

216.Thefirstdigit

(2)denotesthe

majorgroup,the

firstandsecond

digits(21)thesub-

majorgroup,andall

threedigits(216)

theparticularminor

group.

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13MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

¢ Teachingandeducating

handicappedpersons;

¢ Providingvarious

business,legaland

socialservices;

¢ Creatingand

performingworksof

art;providingspiritual

guidance;preparing

scientificpapersand

reports;

¢ Supervisionofother

workersmaybe

included

¢ Surveyinglandandseaand

makingmaps;

¢ Studyingandadvisingon

technologicalaspectsof

particularmaterials,products

andprocesses,andon

efficiencyofproductionand

workorganisation;

¢ Preparingscientificpapersand

reports;

¢ Supervisionofotherworkers

maybeincluded.

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 groupNo. of minor

groups

21 Physical,MathematicalandengineeringScienceProfessionals 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:

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14 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 environ-

ment 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 pre-

vent 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 recom-

mending 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 manage-

ment 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 envi-

ronmental 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

¢ Developing conservation plans.

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15MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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.

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:

Classification level

OFO code

Occupation title

Major group 2 2 Professionals

Sub-major group 21 Physical,MathematicalandengineeringScienceProfessionals

Minor group 213 lifeScienceProfessionals

Unit group 2133 environmentalProtectionProfessionals

Occupation 213301

213302

ConservationScientist

Alternative Titles and Specialisations:

Animalecologist

ConservancyAdvisoryScientist

Conservationofficer

ecologicalResearcher

ecologist

FishandGamesofficer

ForestryConservationist

SpeciesProtectionofficer

FisheriesAdvisor

environmentalScientist

Alternative Titles and Specialisations:

environmentalAdvisor

environmentalAuditor

environmentalConsultant

environmentalofficer

environmentalResearchScientist

environmentalWasteofficer

environmentalist

Findinthe2013 OFOthedetails

forthesetwo

occupations.

Havealookatthe

descriptorandtasks.

Canyoumapanyof

yourorganisation’s

jobstothese

occupations?listthe

jobs.

Seeinthis

examplehowthe

occupation codeisderived,drawing

onedigitfromeach

ofthemajor,sub-

major,minorand

unitgroups,with

thelasttwospecific

totheoccupational

group.

lookatthejob tasksoftheseoccupationsinthe

2013oFo,which

arethesamefor

thealternativetitles

andspecialisation.

Canyoufindyour

Conservationand/

orenvironmental

Scientistshere?

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16 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 organi-

sation 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 sub-

major 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 CATHS-

SETA 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 over-

whelming framework at first sight; and

¢ Map jobs in the conservation sector to occupations in the OFO – though this ex-

ercise 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 oc-

cupations. Appendix A shows this map of conservation jobs and the relative OFO

occupations and codes.

Any takers for mapping other environmental jobs?

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17MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Mapping job titles to OFO codes and occupations: A Case StudyThe 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 Afri-

can 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:

Ste

p 1

Asfarasweknow,PreshaRamsarup,anIndependentHCdConsultantwasthefirstto

takeontheoFosfortheenvironmentsector.Preshatrawledthroughwhatwasthen

oFoversion9oftheoFoframeworkandselectedallpossibleoccupationsrelatedto

thesector.

Ste

p 2

Membersofthetaskteam,throughapre-workshopassignment,wereaskedto:

¢ listallconservation-relatedjobtitlesintheirorganisations;

¢ reviewtheKPAs/KWAsforalljobs–wealsoaskedthemtocollatethesejobtitles

intocareergroupings(e.g.conservationmanagement,conservationscientists)and

tobringthesealongtotheworkshop;

¢ reviewtheselectionofenvironment-relatedoccupations,asperPresha’s

document(seeabove),andhighlightthosethatcouldpotentiallymatchthejob

titlestheyhadidentifiedintheirorganisations;and

¢ lookmorecloselyatthetasksintheoFooccupations,identifyapotentialmatch

betweentheKPAs/KWAsoftheorganisation’sjobsandwritetherelevantoFo

codeandoccupationalongsidetheorganisationjobtitle.

Collationoftheinputwascompletedbythetaskteampriortotheworkshopto

informfurtherworkshopdiscussions.

Ste

p 3

usingthecollatedorganisationjobtitleswithsuggestedlinkstooFocodesand

occupations,andarmedwithjobtitlesanddescriptionsprovidedbythedifferent

conservationorganisations,weliterallyworkedthrougheachgroupofoccupations.

Wecollatedjobsintooccupationalgroupsof(i)executivetoseniormanagement;(ii)

conservationmanagement;(iii)conservationplanning;(iv)conservationscience;(v)

informationmanagement;(vi)communityconservation,outreachandeducation;and

(vii)lawenforcement.Insmallgroupsduringthistwo-dayworkshop,thetaskteam:

¢ reviewedoccupationtitles,descriptorsandtasksinthesuggestedoFounit

groupsinrelationtothewiderangeofjobdescriptionstheyhadonhandfrom

theirrespectiveorganisations;

Theassociated

resourceSupporting

Environment

Occupations –

Selected OFO

Codesshowingthe

selectionofrelated

environmental

occupationscanbe

foundatwww.greenmatter.co.za.

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18 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Ste

p 3

(co

nt.

)

¢ identifiedjobsandoFooccupationsthathada75%matchtorelatedtasks;and

¢ recommendedamendmentstothosethatfellshortof75%toeitherchangeand/

oraddtotheoFodescriptor,tasksandalternativetitlesandspecialisations.

Fromthismappingexercise:

¢ 260organisationjobtitleswerematchedto49occupationtitlesandcodesinthe

oFo;

¢ itwasrecommendedthatjobtasksforsixoccupationsintheoFobeamended

tomoreadequatelyreflectwhatprofessionalsinthesejobsdointhefield:

ProgrammeAnalyst,ConservationScientist,environmentalScientist,ParkRanger,

urbanandRegionalPlanner,andenvironmentalManager;and

¢ twotitleswithsuggesteddescriptorsandtaskswererecommendedforaddition

totheoFo:onetoreflectprofessionalsworkingincommunityconservation,

outreachandeducation,andtheotherinlawenforcementandcompliance,two

areaswhicharenotaddressedfortheconservationcontextintheoFo.

Ne

xt s

tep

s

Asanoutcomeofthisworkshop,CATHSSeTAhasundertakentoprepareandmakea

submissiontotheQCToforamendmentandadditiontotheoFo,asrecommended

above.

TheHRdNetworkwillusethisframeworkofoFooccupationstoexploreexisting

coursesthatrespondtoskillsneedsintheseoccupationsandtoidentifygapsinand

prioritisecoursesfordevelopment.

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19MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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 de-

scribe 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, de-

scribe, 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, sec-

tor 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 ap-

propriate 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 ap-

propriate match, for example:

OFO code and occupation

…a single reference to…

Organisation job titles

…a variety of job titles used in different organisations

213301 Species Protection Officer

Manager:WildlifeInvestigation

MarineProsecutionofficer

Anti-Poachingofficer

Anti-Poachingunitofficer

Permittingofficer

Permitofficer

Manager:Specialinvestigation,risk,securityandlarge

mammaloperations

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20 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ 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 ap-

propriate to your organisational context and job titles. Using the same example as

before:

OFO code and occupation Alternative titles and specialisations

213301 Conservation Scientist Animalecologist

ConservancyAdvisoryScientist

Conservationofficer

ecologicalResearcher

ecologist

FishandGamesofficer

ForestryConservationist

Species Protection Officer

FisheriesAdvisor

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 occupa-

tion of Conservation Scientist (OFO code 213301) and to the alternative title of Spe-

cies 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

Alternative Title: * Ecologist Organisational Title: Ecologist

Descriptor: †

developsandimplementsprogrammesand

regulationsfortheprotectionoffish,wildlife

andothernaturalresources.

Job Purpose:‡

Tosupportbiodiversityconservation

intheeasternCapethroughthe

provisionofsoundscientificand

ecologicaladviceandinformationto

theeasternCapeParksandassociated

stakeholders.

TheoFoworkswith

occupations,whicharegroupings

orclustersofrelated

jobsthatperform

thesameorsimilar

tasks.

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21MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Tasks include:

1. Conductingresearch,performingtests,

collectingsamples,performingfieldand

laboratoryanalysistoidentifysourcesof

environmentalproblemsandrecommending

waystoprevent,controlandremediatethe

impactofenvironmentalproblems.

2. Assessingthelikelyimpactthat

potentialorproposedactivities,projects

anddevelopmentsmayhaveonthe

environment,andrecommendingwhether

suchdevelopmentsshouldproceed.

3. developingandco-ordinatingthe

implementationofenvironmental

managementsystemstoenable

organisationstoidentify,monitorand

controltheimpactoftheiractivities,

productsandservicesontheenvironment.

4. Conductingauditstoevaluate

environmentalimpactofexistingactivities,

processes,wastes,noisesandsubstances.

5. Assessinganorganisation’scompliancewith

governmentandinternalenvironmental

regulationsandguidelines,identifying

violationsanddeterminingappropriate

remedialaction.

6. Providingtechnicaladviceandsupport

servicestoorganisationsonhowbestto

dealwithenvironmentalproblemsinorder

toreduceenvironmentaldamageand

minimisefinancialloss.

7. developingconservationplans.

Key Performance Areas:

1. developbiodiversitymanagement

policiesandprocedures.

2. Providescientific/ecological

advisoryservicetothe

organisationandotherrelevant

stakeholders.

3. develop,implementandco-

ordinateresearchprojectsto

addresspriorityinformation

needs.

4. develop,implementandco-

ordinatebiophysicalmonitoring

programmestoaddresspriority

informationneeds.

5. Contributetoreserve

managementplanning.

6. Contributetowardsthe

implementationofintegrated

environmentalmanagement

affectingthereserves.

7. Contributetoregionaland

nationalbiodiversityconservation

initiatives.

8. datamanagement.

9. Manageandco-ordinateexternal

researchprojects.

10.engageininstitutionaleducation,

trainingandmentorship.

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 profes-

sionals 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

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22 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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:NatureConservation

GeneralManager:PeopleandConservation

Chiefdirector:oceansandCoastalResearch

213107 Marine Biologist MarineBiologist

CoastalandMarineecologist

Marineecologist

314101 Life Sciences Technician PrioritySpeciesTechnician

ResearchAssistants

BioregionalPlanningTechnician

611304 Nursery Worker NurseryWorker

NurseryAttendant

TreeBreeder

821203 Game Farm Worker AnimalAttendant

Mapping your organisation’s job titles to the OFO

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 simi-

larly draw on the case study of mapping conservation job titles to the OFO.

1. G

etti

ng t

he r

ight

to

ols

¢ ThefirststepinmappingjobtitlestooccupationsintheoFoframeworkisto

familiariseyourselfwiththe2013version.Wehavepostedacopyofthisonwww.greenmatter.co.za.

¢ Youmightalsowanttoworkthroughthefirstpartofthismoduletobetter

understandhowtheoFoisstructuredandyouroptionsformappingjobtitlesto

occupations.

¢ Thesectionaboveonavoidingthepitfallsmightalsobeusefultoconsiderasyou

goalong.

¢ Asinourcasestudyabove,someinitiallegworkhasalsobeendoneinAppendix

A:Conservation Jobs Mapped to OFO Occupations andtheresourceSupporting

Environmental Occupations: Selected OFO Codesonthewebsitewww.greenmatter.

co.za.

SeethedHeT’s

Guide to Using

the Organising

Framework of

Occupations

atwww.greenmatter.

co.za.

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23MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

2. S

urve

ying

the

land

scap

e¢ listalljobtitlesinyourorganisation.

¢ Removeallindicatorsofsenioritywherethisdoesnothaveabearingon

qualificationlevels,experienceandcomplexityofjobtask.Forexample,inthe

caseofaSeniorecologistandecologist,thelattermightreporttotheformer,

andthetasksmightdifferintermsofsupportandoversight,butultimatelythe

jobtasksthattheyengagewitharelikelytobesimilarorthesame.Thesame

applies,forexample,tothePrincipalorSeniorFieldRanger.However,whereyou

haveaResearchProgrammeManager,aResearcherandaResearchAssistant,you

mightwanttoretainindicatorsofseniority,asthelevelsofcomplexityofthejob

intermsofengaginginresearchcouldbedifferent.However,youcanonlyassess

thisbyknowingthejobdescriptionsintimately.Thisexercisewillservetoreduce

thelistoforganisationaltitlesyouultimatelyneedtomaptotheoFo.

¢ Clusterrelatedjobtitles.Inthecasestudyofconservationjobtitlesabove,we

used:conservationmanagement,conservation,science,conservationplanning,

informationmanagement,communityconservation,outreachandeducation,

lawenforcementandstrategicmanagement.Thiswilldifferdependingon

yourorganisationalcontext,butagoodindicatorcouldbeyourorganisational

(departmental/unit/programme)structure.

¢ Withineachclusteryoumightalsowanttocreateasub-clusteratdifferentskills

levels–seetheindicatorsinthesectiononmajorgroupsabove.

¢ Collectandcollatejobdescriptionsandorganisetheserelativetothelistofjob

titlesforeasyreference.

3. F

ind

ing

a m

atch

¢ Workthroughoneclusteratatime.Inthecasestudy,westartedwithexecutive

andSeniorManagementinmajorgroup1formanagers.Wethenmovedon

topotentialmatchesinmajorgroup2,i.e.jobtitlesforwhichprofessional

qualificationsarerequired,suchasscientistsandconservationmanagers.

¢ useatwo-columntableasbelow.Workdowncolumnonefirst,drawingfromyour

jobdescriptions,andwhenyouhavefoundamatchtotheoFo,completecolumn

two.Followtheexamplebelow:

Organisation Job Title:

executivedirector:Conservation

OFO Occupation and Code:

112101executivedirector*

Job Description/Purpose:

Todevelopafunctional,competentand

sustainableorganisationwithparticular

emphasisontheefficientandeffective

implementationofbestpractice

biodiversityconservation.

Occupation Descriptor:

determines,formulatesandreviews

thegeneralpolicyprogrammeandthe

overalldirectionofanorganisation,

withintheframeworkestablishedbya

boardofdirectorsorsimilargoverning

body.†

Tasks include:

¢ Managethebiodiversityconservation

teaminsupportofthestrategicplan;

¢ Co-ordinatethebusinessplanning

andreportingoftheBiodiversity

Conservationdivision;

Tasks include: ‡

¢ establishingandmanaging

budgets,controllingexpenditure

andensuringtheefficientuseof

resources;

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24 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

3. F

ind

ing

a m

atch

(co

nt.)

¢ ensureappropriateandeffective

planningoftheactivitiesofthe

BiodiversityConservationdivision;

¢ developbiodiversityconservation

policiesanddecision-making

proceduresandsystems;

¢ Managethebiodiversityknowledge

systems;

¢ ensurecompliancewithbiodiversity

legislationandpolicy;

¢ ensureanefficientandeffective

operationoftheBiodiversity

Conservationdivision;

¢ Contributetowarddevelopingthe

strategicdirection;

¢ RenderRiskManagementServices;

and

¢ PerformeXComembershipfunctions.

¢ Authorisingmaterial,humanand

financialresourcestoimplement

organisationalpoliciesand

programmes;

¢ Consultingwithsenior

subordinatestaffandreviewing

recommendationsandreports;

¢ determiningobjectives,strategies,

policiesandprogrammesforthe

enterpriseororganisation;

¢ ensuringtheorganisationcomplies

withrelevantlegislationand

regulations;

¢ Monitoringandevaluating

performanceoftheorganisation

orenterpriseagainstestablished

objectivesandpolicies;

¢ Planning,directingandco-ordinating

thegeneralfunctioningofan

enterpriseororganisation;

¢ Providingoverallleadershipand

managementtotheenterpriseor

organisation;

¢ Representingtheorganisation

atofficialoccasionsandboard

meetings,innegotiations,at

conventions,seminars,public

hearingsandforums;

¢ Reviewingtheoperationsandresults

oftheenterpriseororganisation,

andreportingtoboardsofdirectors

andgoverningbodies;and

¢ Selectingorapprovingtheselection

ofseniorstaff.

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. K

eep

ing

rec

ord

¢ Rememberthatallskillsplanningandreportingmustbedoneaccordingtothe

oFo.WerecommendthatyourmatchesfromjobtitlestotheoFooccupationsbe

recordedforfutureuse.

¢ Weusedanexcelspreadsheetforthisrecording,listingtheoFocodeand

occupation(usingthealternativeorspecialisttitlewherethiswasavailable)inone

columnandintheotherlistingallorganisationaljobtitlesthatwerematchedto

aparticularoFocodeandoccupation–seeAppendixA:Map of Conservation Job

Titles to OFO Occupations.

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25MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Using the OFO codes in workplace skills planningCATHSSETA’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 in-

cludes’, 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 iden-

tify 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 rela-

tive 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?

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:

¢ Compliance-related jobs, such as Field Ranger, Compliance Officer, Staff Sergeant,

Park Wardens and District Conservation Officials.

¢ Community and socially related jobs, such as Social Ecologists, Manager: Social Science

Research, Community Conservation Manager, People and Parks Manager, Co-ordina-

tor: Social Planning, Community Conservation Officer, Community Outreach Officer

and Community Facilitator.

¢ Education-related jobs, such as Environmental Educator, Environmental Education Of-

ficer 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 recommen-

dations 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 or-

ganisation as it has to be a representative of the sector as a whole;

CATHSSeTA’s2010

Skills Development

Facilitators’ Guide

describestheoFoas

askills-basedcoded

classificationsystem,

encompassingall

occupationsin

theSouthAfrican

context.Itreplaces

thepreviousStandard

occupational

Categories(SoC

codes).Thisguidealso

providesguidelines

formappingjobsto

theoFo–seewww.cathsseta.org.za.

Asasectorwe

havestartedtodo

someofthiswork.

Youmightfindthe

guidelinesaboveand

themethodology

usedformapping

conservationjob

titlesusefulto

completethemap

foryourorganisation.

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26 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ 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 submis-

sions 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 frame-

work. 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, recommen-

dations 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 es-

tate management, such as Garden Curators in SANBI.

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27MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) undertook an analysis of skills demand

through a review of newspaper advertisements over a three-year period. Three na-

tional 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 catego-

ries, 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.

Some advice from the experts:

¢ don’taimtorewritetheoFotosuityourownorganisationalcontext.Bearin

mindthattheoFoisagenericframeworkforalljobsacrossalleconomicsectors

inSouthAfrica.Worktowardsacomfortablematchofabout75%andlivewiththe

difference.

¢ Trytoaimforinclusionofanadditionaltitleinthealternativeorspecialisttitleas

afirststepintotheframework.

¢ Iftherelevanceandsignificanceofthetitleisrealised,itwillgrowfromthereinto

anoccupation.

Again, befriend your SETA, a good ally in working with the OFO.

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28 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Working with the OFO in human resources managementThe 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 Man-

ager 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 Endan-

gered Wildlife Trust, each contextualised to the specific organisation’s needs.

OFO code and title Organisational jobs

133103 Data Management Manager

BGISManager

SABIFManager

SIBISManager

BiodiversityInformationManager

BiodiversityKnowledgeManager

BiodiversitydataManager

BiodiversitydatabaseManager

IT4ConservationManager

eco-AdviceCo-ordinator

eco-Advice–CoastalSystemsManager

PlantRecordsofficer

WildlifeCrimedatabaseController

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.

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29MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Guiding performance management

The occupation descriptor and tasks outlined in the OFO unit groups could provide use-

ful 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 com-

mon challenge in performance management processes. See Module 6 for more on Per-

formance 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 opportuni-

ties for career growth across occupational groupings. See for example Appendix A: Map

of Conservation Jobs to the OFO and below.

Example 1:

2133

07

Par

k R

ang

er

Conservation ManagerCurator – Gardens National Stewardship

Policy Manager

Integrated Coastal

Management

Protected Area Manager Estate Manager Stewardship Manager

Reserve ManagerUrban Conservation Area

Manager

Assistant Reserve Manager

Nature Conservator

Assistant Nature Conservator

Regional Ranger

Ranger Corporal

Ranger Sergeant

Senior Section Ranger

Assistant Section RangerBiodiversity Conservation

Co-ordinator

Section Ranger

Duty Ranger

VER

TICA

L CA

REER

PRO

GRE

SSIO

N

HORIZONTAL CAREER PROGRESSION

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30 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

OFO codeOrganisation

job titleOFO code

Organisation job title

OFO codeOrganisation

job title

112101

executive

director

executive

director:

Biodiversity

Management

112101

director

GeneralManager:

Biodiversity

Conservation

213307

ParkRanger

Conservation

Manager

213301

Conservation

Scientist

Nature

Conservator

314101

lifeSciences

Technician

Biodiversity

officer

Example 2:

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31MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

The Occupations Qualification FrameworkThree qualifications sub-frameworks have been defined in the revision of the NQF:

¢ General and Further Education Qualifications Framework (GFEQF), which is the respon-

sibility 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 Ed-

ucation Quality Council and spans academic training at university level from advanced

certificates through bachelors’ degrees, post-graduate diplomas, master’s and doc-

toral 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 frame-

work within which to understand its role and function in skills development relative to

general, further and higher education.

QU

ALIFIC

AT

ION

LEA

RN

ING

C

ON

TE

XT

S

QU

ALIFIC

AT

ION

LEA

RN

ING

C

ON

TE

XT

S

QU

ALIT

Y

CO

UN

CIL

NQ

F LEV

EL

QU

ALIT

Y

CO

UN

CIL

LEA

RN

ING

C

ON

TE

XT

S

QU

ALIFIC

AT

ION

Doctoral Degree

UN

IVER

SITIES

HIG

HER

EDU

CA

TION

QU

ALIT

Y C

OU

NC

IL

NQF10

QU

ALIT

Y C

OU

NC

IL FOR

TRA

DE A

ND

OC

CU

PATIO

NS

WO

RK

PLA

CE B

ASED

NA

TION

AL SK

ILLS CER

TIFICA

TES NQ

F LEVELS 1 TO

10

Master’s Degree

NQF9

NA

TION

AL O

CC

UPA

TION

AL A

WA

RD

S NQ

F LEVELS 1 TO

9

Post-grad Diploma

NQF8

Bachelors Degree

NQF7

Adv. Certificate

NQF6

NQF5

Adv.NC (V) FET C

OLLEG

ES

NSC Grade 12

SCH

OO

LS

UM

ALU

SI

NQF4 FO

UN

DA

TION

AL LE

AR

NIN

G

CO

MP

ETENC

E

NC (V)Level 3

NSC Grade 11

NQF3

NC (V) Level 2

NSC Grade 10

NQF2

ABET4

WO

RK

PLA

CE

GETC Grade 9

NQF1

ABET1 to 3

Grades 1 to 8

Adapted from The National Skills

Development Handbook 2010/2011

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32 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 disci-

pline-based learning.

The Skills Development Act (1998) defines an occupational qualification as one ‘…as-

sociated 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 rela-

tive 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 occupation-

ally 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 occu-

pational 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:

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33MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

¢ Responding to a particular specialisation in an occupation, for example, Geographic In-

formation 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 occupa-

tionally 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 ac-

cess and progress through occupational learning.

Learning components in the OQF

The occupationally directed curriculum in the OQF has three learning components re-

lated to the three areas of competence described above. In qualifications development

processes these learning compo-

nents are also referred to as cur-

riculum components. Together

these learning or curriculum com-

ponents specify requirements to

be covered in a qualification or

certificate. Each learning compo-

nent must constitute at least 20%

of the full curriculum. The balance

of 40% can be allocated across the

three curriculum components as

deemed appropriate by the Com-

munity of Expert Practitioners

(CEP – see below).

Learning components in occupational qualifications and certificates

Conceptual

knowledge,

theory,

information

Minimum

20%Balanceof

40%allocated

acrossthe

threelearning

components

asappropriate

anddecidedby

CeP

Practical and applied

skills

Minimum

20%

Work experience

Minimum

20%

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34 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ 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.

Developing qualifications in the OQF

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, occu-

pational institutes and associations, employer associations, trade unions, research insti-

tutes or the SETA. CATHSSETA, for example, could register as a DQP for the development

of qualifications related to conservation occupations through the Conservation Cham-

ber.

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 de-

veloping qualifications and certificates. Generally the process involves:

Activity Output Consultations

Ste

p 1

Identifytheoccupation

forwhichaqualification

orskillsprogrammeis

needed

oFotitleandcodeidentified,

descriptorandtasksverified

Community

ofexpert

practitioners

Ste

p 2

Profiletheoccupation

intermsofapplied

competence(knowledge,

practicalskillsandwork

experience)

occupationalprofileinline

withtheoFounitgrouptitle,

descriptorandtasks

Knowledge and theory Practical skills Work experience

General,specialisedandcontextual

Applyingknowledgeandtheoryanddevelopingskills

Integratingknowledge,theoryandpracticeinan

authenticworkenvironment

Formal learning context Workplace-based learning

CEP:Agroupof

practitioners

inaspecific

occupationwhoare

knowledgeableabout

currentpractices

intheoccupation

–forexample,

conservation

professionals,

environmental

educators,

information

managers,scientists,

etc.

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35MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

Qualifications and standards development

with opportunity for participation at

Ste

p 3

designlearningprocess

andidentifysubjects

andtopicsnecessaryfor

knowledgecomponent

learningframeworkand

subjectsandtopicsfor

knowledgecomponent

lecturers,

trainersand

providers

Ste

p 4 Validatelearning

processwithbroader

constituency

Approvedlearningframework Community

ofexpert

practitioners

Ste

p 5 developassessment

guidelines

Sampleassessmenttasksand

exemplars

lecturers,

trainersand

providers

Ste

p 6 Qualificationand

certificatesdeveloped

Registeredqualificationsand

certificates

Qualification

development

Facilitator

The development of qualifications is a broadly consultative process and requires ongo-

ing 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 Qualificationsandstandards

developmentandregistration

Qualificationsdevelopment

Facilitator(QdF)withQCTofor

registration

7 developtheoccupational

assessmentspecification

AssessmentQualityPartner

togetherwiththeQdF

6 Consolidatingandverifying

thecurriculumframework

relativetooccupationalprofile

CePfacilitatedbytheregistered

QdF

5 defininglearningprocessand

curriculumframework

Workinggroupnominatedby

dQPandwithinCeP

4 Consolidationandverification

ofoccupationalprofile

CePfacilitatedbytheregistered

QdF

3 Profilingoccupationforwhich

qualificationwillbedeveloped

Workinggroupnominatedby

dQPandwithinCeP

2 Qualificationsscopingmeeting CePdirectedbyaregisteredQdF

1 dQPappliesforregistrationto

developqualification

Forexample,CATHSSeTAor

professionalbodyappliesto

QCTo

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36 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 Co-ordination

General Manager: Protected Areas

Director: Biodiversity Management

Regional Manager

Chief Director: Conservation, Gardens and Toursim Management

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37MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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

Manager: Policy Research and Development

133101 Chief Information Officer Director: Biodiversity Information Management

Manager: Science Support

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38 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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

– with suggested amendment to the descriptor and tasks and recommended change to spelling of GIS in the OFO – see report, section 6

Systems Analyst

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

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39MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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

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40 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

314101 Life Sciences Technician (cont.)

Bioregional Planning Technician

Integrated Environmental Management Technician

213301 Conservation Scientist

– with proposed amendments to the tasks list to capture monitoring and evaluation of resarch programmes and adding an alternative title – see report, section 6

Field Officer

Senior Field Officers and Project Executants in specific contexts

Nature Conservation Scientist

Specialist Scientist

Production Scientist

Protected Area Audit and Expansion Scientist

Co-ordinator: Integrated Environmental Management

213302 Environmental Scientist

– with proposed additions to the task list and alternative titles – see report, section 6

Remote Sensing

Data Encoding and Georeferencing Supervisor

Environmental Chemist

Agro-meteorologist

Waste Management Specialist

Coastal Engineer

225101 Veterinarian Wildlife Veterinarian

213307 Park Ranger

– with addition to unit groups tasks, amendment to occupation descriptor and addition to alternative titles – see report, section 6

National Stewardship Policy Manager

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

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41MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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 /

611304 Nursery Person /

611302 Landscape gardener /

821401 Garden Workers

Groundsman

Nursery Worker

Nursery Attendant

Tree Breeder

134904 Museum Manager Museum Manager

262102 Curatorial Services Manager

Curator

213302 Environmental Officer Environmental Officer

134901 Environmental Manager

– with amendment to title, descriptor, tasks and alternative titles – see report, section 6

Environmental Manager

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

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42 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Community Conservation

– see report, section 7

Wildlife Investigation Officer

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

– see report, section 7

Head: Socio-ecological Science

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

– see report, section 7

Community Conservation Manager

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

– see report, section 7

Environmental Education Manager

Manager: Environmental Education

Environmental Education Officer

Interpretation Officer

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43MODULE 3 – The Organising Framework for Occupations

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

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Module Relevant and Quality

Training

Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

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Contents

Introducing relevant and quality training 2

Training programmes for the environment 4

Training needs in the sector 7

Respondingtotrainingneeds 10

Evaluating quality and relevance of training 11

evaluationbeforetraining:toinformthechoiceoftraining 11programme

evaluationduringthetraining 16

evaluatingtheimpactofthecourse 18

Planning an evaluation 19

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Introducing relevant and quality trainingVarious approaches are used in organisations to address skills needs. These include

coaching, mentoring, learning exchanges, peer learning and the all-time favourite – train-

ing. 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 overempha-

sis 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 approach-

es 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 impor-

tant 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 develop-

ment 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 understand-

ing 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;

¢ Evaluate the training as it unfolds; and

¢ Evaluate the impact of the training back in the workplace.

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3MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

Before addressing these guidelines, however, we briefly look at common challenges as-

sociated 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 re-

sponding to these needs.

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

Needs are not always

appropriately prioritised

Some short courses are particularly

expensive, and unaffordable for

restricted training budgets

Some short courses are

pegged at an inappropriate

accreditation level for the potential

participants

Mentoring to support an

application of learning in context

remains a key challenge

There is sometimes little

management support for skills

development

No local training for specific skills

requirements,for example,

managing a World Heritage Site

Too few accredited

providers and at times also

geographically inaccessible

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Training programmes for the environmentA review of training programmes for conservation training was commissioned in 2010 by

GreenMatte r, a sector-wide partnership programme aimed at supporting skills develop-

ment for biodiversity. The review reflects a range of training programmes to support

skills development for biodiversity, ranging from shorter, very specific courses to longer-

term, 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 univer-

sities of technology, whereas short courses are offered mainly by smaller private

providers. These providers appear to be mostly private consulting firms and NPOs.

¢ 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 indus-

try 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 foun-

dational 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.

¢ 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 – of-

ferings are on a monthly basis.

¢ Prerequisites for participation

All long courses define prerequisites as per the traditional university entrance require-

ments, for example matriculation pass for undergraduate diplomas or degrees and

Thelistofskills

trainingprogrammes

isavailableinan

excelspreadsheet

atwww.greenmatter.

co.za.

Seeadviceonthe

reputation of the providerin

relevanceandquality

indicatorsbelow.

Interestingly,despite

thevariousofferings

ofField Ranger and Guiding,thisskillsneedremainsin

manyorganisations.

Akeychallengeis

theaccessibility ofthesecourses.It

isworthpondering

whythisisso,given

thewidearrayof

offerings,manyon

demand.

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5MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

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 prerequi-

sites other than literacy, cited in a few cases, although some require a matriculation

certificate.

¢ Duration of course

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.

¢ Course site

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. How-

ever, 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.

¢ Costing of courses

Course costs generally range from R5 000 to R10 000, with some short courses on

offer for under R1 000.

¢ Accreditation status

Longer courses in the database are registered within the university accreditation sys-

tem 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.

¢ Contact details of provider

The database provides users with the contact details of the respective providers.

Towhatextentis

anapplication of learning facilitated?

doesthecourse

structure(including

duration)enable

anappropriate

applicationof

learningincontext?

Costisoften

associatedwith

quality,butyoumaywantto

considerother

qualityindicators

whenselecting

appropriate

trainingforyour

organisation’sneeds.

Howimportantis

accreditationin

yourorganisation?

Whatlevels of accreditationarerequiredtomeet

yourtrainingneeds?

doyoufindanyof

theseoptionsinthe

database?

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 left-

hand column and the learning programmes that might be appropriatein the right-

hand column.

Skills needs Learning programmes

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7MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

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 Conserva-

tion 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 occupa-

tional 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.

21 scarce skills identified in the environment sector

¢ Agriculture Extension professionals

¢ Curators for biodiversity collections

¢ Ecologists, especially for marine and aquatic environments

¢ Engineers with a biodiversity specialisation

¢ Geneticists, Genomic Investigator, Molecular Biologist, Molecular Geneticist

¢ GIS Specialists and Technicians

¢ HCD Specialists, Biodiversity Education and HCD Specialists, Human Resource and

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

insight

(continued overleaf)

Scarce skills refertooccupations/

competent

professionalsfor

jobsthatareinshort

supply,forexample,

Taxonomists,

ecologists,

Biodiversity

Information

Managers,etc.See

thePrioritySkills

Report2012fora

comprehensivelist

ofscarceandcritical

skillsforbiodiversity

atwww.greenmatter.co.za.

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

¢ 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 occu-

pations. 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.

For example, Ecologists are trained through a Bachelor of Science degree with a spe-

cialisation 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 occupa-

tion 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.

A Biodiversity Information Manager, on the other hand – like a number of other scarce

skills such as Biodiversity Engineers, Social Ecologists and People Development Practitio-

ners – 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 re-

moved 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. Respond-

ing 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.

Anecdotalinsights

suggestthatittakes

up to 12 yearstotrainafully

competentecologist

afterfoundational

learningthrougha

B.Scdegree.

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9MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

Critical skills: the absence of a specific skills set in an occupation.

Critical skills are a required competency set/set of skills within a particular job. A com-

mon 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.

Five sets of critical skills identified for biodiversity

Leadership skills Management skills Enabling skills Integration skills Adaptive skills

Leadership for

senior and enabling

managers in

organisations and

the sector as a

whole, towards

organisational

and sector-wide

innovation

Often used

interchangeably

with leadership skills

but are a distinct

yet related set of

skills for effectively

managing resources

to deliver on

organisational

strategy

Social learning,

facilitation and

communication,

knowledge

brokering and

advocacy, mentoring

and role modelling

Working across

fields, disciplines,

sectors and interests

Working in contexts

of uncertainty and

complexity through

critical and systems

thinking

What are the scarce skills in your organisation?

How can you respond to these scarce skills in your organisation?

Critical skills refertoarequired

competencyset,for

exampleGISskills

foranAgriculture

extensionofficer

ormanagement

skillsforaReserve

Manager.

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Responding to training needs

Despite these common skills challenges in organisations, responses appear to be organi-

sation 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 Tour-

ism 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 indi-

viduals, 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.

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?

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11MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

Evaluating quality and relevance of trainingIt 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 evalu-

ate its roll-out to get an

idea of how the train-

ees engage with the

learning strategies and

content of the course.

This is your second level

of evaluation. Once

the course has been

completed, the third

level of evaluation is to

determine what the im-

pact of the course has

been for the individual,

their job performance

and the strengthening

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 individu-

als, 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.

Aftertraining

Beforetraining

Duringtraining

Impact oftraining

Trainees’ engagementwith the training programme

Choosing a training programme

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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?

How does this

improvement in

performance support

the strengthening of

your organisation?

Write down the objectives of your training.

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13MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

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?

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 indi-

cators 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

link between the training and the requirements

of the workplace. These quality indicators can

be useful in assisting you to select training pro-

grammes and motivate your choice, for example

to your Executive Committee, line managers or

human resource development manager.

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.

Eureta Rosenberg, formerly the Strategic Advisor to the GreenMatter Programme,saysthatqualityintrainingrefersto‘…thestrengthofthecontentandthe

educational(delivery)aspectsofthecourse…’

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14 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Colleagues in the Organisational and Human Resource Development Networkoffersomeadditionalindicatorswhichmighthelpyourdecisionwhenchoosingaqualitytrainingprogramme.

Indicators for quality training

Credibility of training provider

¢ 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

¢ Profile of provider in terms of experience of offering and reputation as training service provider

Course details

¢ Extent to which aims and objectives align to specified training needs and the organisational development requirements

¢ 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

¢ Level of engagement of learners through tasks and on-course interactions

¢ Costing structure of the course

Course evaluation

¢ Existing ethos of evaluation on the course

¢ Roll out of theory of course into practice

¢ Relevance of learning to workplace training needs

¢ Providers open and responsive to engage through formative evaluation

¢ Learner feedback

¢ Organisational feedback

SAQA accreditation isnotsynonymouswithquality.Neitherare

qualificationsandexperience.You

mightneedtousemorethanonesetof

indicatorstoassessqualityoftraining.

Aproviderconfidentoftheirquality

offeringwouldnothesitatetoshare

previous evaluations withapotentialclient.Youcouldalsofollow

upwithsomeofthereferences

offered.

Thetheoryofthetrainingprogramme

mightnotmatchitspractice.You

havethefullrighttointerrogate a programmebeforecommitting

yourorganisation.Askcriticalquestions

aboutthecourseanddetails,e.g.on-

sitetrainingdoesnotmeanthesameas

workplace-basedtraining.Theformer

couldsimplyuseatrainingvenueinthe

workplacewithverylittlelinkbetween

learningandtheworkofthelearner.

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15MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

A s

yste

ms

app

roac

h t

o t

rain

ing

¢ Learners are part of the course system. They

bring much that is positive and challenging to

a course.

¢ The learners’ workplace is a system which

needs to interact effectively with the course

and the learner.

¢ 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.

¢ 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.

Ad

ult

le

arn

ing

¢ 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.

En

viro

nm

en

tal

lear

nin

g

¢ 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.

Eureta Rosenberg, formerly the Strategic Advisor to GreenMatter,offersthefollowingadditionalquality

indicators:

¢ Asystemsapproachtotraining

¢ Adultlearningtheory

¢ environmentallearningtheory

Thesethreepointsmightbeuseful

ideastotakeintoyourengagementwith

potentialtrainingproviders.

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16 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 organisa-

tion and the sector.

Areviewofthese

aspectsatthethree

levelswillprovide

indicatorsbywhichtoevaluate

therelevanceofa

trainingprogramme

–forexample:

doesthewayin

whichstewardship

isreflectedinthe

trainingaligntothe

organisation’svision

andstrategy?Isthe

trainingpitchedat

therightlevelfor

Stewardshipofficers

qualifiedatlevel6?

doesthetraining

contentaddressthe

skillsneed?doesit

locatestewardshipin

asectorcontext?

Evaluation during the training

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 SE-

TAs. 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?

¢ 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?

sectormandate

organisationalstrategy

traineeprofile

organisational contribution to mandate

sector skills need

function role tasks skills needs at a broader scale

qualifications and experience job profile current skills skills needsTR

AIN

EEFUN

CTIO

N&

ORG

AN

ISAT

ION

SECT

OR

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17MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

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 expe-

rience 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?

Bydoing the evaluation yourselfyouoftengaingoodinsightinto

thelearningtaking

place,challenges

thetraineesare

facedwith,etc.

Theseinsightsare

thenusefulwhen

youneedtoplan

furthertraining

interventions.

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.

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.

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18 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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.

Exam

ples o

f imp

act indicato

rs

Increased involvementin relevant projects

Improved job performance

Stronger funtional team

Increased partici-pation in sectoraladvisory forum

Improved employeemorale

Increased targetsdefined and met

Skills needsno longer

defined in SSP

organisation

sector

individual

Our colleagues in the HRD Networkhavedefinedthe

followingbroadandthen

morespecificindicators

forahypotheticalproject

managementcourse.

Relatedto

organisational

strategy

Inhousetraining

andrefreshercourses

forallstaff

Projectsaresuccessfully

implemented

sustainability

effectiveness

impact

relevance

efficiency

¢Highperforming

projectmanagers

¢Increasing

projects

completed

¢Progression

tootherprojects

¢ontime

projectdelivery

¢Costsavinginprojectdelivery

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19MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

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?

definetheoverallquestionthatyouwanttoanswer.Itcouldbeasbroadas:Whathasbeentheimpactofthetraining?

Whatcoursewouldbestsuitourtrainingneeds?Howarelearnersengagingwiththecourse?Isthecontentofthecourse

relevanttoourneeds?etc.Itisimportanttostartplanningandundertakingyourevaluationatthispointasitwillhelpyou

tokeepfocusthroughouttheprocess.

Sub-question Indicator Evidence Timing

Fromyourbroaderquestion

above,startdefiningmorespecific

questionsthatwillleadyouto

answeringthebiggerquestion,

suchas:Istheprovideraccredited

toofferthistraining?What

experienceandqualificationsdo

thetrainershave?Whatisthetrack

recordoftheprovider?etc.

Foreachsub-

question,definewhat

theanswerwould

beanindication

of,suchas:course

accreditation,relevant

experienceoftrainer,

credibilityofprovider.

Foreachsub-question

andindicator,askwhat

andwhereyouwouldfind

evidencetosupport/answer

thisquestion,suchas:SAQA

websiteandprogramme

approvalforms,CVof

trainer,websiteoftraining

provider.

Foreachsub-question

andindicator,define

anappropriatetimeto

accesstheevidenceand

evaluatethequestion,

forexamplepriorto

contractingthetraining

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?

Whatisthequalityofthetrainingandhowrelevantisthistothetrainingneedsofourorganisationandsector?

Sub-question Indicator Evidence Timing

Isthetrainingprovideraccredited

andregistered?

Credibilityofthe

provider

¢ SAQAwebsite

¢ Provideraccreditation

certificate

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Howlonghasthisproviderbeen

offeringtraininginthesector?

experienceintraining

andinthesector

¢ Providerwebsite

¢ Providerportfolio

¢ References

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Whoarethetrainingfacilitators

andassessorsandwhat

experienceandqualificationsdo

theyhaverelativetothetraining

andcontentrequirementsofthe

training?

Qualificationand

experienceofthe

trainersandassessors

¢ Curriculumvitaeof

alltrainingfacilitators

andassessorstobe

involvedinthetraining

Priortocontractingthe

provider

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20 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Whatisthecontentofthis

trainingandisitrelevanttothe

individual,theirfunction,our

organisationalmandateand

trendsinoursector?

Relevanceofcontentto

thetrainingneedsofthe

individual,organisation

andsector

¢ Trainingmaterialsand/

orcontentframework

¢ organisational

strategy

¢ Function/unitmandate

¢ WSPandSSP

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Whatarethekeylearning

strategiesusedandarethey

appropriatetoadultlearning?

Relevanceoftraining

tothelearnersand

workplace-basedtraining

¢ Trainingframework

¢ Interviewwithtraining

provider

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Whatopportunitiesarethere

forlinkingtrainingtoworkplace

focus?

Relevanceoftraining

tomeetingskillsneeds

andworkplace-based

improvement

¢ Trainingframework

¢ Interviewwiththe

trainingprovider

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Whatisthetotalnumberof

traineeswhocanattendacourse

atatime?

Focusontheindividual

trainee

¢ Interviewwiththe

trainingprovider

Priortocontractingthe

provider

Whatisthecostofthecourseper

trainee

Affordabilityandvalue

formoney

¢ Trainerprofile Priortocontractingthe

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?

Whatisthequalityandrelevanceoflearningduringtheprogramme?

Sub-question Indicator Evidence Timing

Arethelearnersengaged

activelywiththecontentofthe

programme?

Relevanceoftraining ¢ Assignments

¢ observations

ofinteractions,

commentsand

questions

¢ Afterfeedbackon

firstandsubsequent

assignments

¢ duringtraining

sessions

Arethelearnersactive

participantsintraining

interactions?

doesthepresenterensurethatall

areengaged?

dothetraineeshavean

opportunitytorelatethelearning

totheirworkplace?

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21MODULE 4 – Relevant and Quality Training

doactivitiesflowaccordingtothe

predefinedprogramme?

Isthelanguageusedbythe

presenterappropriatetotheage

andexperienceofthetrainees?

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?

Whathasbeentheimpactofthetrainingfortheindividual,theunit/functionandtheorganisation?

Sub-question Indicator Evidence Timing

Howmanytraineesparticipated

inthetraining?

Fromwhichunits/functionsare

they?

Arethetraineesabletoapply

theirlearninginthework

environment?

Isthereanimprovementintheir

individualperformance?

Isthereanimprovementinthe

overallperformanceoftheunit/

function?

Isthereevidenceofimprovement

intheorganisation’sperformance

evaluationrelatedtothis

function?

And finally, for clarity:

Monitoring Evaluation

ongoing¢

Keepingrecords¢

oftenquantitative¢

¢Fromtimetotime

¢Analysingrecords

¢Quantitativeandqualitative

M&

E C

om

par

iso

n

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Module Engaging Diversity

and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Contents

Diversity and inclusivity in the South African workplace 2

Thedarkerandbrightersidesofdiversity 2

Thescopeofdiversityintheworkplace 4

Engaging diversity in the South African workplace 7

Thebenefitsofadiversestaffcomplement 7

Whatofyourownresponsetodiversity? 8

Akeyrequirement–aseasoned,competentfacilitator 10

Creatingasafespaceforreflectionandengagement 10

Beyondhearingtoreallylistening 11

Whatthenofinclusivity? 12

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Diversity and inclusivity in the SA workplaceSouth Africa is known for its diversity and is commonly referred to as the rainbow nation.

This rich diversity is similarly evident in our colourful nationa l 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 environ-

mental 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 coun-

try’s political past, where diversity and difference were not necessarily embraced or en-

couraged 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 togeth-

er diversity and difference to the benefit of both individuals and organisations as a col-

lective 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 chal-

lenge 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 work-

place, seen as a consequence of employment equity policies and some staff feeling less

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3MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

secure as promotional positions open up in organisations. This invariably leads to a lose-

lose 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 indi-

viduals and organisational performance. Some of these ideas include:

Positive rather than negative approach to dealing with diversity

Ratherthanapproachingdiversityasachallengeinthe

organisation,itmightbeusefultoframediscussionswithinthe

frameworkoforganisationalperformanceanddevelopment,

focusingontheadvantagesandstrengthstotheorganisation.

Start with self

Throughanexercise(discussedlaterinthemodule),participants

wereencouragedtofirstreflectontheirownthinkingand

actionsrelatedtodiversity,andthentoembracediversity

andattempttounderstandtheothers’fears,reservations,

etc.Suggestionsincludedstartingwithreflectionsand

acknowledgementofone’sownprejudices,racism,trust(or

mistrust)andthenbeingwillingtoengagewithothersaround

theirswithoutpersonalisingtheencounters.

Shared space for dialogue

Createaspaceatanorganisationallevelforreflectiononhow

peopleunderstanddiversityanditspotentialbenefitsand

collectivelyexplorewaystoembraceandengagediversityfor

individualandorganisationalbenefit.Suggestionsincluded

workshopspacesandsafedialogues.

Openness

Whenembarkingonthisjourneyallparticipantsneedtoknow

thatitrequiresopenengagementaroundhowdiversitycanbe

harnessedtobenefitallindividualsintheworkplaceandthe

organisationasawhole.Thismightrequiresomeexploration

ofemotionalintelligenceandhowthiscanbecollectively

harnessedtoachievetherequireddialogueamongstaff

members.

Building a culture of learning

Mostdiscussionsaroundthechallengesassociatedwith

diversityfocusedonthelackofwillingnesstoshareinsights

andexperiences.Ratherthanapproachingthisasanegative

issue,perhapstackleitfromthedesiretostimulateacultureof

learningbyencouragingsharingandlearningacrossfunctions

andlevelsintheorganisation.

Given the sensitivities of our past, these approaches require strong and empathetic

facili tation in safe social spaces. We return to these aspects after first exploring what is

meant by diversity in the workplace.

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 in-

troduced 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 under-

standings of diversity in the South African workplace.

Write down in this space the first words that come to mind when you think about diversity.

Diversity in any workplace is a lot richer than simple reference to race and gender. Diver-

sity is also shaped by:

AG

E

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.

oftheBoomers(1953to1969),Xers(1972to1989)

andMillennials(1990to2004)…

¢ Whichisthelargestgroupinyourorganisation?

¢ Generallyspeaking,whatistheattitudeofeach

groupto:¢ engagingchange;¢ Relationshipsintheworkplace;¢ ethicsintheworkplace?

¢ Howcanyoumakeoptimaluseoftheagediversity

inyourorganisation?

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5MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

LA

NG

UA

GE

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.

¢ Howmanylanguagesarespokeninyour

organisation?

¢ Whataresomeofthebenefitsofthislanguage

diversityforyourorganisationandtheworkyou

do?

RE

LIG

ION

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism are some of the religions of

South Africans. All of them help shape individuals’ beliefs and traditions.

¢ Howmanyreligiousgroupsarethereinyour

organisation?

¢ doyouhaveapolicythatrecognisesthisreligious

diversityinyourorganisation?Ifso,howisthis

done?

¢ Howmanyofthesereligionsdoyouknow

somethingabout?

¢ Wouldyoubeinterestedinknowinghowthese

religionsshapethebeliefsandtraditionsofyour

colleagues?

¢ ofwhatvaluecanthesereligionsand

theirimpactsbetoyouandallstaffinyour

organisation?

PR

OF

ES

SIO

NA

L B

AC

KG

RO

UN

D

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.

Youmighthavethisinformationfromyourmost

recentskillsaudit,butreflectagainonthisfroma

diversitypointofview:

¢ Howmanyprofessional(job)groupingsdoyou

haveinyourorganisation?

¢ Howmanypeoplestaffeachgrouping?

¢ Whatdothesegroupingsshowaboutthe

diversityinacademicbackgroundofyourstaff

complement?

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

AC

AD

EM

IC B

AC

KG

RO

UN

D

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.

Thislevelofdiversityinacademicbackground

isalmostinevitable,giventhatthereare23

universitiesinSouthAfrica.Howcanthisbenefityour

organisation?

These are just some areas of diversity. List any others you can think of in your organisation.

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7MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

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 well-

being is dependent on this diverse ecological base that supports all life on Earth. Ecologi-

cal 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

organi sations. Admittedly, in many organisations this is one of the transformation priori-

ties – 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

QuotingHellriegel,d.,

Jackson,S.e.andSlocum,

J.W.(1999),acolleaguesharesthesebenefitsofa

diverseworkforce.

The benefits of a diverse workforce

¢ Improves corporate culture

¢ Improves employee morale

¢ Leads to a higher retention of employees

¢ Leads to easier recruitment of new employees

¢ 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.

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

What of your own response to diversity?

One of our colleagues in the HRD Network led us through the following exercise to

reflec t on our own diversity within a group. From this he demonstrated our individual di-

versity, 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 conversa-

tions in a diverse South African workspace.

Amomentfor

self-reflection

STEP I Your response

Name

Designation

Age

Education

First language

Gender

Religion

Race

Sexual orientation

Nationality

Social class

Physical health

Mental status

Marital status

No. of children

Residential area

Notethattheaspectsin

theleft-handcolumnare

simplylistedaspoints of reflectionandarenot

posedasquestions.

Thesearejustsome

examplesofour

individualitythatcanreflect

bothdifferences from

othersANdsimilaritieswithothers.Youmightwant

toplayaroundwithand

revisetheseaspects.

Havingexperiencedthe

exercise,itisusefulnot to explainanyofthe

aspects,forexamplesexual

orientation,butratherto

allowpeopletorespondas

theywill.

15minutesareallocated

forcompletingthis

‘questionnaire’,and

itshouldbedone

individually withoutdiscussion.

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

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9MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

STEP III: We are encouraged to share our reflections as in Step II with the group, in no order of preference

THE GROUND RULES FOR SHARING

Welistenwhiletheotheristalking,withnocomment

Weuse‘I’statementstocentreourpersoninthesereflections

Wegroundourselvesphysicallyinthespacewithourfeetflatontheground

Wefocusstronglyonbeingpresentwithourcolleagues

Weareseatedinacircletoemphasisethecommunitywithinwhichweshare

Beawitnesstoyourself

Avoidreassuringothers

Maintainconfidentiality

Takeresponsibilityforhowyouarefeeling

Recogniseandusethesafetyofthespaceinsharing

Reflectontheinsightsandlearning

STEP IV: Reflections on our experience of the exercise

InterestingtoseediversityinourownindividualityANdalsoinourmembership

withothers eveninagroupthatwethinkissimilar,diversitystillcomes

through

Givenanearwiththerighttoolsandsentimentprovidesasafespaceforexpression

Throughexpressioninthis

safespaceweareabletoseeintoourownvulnerabilitiesandthoseofothers

elicitsafeelingofconnectednesstoothers,aswellaswithinthegroup

Verylittleinhibitionandthoughagroupofpersonal

strangers,awillingnesstoshareabitof

ourselves

Providesalessoninourownresponse

todiversity

learnhowtoappreciateand

understandyourowndiversityandthatof

othersevenina

collective,IstillamANdalsoexistinrelationtoothers Asafeforum

encouragesdialogueandallowsustoletourguarddown

somewhatCreatesasignificantself-awareness...of

whatdiversityis...‘I’statementsare

profound

Perceptionsarejustthatandare

notnecessarilytrue,particularlyinrelationtohowweperceive

others

diversityrunsverydeepandoftenbroaderthanour

initialconceptionsofdiversity

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

A key requirement – a seasoned, competent facilitator

The role of a Process Facilitator is a diverse one that will be important during the diver-

sity process. The facilitator uses a variety of skills in order to motivate people and help

the process move forward.

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.

Credibleandtrustworthy

Strongprocessfacilitationskills

Sensitivetoemotionalneeds

ofparticipants

Sensitiveinknowing

andrelatingtogroup

dynamics

doesnotholdjudgment

Awareofownroleand

impactwithinagroup

Cansubmergeintothe

vulnerabilityofthegroup,

butalsoholdthedistanceto

seeandmanagetheoverall

process.

Sensitiveandempathetic

Abletoholdthe

confidentialityandthe

sensitivityofgroup

sharing

Strongsocialskillsanda

people’sperson

opentomanypossibilities

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11MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

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.

Howdidthis

reflectionand

hearingfromyour

partnermake

youfeel?Some

colleaguesshare

theirreflections.

A colleague sharessomepointersto

creatingasafespace

forexpressionofself.

Reflect on experiences

of the space to improve this

in future

Share the ground rules

Allow everyone some time to settle

Guide the group

through settling physically

Guide the group

through settling psychologically

Open up the space with a time of quiet

reflection

Be clear in communicating

the activity instructions

Ensure the silence

is maintained during individual

inputs

Ensure all ears are

present when others have the

floor

Provide reassurance

where needed

Allow sharing without comment

Open up the space for comments by invitation to

do so

SOMEGROUND 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

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

Turn all cell phones off or leave in a place where they cannot be heard

Close windows, doors and blinds or curtains to eliminate all outside

distractions

Anotherexercise

thathighlightsthe

significanceofbeing

heardbytheotheris

sharedbytheHRD Network.

Heard and felt that my contribution

was significant in process

Reinforced the safe space to openly reflect

COMINGTOGETHER

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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

Inthesameopencircleasearlier,usingthesamerulesandfacilitatorbutthistimestanding,

extendyourrighthandandplaceitontheupperarmofthepersontoyourright.Pushinto

themwithafairamountofforce.everyoneatthisstageisbeingpushedandispushingagainst

another.Resistthepushfromthepersonnexttoyou.Considerthefeeling.

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.

‘leaningintothepushofmy

partnerlessenedthepressureI

felt…thisinturnpromptedmeto

softenmyownpush…’

Soperhapsifweopenourselves

uptoengagingwithdiversity

asapositive–aswedidwhen

wewentwiththeflowofthe

push–wemightexperiencethe

engagementpositively,learning

andgrowingthroughitandsotoo

lesseningtheimpactofwhatwe

feelandexperienceasanintrusive

discussion,thoughtandaction!

EMBRACINGDIVERSITY WITH

INCLUSION

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13MODULE 5 – Engaging Diversity and Inclusivity in the South African Workplace

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Module Managing

Performancefor Growth and Development

Skills Planning and Development for Biodiversity

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Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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Contents

Introducing performance management 2

ourcommonthorn 3

What is performance management? 4

Performancemanagementatanorganisationallevel 6

organisationalstrategy:thepivotalpointforperformance 7management

Theresponsibilityoforganisationalperformance 7

Fromorganisationtoindividualperformancemanagement 8

The Employee Performance Management and 10

Development System: friend or foe?

Step1—enteringintoaperformanceagreement 12

Step2—Performancereviewandassessment 14

STeP3—Managingtheoutcomesofthereview 16

Life after performance management 19

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2 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Introducing performance management

Performance management is a natural part of the workplace. For many it is a dreade d,

administrati ve-intensive event that happens at least once a year, very often twice. Usuall y,

it involves a discussion with line management on

how we have performed over a period of time

relative to our key performance areas. The out-

comes of these discussions generally include be-

ing 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 ofte n 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 cer-

tain 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 con-

text. And so the infamous bell curve

enters into the equation, to distrib-

ute 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 re-

flect 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 man-

agement, 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

develop ment.

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3MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

Our common thorn

In the scenario described above, many challenges are experienced in performance man-

agement. We itemise these below to remind ourselves of the context from which we

should be proactively moving away – what we call ‘our common thorn’.

In your organisation…

…which of these can you recognise? …how can you turn this around?

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Lack of courage to deal with

underperformance

Lack of compliance

Changing mandates

Disjuncture between

organisational development

and performance management

Dependent on capacity of all

to engageApproached as punitive

measure

Inconsistency and lack of uniformity

Lack of job descriptions

and weighting

Minimal or no buy-in at

all levels

Hierarchical vs egalitarian

approach

Disparity among

individuals

Association with recognition, rating and reward

Appraiser bias

Poor or no follow-up

Frameworks for rating

and reward

Rating and weighting

Constraintsof bell curve

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4 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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,describedperformancemanagementasaleadershipand

managementtool(2003),andasbeing“asystematic processthatinvolves all

employeesin improving organisational effectiveness and performancetoachieve

theorganisational strategy.”

This description of performance management highlights some key aspects that might

start to challenge how we think about and act within performance management pro-

cesses:

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5MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

Implied by What it is not What it is

A systematic process

Aonce-offeventthathappens

inthemiddleandattheend

ofafinancialyear,involvinga

discussionandconsequentfilling

outofadministrativetemplates.

Asystemembeddedwithina

numberofrelatedanddiverse

processesofengaginginthe

workplaceinanongoingmanner.

Involves all Anindividuallyfocusedevent

atthemercyofabiasedline

managerorappraiser.

Acollectiveandcollaborative

processthatseestheindividual

inrelationtothecollective

staffcomplementandthe

organisation’sperformance.

Improving organisational effectiveness and performance

Focusedontheindividual’sjob

separatefromtheorganisation

andworkenvironmentwithin

whichtheindividualfindshim-or

herself.

Focusedoncollectivestriving

towardsabetterorganisation

throughthecollective

contributionsofallemployees.

Organisational strategy

Focusedononlytheindividual

andtheirindividualplaceinthe

organisation.

Focusedonsupportingthe

organisationtoachieveits

strategicobjectives.

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 strateg y

and through the contributions of its various employees. The process of performance

management therefore includes defining and understanding the organisational strategy,

planning how to delive r on this strategy, appraising progress towards achieving the strat-

egy and reporting on the process in order to further improve individual and organisational

performance.

AT AN ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL

AT AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL

3Appraising

performance against strategy

and plans

4

Reporting for further planning

2

Planning to deliver on strategy

1

Strategy definition

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6 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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 per-

spective on performance management and see it in the context of this bigger picture.

This requires a breakthrough at two levels:

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, togeth-

er with that of many others, to achieving the vision of our organisation. And it is no lon-

ger a dreaded event, but a moment in a longer process.

Performance management at an organisational level

The starting and pivotal point of performance

management at both an organisational and an

individual level is the organisational strat-

egy. It might be useful to frame organi-

sational performance in the framework

of your organisation’s mission and vi-

sion. Your organisational strategy is

supported by a range of systems,

structures and processes that

support working towards and

achieving its strategic ob-

jectives – of which perfor-

mance management is

one.

Organisational performance

Individualperformance

Performance management

Performance appraisal

Breakthrough from performance appraisal

to performance management

Breakthrough from individual performance

to organisational performance

Mission

Vision

STRATEGY

Processes and systems

Performance management

An organisation’s performance is reviewed or appraised against these benchmarks

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7MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

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 eco-

logical 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 longer-

term vision for where the organisation sees itself in the future. They are also often de-

fined in relation to the employment and performance contract of the head of the organi-

sation 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 ob-

jectives clarify what needs to be done and how over the shorter period of time, in sup-

port 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:

¢ Financial goals;

¢ Customer-related goals;

¢ Internal process-related goals;

¢ Goals related to growth and development.

The organisational strategy provides the road map towards achieving the vision of the

organisation. The performance management process assesses how an organisation is do-

ing en route to realising this vision.

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.

South African National Parkshasbeenusingthe

balancedscorecard

approachtomanage

organisational

performancefora

numberofyears.

Recently,WWF-SAadopted

thebalanced

scorecardapproach

tomanaging

organisational

performance.

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8 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

The responsibility for organisational performance is structured differently in differ-

ent 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 organisa-

tional 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 organi-

sational 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.

Whereas

organisational

performancemight

resideinaparticular

unitorperson’s

portfolio,we all have a role

to playintheperformanceofour

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 in-

dividual 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 per-

formance 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 organisa-

tional strategy.

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9MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

Managing individual performance

An individual’s performance is managed for two purposes:

¢ To support his or her contribution to organisational performance; and

¢ To facilitate career growth and development.

Individual performance management can be reflected in relation to organisational per-

formance management as shown in the following diagram.

Performanceis

alsomanagedto

correct under-performance.Thisisdealtwith

separatelyas

weencouragea

positiveapproach

toperformance

management.Mission

Vision

STRATEGY

Processes and systems

Performance management

Work-related behaviour and actions

Work-related outcomes translating into organisational outcomes

Planning • Review • Reporting

Organisational performancemanagement

Individual performancemanagement

WWF-SAusesabalancedscorecardapproachtoorganisationalperformance.Scorecardshave

beendevelopedagainstwhichtoassessperformanceatdifferentlevelsintheorganisation.

Organisationscorecard

CEO

Unitscorecard

Unit Heads

Programmescorecard

Programme Managers

Individualscorecard

IndividualStaff

TRANSlATIoN TRANSlATIoN TRANSlATIoN

FRAMEWORK FOR ORGANISATIONAL REVIEW

FRAMEWORK FOR INDIVIDUAL REVIEW

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10 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

The Employee Performance Management and Development System: friend or foe?

The Employee Performance Management and Development System (EPMDS) offered by

the Department of Public Service and Administration (2007) defines the aim of perfor-

mance management as

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 perfor-

mance. 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.

TheePMdSis

availableonwww.dpsa.gov.za.

EPMDS OBJECTIVES

¢ 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 supervi sors

¢ Identify, manage and promote jobholders’ development needs

¢ Evaluate performance fairly and objectively

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11MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

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 non-

discriminatory 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.

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12 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

The individual performance management process flows out of the organisational

manage ment framework as follows:

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.

planningand agreeing on

performance

review andassessment

managingassessment

outcomes andreporting

strategydefinition

planningto implement

strategy

reviewingachievementof strategy

reportingand managing

outcomes

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13MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

Box 1: Affirming an employee’s role and identity

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.

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

morality, creativity,

spontaneity, problem solving, lack of

prejudice, acceptance of facts

self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect for others, respect from others

friendship, family and sexual intimacy

security of body, employment, resources, morality, the family, health, property

breathing, food, water, sex, homeostasis, excretionPHYSIOLOGICAL

LOVE / BELONGING

LOVE / BELONGING

ESTEEM

SELF-ACTUALISATION

The workplace and how the individual feels in relation to the workplace contribute to self-actualisation and esteem. The performance discussions and agreement provide a good opportunity to affirm the individual in relation to the workplace.

OrganisationUnit /

Directorate Programme Individual

ORGANISATIONAL STRATEGY AS OVERARCHING GUIDE TO WORKPLANNING

WORKPLANS

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14 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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?

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.

What skills are specific to your particular job profile?

There is more to skills development than 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 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 perfor-

mance period. It must therefore be put in place at the start of a performance manage-

ment cycle.

Step 2 — Performance review and assessment

The term ‘performance review’ is used interchangeably here with ‘performance apprais-

al’. 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.

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15MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

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

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

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.

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.

Most organisations use a process of moderation to ensure consistency

across the organisation and to eliminate any possible bias in the

process.

Some important considerations in the review and assessment process

Performance review

intervals

Rating scales

Preparation for the review

discussion

The review discussions

Moderation

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16 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

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

plannin g over time and linked to the organisational planning processes. Once the perfor-

mance reviews and assessments have been completed, line managers need to provide

feedback to employees and manage the outcome of the review process.

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17MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

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;

¢ Poorly defined or structured business processes;

¢ Inhibiting work structures and flows;

¢ Lack of technology;

¢ Bureaucracies, team dynamics, organisational politics, etc.;

¢ Skills gaps.

Thesereasonsfor

underperformance

couldbeestablished

throughthe

performance agreement and review processes.

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18 Human Resource Development Toolkit for Biodiversity

Performance Management Barometer

Rate your organisation, with 5 being the top score

Reflect on the reasons for your rating

5 4 3 2 1

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

Score total:

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19MODULE 6 – Managing Performance for Growth and Development

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 Consultantwhoguidedourdiscussionsaroundperformancemanagement,suggestssharingthefollowinganalysesinthe

organisationtostimulatethisculture.ThisshouldbedoneatexecutiveCommittee

level,amonglinemanagersandalsoamongallemployees.

Thisanalysiscouldbe

placedontheexecutive

Committeemeetingagenda

toexplorereasons for non-compliance with the process,coupledwithanappealto

thehighestmanagement

leveltosupportits

implementation.

Thisanalysisclearly

showsthelinkbetween

organisationalandunit

performance.Italsohelps

toplaceperformance

managementinan

organisationalcontext,

andprovidesthebasis

forastructuredand

informedconversation

onhow to improve organisational and unit performance.

Whatdoesyourexecutive

committeethinkofyour

analysis?

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

Business Targets (Planned)

Targets Achieved (Actual)

Aggregate Performance Scores

Comments (Correlation: Yes/No)

Increaseparkvisitsby10%from10,000to11,000perannum

Visitsdeclineby5%from10,000to9,500

Marketing&Sales(3.6)GuestServices(2.9)

No.xxx

100%completionofallunitorganograms,jobdescriptions,per-formancecontracts

only30%ofunitshavecompletedor-ganograms,50%Jds,10%contracts

od&PMTeam(3.9)unitheadsscoreavgof3.5onpeoplemanage-mentKPA

No.xxxx

Increasecustomersatisfactionindexfrom4.0to7.0(on10pointscale)

Customersatisfactionremainsunchangedat4.0

unitswithdirectandindirectinfluence:¢ Catering(3.3)¢ GuestServices(4.2)¢ FacilitiesMngt(2.5)¢ Reception/ Check-in(3.5)

Problemareashigh-lightedbycustomersurveyswerexxx.Teamsresponsiblexxx.Scoresobtainedinkeeping/notinkeeping.KPAs&KPIsdonotaddress...

Performance Management Compliance Report: Example

Performance Analytics (Example)Business Performance vs Individual Score Aggregates

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Contributing partners

First published by GreenMatter in 2014

Editor: Dr Glenda Raven

Design: Dudu Coelho