As we all know, one of the biggest problems facing local government in South Africa is a lack of sustained economic growth and job creation.
In order for local government to tackle this issue, and thereby begin to improve basic living conditions and reduce the number of people living in abstract poverty, it is imperative that the focus be shifted to critical skills development both within government as well as externally.
What this means realistically is that more emphasis needs to be placed on the development and follow-through of Workplace Skills Plans (WSPs) and Sector Skills Plans (SSPs), and once implemented these need to be monitored and measured very closely, and then adapted where necessary.
This type of intensive and ongoing training can be achieved through partnerships with Further Education and Training (FET) institutions, Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) and training providers over the short (skills programmes), medium and long term (bursaries, learnerships and internships).
Critical Skills - A Case Study
An example of where a focus on critical skills has shown remarkable benefits is in the US Air Force, which included an emotional intelligence test in its critical skills requirements for recruiters.
What the US Air Force found was that those scoring highest on the emotional intelligence tests were more successful at recruiting than those who achieved a lower score, and that the higher scoring individuals were also more likely to remain in their positions for longer, positively affecting employee turnover.
What this teaches us is that by identifying what skills are necessary within the department or organisation and then focusing on developing those skills, major improvements can be seen almost immediately - and if there is an improvement at recruitment level it stands to reason that there will be an improvement in all levels as new staff are brought in, which positively affects the entire department or organisation.
Imagine that!
Staff Training is a SETA Accredited soft skills training provider with more than 40 workshops on offer. Also available are coaching options as well as operational and strategic facilitation workshops. Contact us for more information.