GUIDELINES PREPARATION OF A WORKPLACE SKILLS PLAN

Transcription

1 GUIDELINES PREPARATION OF A WORKPLACE SKILLS PLAN 1

2 INDEX 1. Preface 1.1 Definitions 1.2 Skills Development Vision 1.3 Skills Development Mission 1.4 Education, Training and Development 2. Legislative Framework 2.1 The South African Qualifications Authority Act 2.2 The Skills Development Act 2.3 The Skills Development Levies Act 2.4 Municipal Systems Act 2.5 Employment Equity Act 3. Skills Development Practices within Municipalities 4. Gaps and Challenges 5. The Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority 5.1 Functions of the LGSETA 5.2 Sector Skills Planning 5.3 LGSETA Scope and Coverage by Organisation Type and Functions 5.4 The Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) 6. Preparing a Workplace Skills Plan 6.1 Initiating Skills Planning 6.2 Interpreting Skills Needs 6.3 Developing Workplace Skills Plans 6.4 Implementing Workplace Skills Plans 7. Conclusion 8. Bibliography N.B. THIS GUIDELINE DOES NOT SUBSTITUTE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS WHICH EXISTS WITHIN ORGANIZED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ACTS AS A GUIDELINE TO SUPPORT MUNICIPALITIES TO PROMOTE SOUND LABOUR RELATIONS PRACTICE. 2

3 1. PREFACE South Africa is faced with a challenge of ensuring that all its citizens have access to skills that will enable them to adapt and be successful in the global market and that all individuals and communities are offered opportunities for self-advancement to enable them to play a productive role in society. To establish an infrastructure that will facilitate the realisation of these challenges the South African government, after extensive consultation with organised labour, business and other stakeholders, promulgated a clutch of education and training legislation that serves as a framework within which skills development need to take place. There is a need, therefore, from all responsible organs of civil society to ensure that this strategy is translated into action. The municipalities as responsible corporate citizen need to ensure that they play an effective role in contributing to the national agenda of skills development. 1.1 DEFINITIONS Unless the context otherwise indicates - councillor means a member of a municipal council; "employee" means- any person, excluding an independent contractor, who works for another person or for the State and who receives, or is entitled to receive, any remuneration; or any other person who in any manner assists in carrying on or conducting the business of an employer, and "employed" and "employment" have corresponding meanings; "employment services" means the provision of the service of- advising or counselling of workers on career choices either by the provision of information or other approaches; integrated development plan means a plan envisaged in section 25 of the Systems Act; "Minister" means the Minister of Labour; "National Skills Fund" means the National Skills Fund established by section 27 of the Skills Development Act; "prescribed" means prescribed by regulation; "regulation" means a regulation made and in force in terms of section 36 of the Skills Development Act; "SETA" means a sector education and training authority established in terms of section 9 (1) of the Skills Development Act 97 (Act number 97 of 1998); "Skills Development Act" means national legislation imposing levies for skills development, 1998 (Act number 97 of 1998); "Skills Development Levies Act" means national legislation imposing levies for skills development, 1999 (Act number 9 of 1999); 3

4 "skills development levies" means the skills development levies payable in terms of the Skills Development Levies Act, "South African Qualifications Authority Act" means the South Africa Qualifications Authority Act, 1995 (Act No. 58 of 1995); SAQUA means the South African Qualifications Authority established in terms South African Qualifications Authority Act; 1.2 Skills Development Vision The Skills Development Vision should be aligned to developing skills for a productive work experience, the achievement of which should be through acceptance and commitment to the following principles: Lifelong learning in a fast changing work environment individuals have to upgrade their lives and improve their skills continuously; Promotion of equity skills development must be used as a vehicle to promote equity, as well as to encourage effective collaboration amongst people from diverse backgrounds; Demand-led skills development must be pursued in an environment of realistic assessment of how the skills are to be employed; Flexibility Individuals (management and employees) must be afforded opportunities to participate in identifying skills development priorities and determining the most effective ways to address these priorities; Partnerships and co-operation municipalities must establish learning and development partnerships with institutions of learning that add value to the skills development process; and Efficiency and Effectiveness the delivery of skills development initiatives must be cost efficient and should lead to positive outcomes for the municipality and employees. 1.3 Skills Development Mission Within municipalities, skills development should be aligned to continuously providing employees with the knowledge and competencies that have both an economic and a social value. To fulfil this mission, the following objectives should be identified to drive the skills development initiative: To develop a culture of high quality lifelong learning; To ensure that skills development focuses on achieving the specific needs of the municipality and the growth needs of employees; To create an environment where all employees have access to the right knowledge to perform their jobs effectively; 4

5 To ensure that skills development provides all employees with opportunities to acquire benchmarked and recognised qualifications; and To focus skills development on productivity, portability, employability and/or entrepreneurship. 1.4 Education, Training and Development Policy Policy should aim at supporting the human resources development philosophy of realising value and reaching maximum success for the municipality through strategic people management practices, particularly ensuring that Education, Training and Development- is a strategic and an integrated function within the municipality; is a vital foundation for transformation; and is the responsibility of every manager, supervisor and employee. 2. LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK There are three key laws governing and driving the skills development in South Africa. These are- the South African Qualifications Authority Act, 58 of 1995; the Skills Development Act, 97 of 1998; and the Skills Development Levies Act, 9 of There are other Acts that indirectly impacts on skills development policies and practices in local government. Two of the most important are the Municipal Systems Act, 32 of 2000 and the Employment Equity Act, 5 of The South African Qualifications Authority Act This Act has enabled South Africa to develop its own National Qualifications Framework (NQF). It is a skills framework that allows people to compare and earn qualifications through a range of providers of learning (e.g. schools, colleges or on-thejob) or through the recognition of learning that has happened through practical experience. The focus is on acquiring skills through outcomes-based training (focusing on what people can practically do, not only on the training inputs they have had), or through the assessment of the latent skills individuals have acquired on the job (i.e. recognition of prior learning) The Skills Development Act The purpose of this Act is- to develop and grow skills for the workplace; to increase levels of investment in education and training; to encourage employers to use the workplace as an active learning environment and promote skills development (thus improving employment prospects for all); and 5

6 to encourage workers to participate in learnerships and other training programmes; These purposes are to be achieved by- the development of training and development programmes which provide workers with qualifications recognised in the National Qualifications Framework; the formation of learnerships; the appointment of Skills Development Facilitators in all organisations; the establishment of Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) responsible for encouraging and guiding planning and coherent skills development in all sectors of the economy; and the establishment of the National Skills Development Authority which, in the main, advises the Minister of Labour on the national skills development policy and strategy and then liaise with the SETA s on the same. 2.3 The Skills Development Levies Act This Act ensures that skills development programmes are appropriately funded. Unless exempted, organisations are required to pay a levy of 1% of the total amount of remuneration paid or payable during any month. Generally, 20% of the levies collected (including interest and penalties) is allocated to the National Skills Fund and the balance to the SETA s. Seventy (70%) of the levy is retrievable through a grant system, provided certain conditions are met. The balance is used to finance the implementation of that Sector Skills Plan (SSP), e.g. through bursaries to unemployed youth so that they can attain qualifications in areas where a national shortage has been identified. 2.4 Municipal Systems Act Section 68 of this Act provides that a municipality must develop its human resource capacity to a level that enables it to perform its functions and exercise its powers in an economical, effective, efficient and accountable manner and for this purpose, must comply with the Skills Development and the Skills Development Levies Acts. In addition, municipalities should make provision in their budget for the development and implementation of training programmes. Furthermore, municipalities that do not have adequate financial means to provide for training programmes in addition to the levy payable in term of the Skills development Levies Act, 1999, may apply to the Sector Education and Training Authority for funds. 2.5 The Employment Equity Act This Act aims to stop unfair discrimination at work and to build a workforce that is demographically representative of all of South Africa s people. Designated employers are legally obliged to take steps to include women, black people and people with disabilities at all levels and in all job categories of their workforce. Skills development is seen as central to the process of achieving equity targets. 3. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES WITHIN MUNICIPALITIES Skills Development legislation has had a major impact on the training and development functions within municipalities. The statutory Workplace Skills Plans 6

7 (WSP s) focus on skills interventions that are aligned with the local government sector skills priorities, the development objectives of Integrated Development Plan s, employment equity targets, performance management reviews, etc. Where traditionally training was supply led, now skills development is demand led. In addition, consultative work place training committees have been legislated and implemented. These committees comprise management, councillors, union representatives and the skills development facilitators. These committees oversee the skills audit process and then determine the scope and content of the Workplace Skills Plans. 4. GAPS AND CHALLENGES Whilst there seems to be general acceptance in the sphere of local government that skills development must be prioritised at all levels, there are still constraints that interfere with this process. Examples of these are: Financial resources, particularly problematic in the rural local municipalities where the constituency is poor and no rates are yet paid; Difficulties for managers in making the paradigm shift to a culture where knowledge and outcomes based skills development are highly valued and financially prioritised; The lack of a coherent skills development strategy, linked to difficulties in articulating training needs; Limited numbers of appropriately skilled personnel in training management and serving on Workplace Training Committees; Lack of effective evaluation of the impact of training; People being released for training when service delivery demands and targets are increasing; Devaluing of on-the-job training and the perception that only external training is of value; and Lack of mentors and coaches across this sector; 5. THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT, WATER AND RELATED SERVICES SECTOR EDUCATION AND TRAINING AUTHORITY (LGWSETA) The LGWSETA was established in terms of the Skills Development Act in March The SETA was recertified by the Minister of Labour in March 2005, as the Local Government SETA, for a five (5) year period and with a reduced scope of coverage. 5.1 Functions of the LGSETA A brief summary of the functions of the LGSETA as contemplated in its constitution and the Skills Development Act is as follows: Develop a sector skills plan within the framework of the national skills development strategy; Implement its sector skills plan by establishing learnerships, approving workplace skills plans and allocating grants in the prescribed manner and in accordance with any prescribed standards and criteria to employers, education and training service providers; 7

8 Promote learnerships (and register learnership agreements) by identifying workplaces for practical work experience, supporting the development of learning materials, improving facilitation of learning and assisting in the conclusion of learnership agreements; Perform such functions as may be assigned by to it by the South African Qualifications Authority; and Fund a skills programme if it is occupationally based and when completed will constitute a credit towards qualification registered in terms of the National Qualifications Framework. 5.2 Sector Skills Planning The purpose of the Sector Skills Planning unit within the SETA is to ensure that the SETA has relevant, up-to-date information and analysis to allow it to perform its strategic skills planning function for the sector and to maximise participation by employers in the National Skills Development Strategy through the efficient use of resources available for training within the sector. The Sector Skills Plan is an analysis of the labour market within the local government sector. It forms the key strategic analysis guiding the implementation of training and skills development within the sector. It is compiled once every five years, submitted to the Department of Labour and then updated annually. The Sector Skills Plan provides the- profile of the labour force within the sector by province, race, age, gender, qualification and occupational category; it monitors the supply of and demand for labour within the sector; it tracks the absorption of new labour market entrants into the sector; it identifies areas of skills growth and skills need; and it identifies opportunities and constraints on employment growth in the sector. 5.3 LGSETA scope of coverage by organisation type and functions Main Activity Any utility or agency, wholly or partially owned by a municipality providing local government services under contractors or a municipality All functions, services and facilities provided by a metropolitan council as determined by section 84 (1): (2) and (3) of the Local Government Municipal Structure Act, 117 of 1998 Category B Municipalities: all functions, services and facilities provided by local council as determined by section 84 (1), (2) and (3) of the Local Government Municipal Structure Act, 117 of 1998 Category C municipalities: all functions, services and facilities provided by a district council and district management area as per section 54 (1), (2) and (3) of Local government Municipal Structure Act, 117 of

9 Organised local government: a statutory or regulatory body assigned the function as per constitution of RSA, to deal with matters at an executive level within local government 5.4 The Workplace Skills Plan (WSP) The WSP is a plan developed every year at enterprise level that describes its training and development strategy and will help it to meet its overall objectives and targets. The WSP s of the municipalities must relate to the key municipal Integrated Development Plan objectives and to the priority training areas identified in the sector skills plan. It is important to note the following key points about WSP s, namely, that- it is mandatory for employers employing more than 50 people to prepare and submit their WSP s to the relevant SETA s; WSP s must be submitted to the SETA s by a gazetted date; WSP s are a product of consultation between management and employee representatives; annual training / implementation reports must be prepared and submitted to relevant SETA by 30th June each year; WSP s must be prepared in a prescribed format (normally customised by SETA s (for their own specific requirements); and Skills Development Facilitators must be appointed, basically to be responsible for the process around the development and implementation of the WSP plus the compilation and submission of the required annual progress reports. 6. PREPARING A WORKPLACE SKILLS PLAN - ACTION STEPS The following general guidelines indicate the phases to be followed and the action steps that need to be taken: Most of the actions described are not entirely new or foreign to municipalities, as they are derived from the realities of the municipal work environment; The actions that need to be taken under each phase have been broken down into individual action steps to ensure that all relevant issues are addressed. However, in practice many of these action steps may take place simultaneously; It is not necessary for municipalities to set up elaborate structures to prepare their WSP s, as they will be able to use existing structures, such as the Human Resources Development (HRD) Forums and Training Committees. Most of the actions required in the skills planning process form part of routine training and development functions. The skills development strategy should be planned so as to ensure that all related actions are coordinated and integrated; Where consultation, discussion and decisions are required, it is not necessary to set up special meetings, as skills planning issues can be discussed in regular meetings of bodies such as Council, Municipal Management, HRD / Employment Equity Forums or Training Committees; and 9

10 The purpose of the guidelines is not to prescribe actions that must be rigidly adhered to. Municipalities should see them as guidelines that can be shaped into useful tools, taking into consideration unique environments and available resources. PHASE ONE 6.1 Initiating skills planning Establishing and/or confirming goals of the skills planning strategy This covers the municipality s goals that are to be achieved by the strategy. They should drive the planning effort and serve as a point of reference during planning, implementation and evaluation. Goals should be formulated, or reconsidered, revised and confirmed by all stakeholders. In the main, action steps involve- the Skills Development Facilitator (SDF) or appointed person for the WSP process consulting labour and employer representatives on the goals of the skills planning strategy; management formulating proposals on the municipality s skills planning strategy; ensuring that local priorities are considered in drafting the WSP; reaching agreement with all relevant stakeholders on the goals of the skills planning strategy; and submitting proposals to the Council for approval Establishing and /or confirming the skills planning process PHASE TWO Once the goals and strategy have been agreed upon, these should serve as a basis for formulating the process for conducting skills planning. There should be agreement among all stakeholders on the process that will be followed in the specific municipality, for example- the process developed must be derived from and be responsive to internal needs of individual municipalities, identify key aspects, e.g. IDP and employment equity requirements; decisions must be made on the composition of the skills planning team, roles and responsibilities, resources, methods of analysis and for identifying the skills gaps; the terms of reference must be in line with Council decisions on such functions and structures and link with employment equity structures and process; and there must be agreement with line managers, trade unions and relevant forums on the way in which skills audit will be conducted and the tools/ questionnaires to be used. 6.2 Interpreting Skills Needs Analysing skills needs 10

11 This phase is about the analysis of the skills that are required by the municipalities to address their needs as well as individual learner needs. The skills needs must be derived from the municipality s current and future goals and priorities- the developmental role of municipalities must be considered, as well as the focus on strategic service delivery priorities such as contained in the IDP; the purpose and process of the skills audit must be clearly communicated in advance; an appropriate administrative system must be available for capturing and processing the data gathered through the skills audit process; the auditing team must identify broad trends from the skills audit information collected and determine skills priorities on the basis of issues such as municipal and/or sector needs and employment equity plans; and the information generated during the audit should also be used by managers, the SDF, employees and others to plan for individual or group performance improvement, career development and performance management Describing solutions to skills gaps The analysis of the skills needs is followed by a process of describing the solutions to the identified skills gaps. Such solutions should include training and non-training solutions, as training is not always the only most appropriate solution to all performance problems. Consideration should also be given to including learnerships and skills programmes- the SDF submits skills audit report to municipality management for comment, recommendations and resolutions; The SDF separates skills solutions from non-training solutions and makes recommendations to the Training Committee, e.g. on channelling non-training solutions into other management processes; The SDF describes appropriate solutions to address the skills gaps, including skills programmes and learnerships; and Line managers take over the responsibility for the non-training solutions to performance problems that can be addressed by other interventions (e.g. on-thejob coaching, job rotation, performance management, technology, etc). PHASE THREE 6.3 Developing Workplace Skills Plans Designing skills development solutions The training solutions identified to address the skills needs are prioritised and designed. The interventions to be included in the WSP are selected. Other design aspects include the budget, the selection of learners and learning programmes and the design of new programmes- 11

12 The SETA clarifies what kinds of interventions can be included in the WSP, e.g. external training, in-house training, on-the-job informal training/development actions and internal work sessions aimed at developing employees; The WSP s should include other relevant learning which cannot realistically be captured in unit standards and yet is critical for effective performance on the job. Examples are interpersonal skills, inter-group tolerance; etc. The designing team must draw up a budget estimate for identified solutions. The solutions included in the WSP must be in line with the available training budget; and Input regarding EE targets must also be included in skills development solutions Preparing the WSP: The plan to address the skills needs is developed from the information gathered and input received from departments and committees (Training and EE Committees), taking into account LGSETA requirements. The SDF- studies and adheres to the LGSETA requirements and guidelines on the format and content of the WSP and the process for approval and submission; develops draft criteria for the approval of the WSP, in consultation with municipal management (e.g. alignment with EE, consultation and approval processes); collates the input (prioritised training needs as identified by the audit conducted in above) from the different departments into the municipality s WSP and completes the documentation for the WSP as required by the LGSETA; submits the draft WSP to management and stakeholders for comment and recommendations, revises the draft WSP on the basis of the comments and recommendations received; prepares the final WSP and submits to Council for approval and to all stakeholders for their signatures; and submits the completed WSP to the provincial LGSETA by gazetted date The LGSETA WSP Template(as amended from time to time) The WSP template can be downloaded from the LGSETA s web-site. It can then be filled manually or electronically, depending on the LGSETA s requirements. PHASE FOUR 6.4 Implementing WSP s Implementing the plan: This covers the actual implementation of the municipality s workplace skills plan. This sub-phase includes aspects such as the delivery and assessment of the learning programmes by providers that meet the accreditation requirements and the certification of learners- 12

13 the municipality selects and uses internal or contracts external education, training and development providers to deliver the learning programmes described in the WSP; the assessors of internal (municipal) and external providers must be registered as assessors when they have achieved the competence in the unit standards for assessors, within the timeframes prescribed by the LGSETA; managers and supervisors promote skills development by giving the necessary authority to learners to attend learning programmes and making the required time available for learning; assessors assess learning achievements of learners against the stated outcomes /or unit standards, using continuous and integrated assessments; and learner achievements are recorded internally and on the LGSETA Database Monitoring Implementation of the WSP Involves monitoring of implementation by the SDF to ensure that the WSP is implemented as planned. Monitoring also includes guidance and support to ensure effective implementation and to solve problems that may arise. The SDF- continuously monitors implementation in order too ensure implementation is in accordance with the approved WSP; and o ensure that implementation promotes the municipality s skills development objectives and goals; monitors learner progress to ascertain their experience of learning programmes, to track individual learning progress and to identify and address obstacles to learning; engages with managers and supervisors for their feedback on the impact of implementation, especially in terms of improved on-the-job performance; takes actions to promote effective implementationo provides guidance to direct implementation and promote success; o makes recommendations on changes required to enhance effective implementation; and o attempts to solve problems, removes obstacles takes corrective actions required; o of a RPL process (Recognition of Prior Learning) in conjunction with section 28 of the manpower Act ( obtain correct terminology) provides feedback on progress with implementation to management, supervisors, trainers, assessors and other stakeholders Recording progress/ Training Reports Covers the recording and reporting of information during implementation. It includes two kinds of reports: reports prepared for internal use, to record progress and results of implementation in relation to the overall municipality skills development strategy and reports prepared in terms of SETA requirements. The SDF- 13

14 submits regular progress reports to municipality management and committees on the implementation of the workplace skills plan, including recommendations and requests for decisions/actions required to promote successful implementation; compiles and submits interim and yearly reports required by the LGSETA on the implementation of the WSP to Council and municipal management for approval; completes the required forms and applies to the LGSETA for grant disbursement from the skills levy; and formulates and disseminates guidelines on the utilisation of grants in municipalities, to ensure that grant disbursements are utilised for training/ development actions Evaluating, revising and redesigning Evaluation must be built into the whole process and planned at the outset, to ensure that it is done continuously, and that it is not completed at the end as an after thought. Most of the actions described in this sub-phase need to be executed simultaneously and continuously throughout the WSP development and implementation process. The SDF- uses the evaluation report as a basis for revising, adapting and redesigning the process and to formulate guidelines for future implementation. 7. CONCLUSION Major legislative changes in the late 1990s and early 2000s have dramatically affected education and training practices throughout the country. This has resulted in the Ministries of Education and Labour having to work together to establish a holistic approach to education and skills development in South Africa. The effect of this is that learners emerging from the new dispensation are likely to possess skills that are directly relevant to the workforce. Through this legislation the onus has been placed on employers to turn workplaces into places of learning and to create a competitive and productive work environment that simulates growth and ultimately employment in the South African economy. Focus should also be on the development and implementation of performance management systems so skills development can be clearly linked to individual performance needs as well as organisational needs. For learning to be effective, individuals need to be motivated to learn and this only happens if people can see that the learning is relevant to them and their ability to do their work. Linking training planning to employment equity planning and career paths needs can also be improved. 8. BIBLIOGRAPHY 8.1 Skills Development Act. 8.2 Skills Development Levies Act. 8.3 South African Qualifications Authority Act. 8.4 Employment Equity Act. 8.5 Handbook: Implementation of Employment Equity Plans. 14

15 8.6 Local Government: Moving From Training to Skills Development: L Brown and McIntosh Xaba. 8.7 Improving municipal service delivery through Learnerships and Skills Planning, 2002: Suzanne Hattingh. 8.8 National Skills Development Strategy: Setting the Context Department of Labour (June 2001). 8.9 Sector Skills Plan Review: Local Government and Water Sector LGWSETA (Jan 2003) 8.10 Manpower Act 56 of