The Star HRDA Press Releases

New innovations for workplace skills, training, and HR solutions are the focus at HRDA
 
Opening its doors yesterday at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, exhibitors at The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) Expo are offering visitors a wealth of expertise and showcasing a wide range of products, services and solutions. The Expo is open from 09h00 – 17h00 until Friday this week.
 
HRDA exhibitor Laborite is adding two new modules to its versatile web-based IR management tool - both being showcased at HRDA - that provide for interactive leave management and dispute resolution. There’s also a new incident reporting feature that enables managers to report incidents quickly, and effectively manage and capture cases directly onto the system.
 
Says Celeste Allan, Laborite spokesperson, “Organisations are increasingly seeking IT solutions in all fields of management to reduce the burden on managers of manual record keeping. We offer a user-friendly decision-making tool which guides managers step-by-step through the quagmire of rules and regulations and has been favourably received by employers, government, unions and labour consultants alike.”
 
“Empowering the South African workforce” is the sentiment of HRDA exhibitor, The Concise Business Language Institute. Debbie Le Roux explains that, “functional competence in English is of paramount importance and is integral to training, learning, development, and performance both individually and in terms of organisational efficiency.”
 
“However, the international status of English and its status as the lingua franca for tertiary academic study creates enormous difficulties for individuals who are second language (L2) speakers,” says Le Roux.  “The numbers of L2 speakers who lack the required language proficiency in English for successful completion of their respective degrees in Higher Education institutions are increasing annually.” 
 
“Our core business is to offer an integrated approach to the development of business writing skills.  All training is situational and context specific and is based on typical daily experience and job-function and involves role-play, decision making, and personal interaction within realistic circumstances.”
 
“Shifting learning into high gear” is the promise Edge Interactive, a technology distributor to South Africa and the SADC countries.
 
“Our latest SMART interactive whiteboard, SMART Sympodium-Senteo interactive response system and the Airliner wireless slate will be available at HRDA for personal demonstrations,” says Johann Strauss, General Manager at Edge Interactive.
 
“Research proves that learners grasp concepts easier and show considerably more interest when using the interactive whiteboards, and teachers and trainers have even commented on their own productivity being benefited,” he says. “Custom solutions consisting of a variety of fully integrated tools available are designed based on requirements ranging from physical size of the room to the needs of the special needs learner.”
 
“HRDA 2008 will see tools tailored for the classroom and training environments where visitors will be able to personally experience how these products make it easier to connect, communicate and collaborate whether in lecture halls of five hundred, seminar rooms of six or distance education classrooms of forty,” enthuses Strauss.
 
Companies such as Matlejoane Staffing Services, a 100% black-owned recruitment specialist and ‘holistic’ HR solution provider with branches around the country, The Training Edge, who will be launching the first edition of its ETD practical guideline series called ‘The Edge On … ETD Policy Writing”, which includes an instructional booklet and CD guidelines and the People Dynamic Development Group of Companies whose Mentorship programme has a compelling capacity building process for those seeking the secrets of powerful and meaningful connections between mentors and mentees, as well as other effective, unusual and fun dynamic development programmes, all will be on hand at HRDA to provide in-depth knowledge about their products and services.
 
Intoweb offers a Human Resources (HR) tool that is a generic system that can be customised to meet company's individual and unique needs, with modules including Employees, Vehicle Management, Appraisals, Time and Attendance, Recruitment and Disciplinary.
 
Consulting Tools is a provider and developer of innovative, high-quality people and process solutions for consultants and business professionals working with individuals, teams and organisations.
 
And Cool Ideas adds that, “Our pride and joy, showcased at HRDA, is the Higher Certificate in Occupationally-Directed Education, Training and Development Practices (OD ETD). At NQF Level 5, it’s a National Qualification geared for those who want to build on a FETC in any field of ETD.”
 
Other leading companies and institutions such as Foster-Melliar, Business Today, Triple E Training, UNISA, UCT Graduate School of Business, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Heinemann Publishers, Plato, Credit Skills Training Institute, Assessment College, APPETD, and City & Guilds are amongst the many exhibitors offering new insights, products and solutions.
 
“This year’s HRDA expo is uniquely positioned to offer advice, knowledge, expertise, products and solutions across a wide spectrum of education, training, skills development and HR,” says Tendai Dumbutshena, Exhibition Director.  “We believe the benefits gained by visitors attending are high, and even further enhanced by the co-locating conferences.”
 
For more information, contact Tendai Dumbutshena at +27 (0) 11 835 1565 or visit www.hrda.co.za
 
 
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HRDA - aligning your employee’s in business to improve performance
 
An airline pilot learns to maximise performance and deal with potentially disastrous situations in a flight simulator – a safe and flexible way to learn and experiment.
 
Unfortunately, business pilots frequently learn their essential skills on-the-job through trial and error, as if a few ‘crash and burns’ will make them stronger (that’s if they survive!).
 
Opening today at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition is the premier forum at which companies and institutions at the cutting edge of delivering education, training and skills development, converge to do business and where visitors are given the opportunity of seeing the latest trends and developments, products, systems and services.
 
Business Today, an exhibitor at HRDA, has developed a wide range of board-based simulations, which are utilised worldwide as an innovative vehicle for providing staff with a working knowledge of business and finance. These simulations are built around different types of businesses across many industries, and they incorporate the financial and other business drivers of that type of business. Any topical company issue, organisational direction or problem can be built into the simulation process. These simulations have been applied at all levels within companies, and have played a major role in changing peoples attitudes towards their companies' financial performance.
 
“Team of delegates manage the business through following a credible business process, on the simulation board,” explains Michael Nel, Business Today. “They make a variety of decisions over a number of business cycles, discover how money and other resources flow through their operation, and then analyse the consequences, financial and otherwise, of their decisions. This experiential process is challenging, highly competitive and lots of fun, and allows individuals to gain a holistic understanding of their business.”
 
A key philosophy of this training technology is that delegates discover, as opposed to being told, what the key business realities and issues are, leading to a very high level of belief in those realities, seen in context of their actual workplaces. 
 
Foster-Melliar, a subsidiary of Simeka Business Group, promotes the concept of “Training with Purpose” and is using HRDA as a showcase for its philosophy that the emphasis on cultivating a successful business strategy that is aimed at rendering a comprehensive return on investment has far-reaching consequences when it comes to getting the most out of the workforce. 
 
“Human resource departments are increasingly faced with the challenge of identifying training that will benefit individuals and organisations alike,” says David Anderson, MD of Foster-Melliar.
 
“The implementation of a successful organisational developmental plan starts with a clear charter of where the company is heading.  The onus lies with the human resource department in conjunction with Line Management in identifying the skills available in the organisation that need to be developed in order to achieve the company objective,” Anderson explains.  “In most cases the human resource department will initiate training for candidates without fully comprehending the purpose of the training, often leading to candidates being sent to irrelevant training courses that render an unsatisfactory result.”
 
The key to an effective developmental plan lies in the identification of a clear and concise career path for each employee.  “It is crucial to set a starting point as well as identifying a target to focus on while mapping a training and developmental plan.  It becomes easier to identify milestones being achieved along the way as well as giving an overview of what still needs to be done.”
 
In the aftermath of training, participants often become disheartened when faced with the implementation of what they have learnt.  “Training is done with the purpose of improving the work processes, which means that every training initiative will need the complete buy-in of the staff force including Line Management to make a success of it.  The process doesn’t end after the training sessions closes, and it is up to all parties involved to motivate learners to actively incorporate what they have learnt by including learned aspects into their daily tasks.  It is also vital to provide staff members the bigger picture in terms of what role they play, how that role fits into the master plan as well as validating the importance of that role,” says Anderson.
 
Organisations invest a large amount of time and funds in the appointment and growth of staff members.  It is therefore crucial for an organisation to invest in skills that will benefit the organisation in order to achieve a comprehensive return on investment.  The challenge to human resource departments lies in maintaining the delicate balance between company goals and what the individual in question would like to achieve.
 
 “There is nothing worse than reaching the end of a process, only to find that the skills that were invested in are neither sufficient nor aligned to meet the demand of the organisation.  Mapping a successful training and developmental strategy becomes a vital part of aligning staff capability with the goals that the organisation has set for itself. ROI is achievable and depends not only on the delegates but also the organisations ‘participation’ in the learning process, ” concludes Anderson.
 
For more views, advise, innovations and trends, visit The Star HRDA this week until Friday. 
 
 
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Embarking on projects to meet African education challenges
 
Embarking on projects to meet African education and training challenges is at the forefront of thinking for many companies, organisations and educational and training institutions.
 
The largest university in South Africa and one of the largest distance education institutions in the world, the University of South Africa (Unisa) has launched new initiatives that helps students better achieve in their studies, and positions itself more forcefully within the African context. 
 
Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Barney Pityana says, “We are being challenged to think afresh about the African identity of our institution and the programmes we offer, and to define exactly who the ‘Unisa Graduate’ is and the meaning and significance of ‘the social mandate of Unisa’ that we often speak about.”
 
“We are also addressing the problem of throughput and drop-out,” he says, “and we are undertaking audits in targeted departments to check the quality and consistency of our examinations, marking system and the integrity of the results.”
 
The growth in student numbers has put much pressure on learning facilities throughout the university, “but, with support from the Department of Education and from Council, improvements and developments in our student facilities are underway or planned for the near future in Pretoria, Polokwane, Durban, Cape Town.” Also on the cards are mobile libraries and learning centres for rural areas where many students have no access to learning facilities.
 
Unisa is exhibiting at The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition, running this week from 4-6 June 2008 at Gallagher Estate, Midrand. The expo provides an excellent platform for visitors to learn more about these, and other, initiatives and programmes.
 
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), also at HRDA, believes that the recurring refrain ‘Our country needs more skills’ is accurate, but, for a sustainable future, South Africa also needs critical thinkers and analysts able to envision and debate future technologies and trends.
 
Newly appointed Vice-Chancellor, Prof Derrick Swartz, says that, “a truly first-class education can only be achieved if technical and professional knowledge is combined with cultural, social and political understanding of the world.” Swartz envisages a culture of responsiveness to be grown at NMMU, with scholars and students exercising critical thinking and debate both on public and university platforms on key issues. This is achieved through relevant content and expertise, and the hands-on involvement of commerce and industry.
 
“Our interactive research culture truly responds to the real needs of the South African and global community and offers an opportunity to deepen understanding and the sharpening of skills,” says Swartz.
 
Triple E Training, known for its delivery of fundamental learning areas in learnerships, enabling more learners to participate fully in the new qualifications, will also be showcased at HRDA.
 
With a 17-year track record of quality and results-driven successes across all economic sectors, customisation ensures that each project is unique and flexible to fit in with the expectations and limitations of organisations, producing optimum results.
 
“Success is based on placing the learner at the correct NQF level, learner counselling, support from labour and management and customised materials to certification. We are an important partner in fighting illiteracy, growing skills and investing in the future of our people,” says Denis van der Merwe, at Triple E Training. “Our learning materials and expertise will be available at HRDA, where we can explain our process further from ABET Level 1 to NQF 4.”
 
Now in its tenth year, The Star HRDA is the premier forum at which companies and institutions at the cutting edge of delivering education, training and skills development, converge to do business and where visitors are given the opportunity of seeing the latest trends and developments, products, systems and services.
 
Book online at www.hrda.co.za or contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions 011 835 1565 for further information.
 
 
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May 2008

The need for talent development in schools, uplifting skills
 
A lot has been said about the skills shortages in South Africa. It is also clear that one of the main solutions to the current challenges that we face as a country is good quality education. For quality education to be realized, authorities need to bring about meaningful reforms in education. The successful implementation of reform initiatives requires the effective and meaningful professional development of educators.
 
“For quality of education to be attained, the development of educators and non-educators in schools is of utmost importance. If schools are to provide quality education, then its employees must be developed to ensure that good service is provided, the work life of the employee is fulfilling and the competitiveness of the organisation is healthy. In a world where organisations are searching and recruiting talented people, retention of a developed and experienced workforce is of utmost importance” (Mosoge: 2008).
 
Heinemann Publishers is one of the many companies exhibiting at The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition taking place at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg, from 4-6 June 2008.
 
Such as this excerpt, interesting topics are discussed in depth in People Leadership in South African Education – a book that argues that people should be acknowledged according to the value they add to an organisation, instead of being viewed as mere resources that often are utilised only in order to achieve the aims of the organisation.
 
Many other titles will be on view at the Heinemann Publishers stand, and, also at HRDA, in the area of education and learning, PLATO showcases its e-Learning System, used by more than half of all FET colleges for successful skills development.
 
The Western Cape Education Department has also recently agreed to extend its existing five-year agreement to use the PLATO e-Learning System in all 38 FET College Campuses across the province, for a further two years.
“The system is being successfully integrated into the mainstream college programme to deliver curriculum outcomes and is not only being used for Learner Support,” says John Bredenkamp of PLATO Southern Africa. “FET College Campuses employing the PLATO e-Learning System are experiencing outstanding results,” Bredenkamp enthuses, ”such as the Wingfield Campus, which reported a pass rate of 100% for Mathematics and 98% for Communication on the National exam. This is the best result that this campus has ever achieved and far exceeded the national pass rate of 49%.”

Also achieving great success in a different field of training is Unisa’s ABET programme, which is the biggest in the country and has partnerships with government and other organisations to teach language and numerical literacy. Prospective students who wish to embark on studies today should carefully check several factors:  firstly their own skills and abilities, secondly what is available in the myriad of products offered at tertiary level and thirdly, what the requirements are for the courses they ultimately choose.
 
The Star HRDA provides an excellent platform for visitors to learn more about these initiatives and programmes.
 
Book online at www.hrda.co.za or contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions 011 835 1565 for further information.
 
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May 2008

Internet technology is forcing business to change the way it operates
 
Rapid change is integral to how we operate these days. Although South African businesses have often been praised for the way in which they are able to harness rapid change for organisational results, the impact of this modus operandi has not however been fully digested for our businesses in the long term.
 
Ever-accelerating Internet and other mobile marketing technologies have brought the world to the brink of a revolution in the way people live and work. The new Internet age, sometimes called web 2.0, is quietly bringing about a revolution in the way human beings engage with each other. What many still don’t grasp is that this will have implications not only for how people engage in their downtime but how they engage in their work time. Businesses need to take note of this or risk not just getting left behind – but simply becoming irrelevant.
 
According to Elaine Rumboll, Director of Executive Education at the UCT Graduate School of Business, businesses that want to thrive in this exciting new world need to make a huge mental shift.
 
“It’s not about using different technologies to do the same old things. Just showing up in a virtual world is not sufficient, you have to be prepared to engage and interact with consumers in a real – and very different – way,” she says.
 
“In the 20th Century products and services were bought and forgotten. Thus key competitive advantage included pitching a service, selling benefits and protecting IP. In the 21st Century by contrast, services only have meaning if they are a part of a past, present and future conversation. In this world, competitive advantage lies in collaboration and co-creation with your customer and a genuinely visible curiosity around where you are going to take it.”
 
Rumboll says that these three Cs – collaboration, co-creation and curiosity – are the keys for successful operation in this new world and that the UCT GSB is already experimenting successfully with teaching and doing business in this way.
 
In 2007 in a major coup for South Africa and the African continent, the business school snatched a prime contract out from under the noses of heavyweights – London Business School, INSEAD and IESE in Spain to develop a high-level leadership programme for J&J’s women leadership because the client was delighted with the School’s curiosity driven, collaborative approach.
 
“The change is upon us. The more organisations that grasp this, the better for our future economy,” says Rumboll
 
Business trends such as this, and much more, can be discussed and viewed further at The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition taking place at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg, from 4-6 June 2008. Book online at www.hrda.co.za or contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions 011 835 1565 for further information.
 
 
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May 2008

Uplifting quality and skills in the workplace
 
Uplifting quality and skills in the workplace are the driving factors for companies involved in education, training and development, addressing difficulties faced in the current skills shortage environment.  
 
Many new initiatives will be showcased at The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition, opening its doors from 4-6 June at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg.
 
HRDA exhibitor Credit Skills Training Institute (CSTI) delivers quality, accredited and customised skills programmes to the credit industry of South Africa. With the onset of the National Credit Act (NCA) many credit providers find themselves in a situation where compliance issues have a noticeable impact on the processes and procedures followed by credit providers in terms of granting credit in line with the requirements of the Act.
 
“The introduction of the NCA introduced new skills development requirements, ranging from compliance, and responsible lending to debt counselling and fraud training,” says Frank Lenisa, Managing Director, CSTI. “We have developed effective skills training and development programmes and services to assist credit providers with the challenges they face in today’s credit environment.”
 
“By educating credit personnel on the implications of the NCA and training debt counsellors to aid the public of SA, our skills programmes add value to the credit industry and the development of the professionalism of the Banking and Micro-Finance Sectors.”
 
The skills programmes address the lack of credit, business and interpersonal skills within credit providers such as processing credit applications, responsible lending, debt collection practices, fraud prevention and monitoring and customer service. “Through our services, such as delivering an NCA Compliance Readiness Audit, we help credit providers to prepare for their formal yearly NCR audit and identify to what extent they are compliant or non-compliant,” says Cindee Groenwald, Skills Development Manager, CSTI, “and recommending steps they need to implement to meet compliance requirements”.
 
Assessment College is an old familiar face at HRDA, but this year will be there in a very different format. “Assessment College has diversified to form a holding company called iSeleSele Holding Company, with four subsidiaries, of which one is Assessment College,” explains Managing Director, Gerda Magnus.  “The new companies are Business Start-up Training, iSeleSele Learner Admin Services, and iSeleSele Property Academy. We are in the midst of getting accredited in the new fields and will be operational soon.”
 
“Not only will we be showcasing our new operation at the show, but will also be engaging with visitors regarding the Skills Development Act. As an industry we need to address what progress has been made over the last decade, as a country, and consider critically what the stumbling blocks have been.”
 
“Well be talking about quality assurance at a macro level, as well as exploring why it is that some still feel skills development is not working, and posing the question of whether we are chasing numbers while we should be focusing on quality of learning, or have both been achieved. This is a critical debate at a time when we are facing legislative changes which could relieve some of the problems but could also perpetuate them,” says Magnus.
 
“We are hosting our 5th Annual Conference at Gallagher Estate on the 5th & 6th of June 2008, with the theme The Quest for a Seamless Education System in South Africa, which will platform a range of speakers who are experts in their field,” says Tony Khatle, CEO of APPETD, another exhibitor at HRDA. “And will provide information on a series of workshops taking place around the country from July, the aim of which is for capacity building and empowerment of private providers, a joint venture with the Department of Labour, enabling providers to understand the regulatory requirements in order to comply.”
 
City & Guilds is hosting a symposium at HRDA addressing the skills gap in South Africa where industry and government will debate this issue.
 
“The show is important to the education, training and HR sectors as it provides a forum for people to see what courses, services and products are available, and is a valuable platform for exhibitors and visitors to exchange ideas and information,” says Tendai Dumbutshena, HRDA Exhibition Director. “We look forward to much conversation and debate.”
 
For further information, contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions 011 835 1565 or visit www.hrda.co.za

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April 2008
 
Talent management, seamless education, new trends, products and solutions  
 
With the skills shortage deepening in the country and companies looking at new ways to attract and retain knowledgeable and competent employees, it is imperative that business keeps up to date with the latest trends and developments in the HR, training and education arena’s.
 
Celebrating it’s 10th year, the Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition, opening its doors from 4-6 June at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg, offers insight into these and other current issues, with the added benefit of co-locating informative conferences.
 
Designed to “make your organisation a talent factory by benchmarking against some of the Deloitte 2007 best companies to work for”, IRR’s Talent Management Conference 2008 will provide much-needed instruction for effective integration of talent management approaches and linkage of strategies across the entire lifecycle - from recruitment to performance management, development and succession planning. 
 
The driving factors behind this conference look to a combination of demographic trends that predict labour shortages, skill deficits and fewer knowledge workers, which create a perfect storm that is negatively impacting on the productivity and growth of businesses.
 
“Today, businesses are being forced to reconsider just how quickly they will be able to grow because they cannot find and retain enough people with the right skills,” says HRDA Exhibition Director, Tendai Dumbutshena. “Coupled with these challenges is a considerable demand on the managers involved to understand the integral part that talent management and succession planning play in a business. Both the conference and exhibition are well positioned to address these issues.”
 
Focussing on a ‘seamless education system’ the APPETD (Association of Private Providers of Education, Training and Development) conference brings high profile speakers to the stage challenging the progress of this education ideal and offering solutions, debate and innovation for greater implementation going forward.
 
Says Tony Khatle, APPETD’s CEO, “In 1999 the previous South African Minister of Education, Kadar Asmal pronounced that the vision for the 21st century South African higher education system had crystallized into a number of priorities for the state, including the implementation of a rational seamless higher education system that grasps the intellectual and professional challenges facing South Africans in the 21st century.”
 
“The conference will take stock of this vision, mainly explored from a private tertiary perspective, but a number of expert speakers from outside private education will also participate. We look forward to input from the Department of Education, Department of Labour, Umalusi and Council on Higher Education (CHE), and we are anticipating some exciting outcomes,” Khatle says.
 
“The exhibition happens at a time when a shortage of skills within the economy has been highlighted,“ says Dumbutshena, ”specifically in areas such as the building and construction industries and in the science and technical fields.”
 
“To address this skills shortage, to attract and retain top quality employees and to remain ahead of competitors, companies need to continually invest in education, training and skills development throughout the organisation, and to also ensure that their HR departments are at the cutting edge of HR skills, systems and technology,” he says.
 
“Access to the Department of Labour, SETA’s, SAQA, APPETD, and top industry players at the exhibition will enable visitors to look at new trends, developments, technologies, products and solutions assisting with future strategy and investment decisions.”
 
For further information, contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions 011 835 1565        .
 
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Dec 2007
 
The next move in Human Resources
 
Keeping up to date with the latest moves in the fields of education, training, skills development and HR management is critical to all businesses. There is a shortage of skills and education among South Africa’s working population and there has to be massive investment to develop and expand the country’s human capital base.
 
At over R90 billion, annual expenditure on education consumes a quarter of the national budget. Through the Skills Levy Act, billions of rands will be generated to skill, train and educate South Africans. The human resources development sector is therefore poised for sustained growth in the years to come.
 
It is against this backdrop that The Star Human Resources Development Africa (HRDA) exhibition takes place at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg, from 4-6 June 2008. Now in its tenth year, it is the premier forum at which companies and institutions at the cutting edge of delivering education, training and skills development, converge to do business and where visitors are given the opportunity of seeing the latest trends and developments, products, systems and services.
 
Says HRDA Exhibition Director, Tendai Dumbutshena, “To address the country’s skills shortage, to attract and retain top quality employees and to remain ahead of competitors, companies need to continually invest in education, training and skills development throughout the organization, and to also ensure that their HR departments are at the cutting edge of HR skills, systems and technology.” 
 
“It has to be an on-going strategy and investment decision as new technologies, products and solutions are constantly being introduced to the market.”
 
There will be a full programme of conferences and seminars running alongside the exhibition, focusing on topical issues that will be of benefit to those involved in this industry sector.
 
Says Dumbutshena, “The conferences and seminars will provide critical information with regards to trends in the sector, regulatory requirements and best practices. We urge people to attend and to benefit from this opportunity.”
 
“An exhibition of this nature is an important annual event as developing skills is a priority throughout the country and the workplace needs to know about the latest developments in this area,” says Gary Corin, Marketing Director, Specialised Exhibitions.  “It is a platform from which all key players in these sectors showcase their products and services, and visitors know they are meeting with the leading companies servicing their industry.”
 
“We are open to new ideas to incorporate within the show and encourage companies and associations to contact us to discuss further,” says Corin. “It’s all about engaging the whole industry to benefit all its players.”
 
For further information, contact Tendai Dumbutshena at Specialised Exhibitions  011 835 1565