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White Paper on Public Service Training and Education

July 1997

Contents

List of Abbreviations
Executive Summary
PART 1: Context and Vision
CHAPTER 1: Background and Policy Context
CHAPTER 2: Problem Statement
CHAPTER 3: Vision, Mission and Goals
CHAPTER 4: Policy Alternatives
PART 2: Implementation Framework
CHAPTER 5: Training Principles, Priorities and Guidelines for PSTE
CHAPTER 6: Institutional Arrangements
CHAPTER 7: Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisims
CHAPTER 8: Institutional Support Programmes
CHAPTER 9: Finance
APPENDIX A: Notes on Problem Statements
APPENDIX B: Training Principles from chapter C of the Public Service Staff Code
APPENDIX C: Illustration of Possible Public Service Competencies
APPENDIX D: National Standards Bodies and Learning Fields
APPENDIX E: Education and Training Quality Assurers (ETQA)
APPENDIX F: Functions of Sectoral Education and Training Organisations
APPENDIX G: Illustration of core Competences, Performance Criteria and Outcomes - Administrative Assistants and Equivalent Grades

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

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Executive Summary

 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The principal aim of this White Paper on Public Service Training and Education (WPPSTE) is to establish a clear vision and policy framework to guide the introduction and implementation of new policies, procedures and legislation aimed at transforming public service training and education into a dynamic, needs-based and pro-active instrument, capable of playing an integral and strategic part in the processes of building a new public service for a new and democratic society in South Africa.

1.2 The anticipated outcome will be a new system of public service training and education that will be:

• strategically linked to broader processes of transformation, institution building and human resources development within the public service;
• strategically linked to the NQF and SAQA frameworks, as well as to the Department of Labour's proposals for a new Skills Development Strategy;
• strategically planned and effectively resourced;
• based on the elevation of the importance and status of training and trainers;
• effectively organised, coordinated and accredited in ways which promote quality, accountability and cost-effectiveness;
• flexible and decentralised within national norms and standards;
• based on broad participation and involvement by all relevant stakeholders;
• capable of promoting uniform outcomes through a multiplicity of accredited providers;
• capable of promoting access by all personnel to meaningful training and education opportunities;
• capable of promoting the empowerment of previously disadvantaged groups;
• capable of facilitating the development of effective career paths for all public servants;
• demand-led, needs-based and competency-based;
• capable of promoting positive learning outcomes which add value to individual and organisational capacity.

1.3 In working towards these outcomes, the WPPSTE recommends a number of important innovations and changes in the direction, management and operation of the current system of training and education which are consistent, amongst other things, with the policy environment set by the new Constitution, the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), the Macro-Economic Strategy for Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service (WPTPS), and the Department of Labour's Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa.

1.4 Whilst this document concentrates on the provision of formal training and education opportunities, it nevertheless recognises the key role that can be played by less formal though no less important forms of staff development, especially through on-the-job learning opportunities such as coaching, mentoring, work shadowing, job rotation, job enrichment, and participation in multi-skilled project teams.

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1.5 The White Paper is based on the consultative Green Paper on Public Service Training and Education which was published in March 1997 by the Minister for Public Service and Administration (Government Gazette No. 17852, Vol. 381). Both documents have benefited from an extensive process of consultation, discussion and debate both within and outside the public service. This was seen as essential both to the development of sound policy documents and to the forging of a new and more inclusive identity for the public service.

1.6 This executive summary outlines briefly the core policy problems addressed by the WPPSTE, a new vision and mission proposed for PSTE, and a number of key policy options. It also provides a summary of the key recommendations of the WPPSTE with regard to:

• key training principles and priorities;
• operational guidelines for putting them into effect;
• the development of a coordinated institutional framework for PSTE;
• the introduction of effective mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation;
• the establishment of a number of institutional support programmes for PSTE;
• the placing of PSTE on a sound financial footing.

2. POLICY PROBLEMS

The core problem that this White Paper seeks to address, comprises three related elements:

• The fragmented and uncoordinated approach to training and education across the public service resulting in the absence of resources and accountability for ensuring that public servants are empowered and developed to take on the challenges they face.

• The lack of a strategic, needs-based, outcomes-based and competency-based approach to PSTE, directly related to the developmental needs of the public service as outlined in the RDP, the WPTPS and other related policy documents.

• The inappropriate nature of the training and education that is provided by many in-service and external providers.

3. VISION AND MISSION

The new public sector education and training policy will be guided by the following vision:

In striving for the above vision, the policy will seek to achieve the following mission:

The values and principles that underlie the above vision and mission include -

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• equality of access by all personnel at all levels to meaningful training opportunities;
• empowerment of previously disadvantaged and marginalised groups;
• democratic, non-racist and non-sexist policies, practices and values;
• Lifelong learning, particularly through the NQF;
• effective career paths for all public servants;
• broad participation and involvement by all relevant stakeholders;
• mutual understanding and respect, and tolerance for diversity;
• quality and cost-effectiveness in human resource utilisation;
• efficiency, effectiveness and a professional service ethos;
• flexibility and decentralisation within national norms and standards.

4. POLICY OPTIONS

Four policy option were considered:

1. Centralised state provision of education and training.
2. Decentralised state provision of education and training.
3. Decentralised non-state provision of education and training.
4. Centralised setting of norms and standards, together with decentralised provision by state and non-state providers in a competitive framework.

The last option was selected because it combines maximum creativity and flexibility at the delivery end, but without undermining the need to build a unified public service with a common culture and value system.

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5. PRINCIPLES, PRIORITIES AND GUIDELINES FOR PSTE

5.1 A systematic and comprehensive review of existing procedures and regulations pertaining to public service training and education will be carried out, and appropriate changes made, with a view to overcoming constraints and facilitating the successful implementation of the principles, policies and intervention recommended in the WPPSTE.

5.2 Particular attention will be focused on current systems of access and entitlement to training, prescribed courses, accreditation, and the operation of the personnel administration standard (PAS), as well as the relation of training and education to policies and procedures on job grading, remuneration, promotion, performance appraisal and recruitment and selection.

5.3 Changes in existing procedures and regulations will be accompanied, where necessary, by enabling legislation, in line with the proposed changes envisaged in the Green Paper on Policy Proposals for a New Public Service Statute.

5.4 Based on this review of public service training and education, new and revised national norms and standards will be developed by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), in accordance with the principles, priorities and guidelines outlined in Chapter 5 of this document, in consultation with all relevant stakeholders at national and provincial levels, and in negotiation, where appropriate, with the employee organisations represented in the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council.

5.5 More specifically, a review of prescribed courses will be undertaken with a view to promoting greater flexibility and relevance by replacing the prescription of courses with the prescription of core competences for different grade levels. The responsibility for realising such competences through the design and delivery of appropriate courses will be left to individual departments and provinces, in collaboration with training providers.

5.6 In order to ensure the uniformity and quality of training outcomes, steps will be taken to establish more effective structures, procedures and criteria for accreditation and quality assurance. The DPSA and the proposed Public Service Education and Training Organisation (PSETO) will take the lead role in this respect, in consultation with key stakeholders.

5.7 Effective forms of liaison will be established with the Department of Education and labour to ensure that these structures, procedures and criteria can be effectively integrated into the NQF and SAQA framework, as well as into the framework of Sectoral Training and Education Organisations (SETOs) and learnerships proposed in the Department of Labour's Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy.

5.8 The new system of accreditation will apply to all training providers, whether in-house or external. Courses will no longer be accredited individually. Instead training providers will be assessed for accreditation under one or more broad fields of competence, linked to the NQF. They will then only be allowed to tender for public service training and education in the specific fields or areas in which they have received accreditation.

5.9 Departmental and provincial training plans will be based on a detailed assessment, analysis and prioritisation of individual and organisational needs. The analysis of organisational needs will relate in particular to such issues as the improvement in service delivery and service ethos, the creation of rationalised and cost-effective structures, institution building and management, representivity and affirmative action, and the promotion of greater internal and external accountability.

5.10 The assessment of individual needs (personal, performance-related and career-related), will be facilitated by the introduction within departments and provincial administrations of a system of personal development plans for all employees. These will be designed to identify the needs of staff, and appropriate forms of staff development, training and education through which they can be met.

5.11 Personal development planning will need to be positively related to the introduction and operation of new and improved forms of performance appraisal, promotion and career progression opportunities more generally.

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5.12 National departments and provincial administrations will be required to produce strategic plans for training and education. These will include priorities, objectives and targets; action plans for their implementation; the identification of the necessary financial and other resources to support such plans; and the mechanisms that will be used for internal monitoring and evaluation. Strategic plans for training and education will be linked to broader institutional plans for service delivery, human resource development and organisational development, as well as to the budget planning process.

5.13 Departments and provincial administrations who develop effective forms of needs assessment and strategic planning will be eligible for the award of the Capacity Development Standard (CDS), signifying excellence in the field of training and education. Awards will be presented annually by the Minister for the Public Service and Administration.

5.14 Tendering systems will be reviewed and improved in ways which support the new approach to training and education outlined in this document.

6. COORDINATED INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS

6.1 An efficient, cost-effective, consultative and well coordinated institutional framework for public service training and education will be established, centred around the following key processes:

• Strategic policy formulation and coordination
• Operational decision-making, planning and implementation
• Standard setting and the registration of qualifications
• Accreditation and quality assurance
• Organisation and coordination of training provision and providers
• Monitoring and evaluation

6.2 The DPS will facilitate the establishment of the following organisations and ensure that they become operational as soon as possible:

• A Public Service Education and Training Organisation (PSETO), to take the lead role in standard setting, accreditation and quality assurance.

• An Association of Accredited Training and Education Providers (ATEP), to ensure the effective planning and coordination of the work of internal and external training providers.

6.3 Constructive forms of liaison and cooperation will be fostered between the DPSA and the Departments of Labour and Education, to ensure that the institutional arrangements for public service training and education are effectively integrated into the NQF framework and the Department of Labour's new Skills Development Strategy.

6.4 Clear roles and responsibilities will be allocated to the principal bodies and role-players at national and provincial levels who will play a key part in driving these processes, in particular the DPSA, the PSC, Heads of Departments and Provincial Administrations, Employee Organisations, Departmental and Provincial Training Committees, and the PSETO once it is established.

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Key Institutional Processes and Role-Players

6.5 Measures will be taken to strengthen the capacities of these bodies, to ensure the effective coordination of their work, and to clarify and, if necessary, restructure their respective roles and relationships.

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6.6 The role and functions of SAMDI will be reviewed, with a view to:

• placing SAMDI on a more competitive and cost-recovery footing;
• ensuring that SAMDI supports strategic government policy initiatives, e.g. capacity building for provinces and departments with respect to decentralisation and delegations of administrative powers.

6.7 With regard to education and training provision, the Government will encourage the development of a multiplicity of education and training providers operating as equals in a market environment. These will include internal (e.g. SAMDI and provincial training bodies) and external providers such as universities, technikons, NGOs and private training organisations.

6.8 Making use of a more varied and competitive range of training and education providers has the potential benefit of improved flexibility, quality and cost-effectiveness. The attendant risk of uneven standards will be alleviated by the introduction of improved forms of accreditation and quality assurance, within the proposed SAQA framework and managed by the PSETO once fully operational. The establishment of an Association of Accredited Training and Education Providers should also help in this respect.

6.11 In order to improve communication and information about training provision, a computerised national database will be established, containing details of accredited providers and their courses.

7. MONITORING AND EVALUATION

7.1 Improved mechanisms for the monitoring and evaluation of training and education will be introduced, both at the national level and at departmental and provincial levels, where departmental and provincial training committees will have a particularly important role to play. Specific criteria and performance indicators will be drawn up to form the basis for effective monitoring and evaluation.

7.2 At the national level, a monitoring unit will be established within the Training Policy component of the DPSA to monitor and evaluate the overall effectiveness of the implementation of the new training and education policy. This unit will liaise closely with the PSC which will also have an important role to play in monitoring and evaluation. Public service unions and the PSETO, once established, will also have important roles to play in this respect.

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7. THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES

8.1 A number of institutional support programmes will be established to assist in giving practice to the new policy framework for training and education as set out in this document. Donor funding will be sought to support such initiatives. The institutional support programmes will include:

1. A Fast Track Training and Education Programme - to support Departments at National and Provincial levels in designing and implementing appropriate fast track training and education programmes to build institutional capacity.
2. A Regulatory Framework Programme - to identity the legal and regulatory activities that will be required to effectively implement the White Paper on PSTE.
3. An Institutional Development Programme - to support the establishment of such bodies as the PSETO and the proposed Association of Training and Education Providers.
4. A Strategic Planning and Management Support Programme - to assist national departments and provincial administrations in the establishment of effective strategic planning mechanisms and processes in the field of training and education.
5. A Donor Support and Coordination Programme - to ensure continuing donor funding for internal and external training providers, whilst ensuring the long-term development of local capacity.
6. An Information and Communication Programme - to assist in the setting up of a sophisticated and computerised information system and database for public service training and education.

9. FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

9.1 The DPSA will liaise with the Departments of Finance and State Expenditure, and with donors, to ensure an adequate, sustainable and equitably distributed funding source for public service training and education.

9.2 At the departmental and provincial levels, a formula will be developed and introduced which will make it compulsory for budgets to contain a line item on training and education. In particular the formula will require Heads of Departments to ensure that an appropriate budgetary allocation is made for training and education in proportion to the number of type of staff employed.

9.3 The formula will be based on agreed norms and standards in relation to -

• the time to be made available for training and education (for example, an average of 5 days per person per year);
• a specified financial target for training and education (for example, one per cent of each spending agency's previous years total budget).

9.4 A more sophisticated formula will be developed as more reliable data become available. This will be based, amongst other things, on the number and type of staff in each department and the training needs that have been identified and prioritised.

9.5 Funds for PSTE could be allocated from a National Training Fund, as suggested in the Department of Labour's Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy, although further consideration will clearly have to be given to the financial implications of this suggestion for Government as an employer.

9.6 The proposed new national institutional arrangements for PSTE (such as the PSETO) will be financed out of the budget of the DPSA in the short-term. If it is decided to convert a section of the training policy component of the DPSA to lay the groundwork for the PSETO, additional donor funds will also be sought to enhance capacity for this unit for the funding of additional short-term personnel and programmes.

9.7 The DPSA will also liaise with the Department of Education, with a view to securing changes in the current subsidy formula that will provide tertiary institutions involved in the training and education of public servants, and prospective public servants, with greater incentives than at present to develop and expand their activities in the fields of public and development management. This would serve to promote the greater involvement of tertiary institutions (and specifically HDIs) in public service training and education, in line with the recommendations in this document and the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service.

9.8 A review will be carried out of the current schemes for financial assistance to employees (and prospective employees) for purposes of training and education. One of the main aims of this review will be to identify ways of ensuring greater equity in the access to training and education opportunities, particularly for lower level employees, many of whom until recently, were disadvantaged by regulations which did not provide for financial assistance to employees seeking training and education at the pre-tertiary education level.

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PART 1: CONTEXT AND VISION

 CHAPTER 1

BACKGROUND AND POLICY CONTEXT

1.1 INTRODUCTION

1.1.1 The government has committed itself to transforming the public service through its White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service (WPTPS, 1995). This transformation is inspired by the vision of a people-centred and people-driven public administration characterised by the principles of equity, quality, high ethical standards and professionalism. A critical element in transforming the public service is through training and education for public servants.

1.1.2 The introduction and extension of adequate and appropriate training and education programme for public servants is seen as an essential condition for the successful implementation of the WPTPS. It is internationally accepted that the performance of public servants can be substantially improved via training and education programmes.

1.1.3 Currently, training and education for public servants is governed by provisions in the 1994 Public Service Act (as amended), Chapter L of the Public Service Staff Regulations and Chapter C of the Public Service Staff Code. These provisions need to be comprehensively reviewed if the demands of transformation are to be met. The main aim of this White Paper on Public Service Training and Education (WPPSTE) is to provide a new national strategic policy framework on training and education for public servants which contributes positively to the goals of public service transformation. It also aims to bring public service training and education in line with international best practices, current global trends in human resource development, and the national strategic policy context.

1.1.4 This White Paper is based on the consultative Green Paper on Public Service Training and Education which was published in March 1997 by the Minister for Public Service and Administration (Government Gazette No. 17852, Vol. 381). Both documents have benefited from an extensive process of consultation, discussion and debate both within and outside the public service. This was seen as essential both to the development of sound policy documents and to the forging of a new and more inclusive identity for the public service.

1.1.5 This White paper is divided into two main parts. Part 1 provides an overview of the policy context and the current challenges and constraints facing public service training and education (PSTE). It also provides a new vision and mission for PSTE. Part 2 sets out a framework through which the main policy proposals in the document can be effectively implemented. The main body of the document is accompanied by an Executive Summary which sets out the purpose of the White Paper, together with the key recommendations.

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1.2 NATIONAL STRATEGIC POLICY CONTEXT

Before the advent of the new democratic dispensation in April 1994, public service training and education was limited to meeting a narrowly defined band of needs, with a particular emphasis on management which was predominantly white and male in composition. The new policy proposed in this White Paper advocates a radical departure from that approach and is guided by a combination of policies, which include:

• the new Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
• the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP), 1994
• the Macro-Economic Strategy for Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR), 1996
• the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service, 1995
• the Department of Labour's Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy for Economic and Employment Growth in South Africa, 1997
• the Green Paper on Employment and Occupational Equity, 1996
• the Green Paper on A New Law for a New Public Service: Policy Proposals for a New Public Service Statute, 1996
• The Green Paper on A National Disability Strategy, 1996

1.2.2 The new policy context that emanates from these policies points to the need for a major investment in skills development and capacity building to improve the performance, productivity, quality and cost-effectiveness of the public service. In particular it points to the need to bring public service training and education policies in line with the international trend towards competency-based training and education, the emerging South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), a consideration for accessibility and equity in the provision of training and education, and new approaches towards Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET).

1.3 SCOPE

1.3.1 The policy proposals outlined in this White Paper focus on those public servants employed under the Public Service Act (1994). However, in line with policy proposals in the recent Green Paper on a new Public Service Statute, the principles and overall approach in this document will be deemed to be relevant and applicable to other sectors of the public sector where training and education fall under sectoral regulatory frameworks, i.e. police, defence, education, health, parastatals and local government.

1.3.2 According to the 1995 Annual Report of the Public Service Commission, there were 1 270 112 people employed in the public service as at 30 September 1995. This comprised 412 405 public servants employed by national government departments and bodies, and 857 707 employed by provincial governments. Major sectors such as health, education, police and defence have their own sector-based training and education policies, regulatory frameworks and delivery institutions.

1.3.3 The transversal training and education of the approximately 20 per cent of personnel not covered by sector-based arrangements forms the core focus of the White Paper on Public Service Training and Education (WPPSTE). However, the WPPSTE seeks to put in place a national framework that will have implications for the structure, management and delivery modes of training and education for all public servants, including those covered by sector-based arrangements.

1.3.4 Whilst this document concentrates on the training and education needs and requirements of serving officials, it also recognises the importance of improving the current systems of pre-service training and education. This will be vital in ensuring that the service is able to attract and recruit high quality personnel, particularly from those sectors of society that have been historically disadvantaged, and specifically Black people (African, Indian and Coloured), women and people with disabilities.

1.3.5 Whilst this document also concentrates on the provision of formal training and education opportunities, it nevertheless recognises the key role that can be played by less formal though no less important forms of staff development, especially through on-the-job learning opportunities such as coaching, mentoring, work shadowing, job rotation, job enrichment, and participation in multi-skilled project teams.

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1.4 FOCUS

1.4.1 The White Paper addresses in the first place, the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of the training and education programmes that are designed and delivered by institutions located within and outside the public service. These programmes should build the knowledge, skills and attitudes required by both serving and prospective public servants if they are to become efficient and effective members of the type of public service envisaged in the WPTPS. This combination of knowledge, skills and attitudes is what is referred to in more general terms as the "capacity" that public servants are expected to develop both prior and subsequent to joining the service. The WPPSTE is concerned with the training and education services that both prospective and serving public servants can access.

1.4.2 In the second place, the WPPSTE addresses the training and education needs of three broadly defined categories of personnel, namely

• senior management and senior professional staff;
• middle management, skilled supervisory and professional staff;
• front-line staff.

1.5 TRAINING VERSUS EDUCATION

1.5.1 Whilst recognising that there are many different types and levels of training and education (from a professional degree to structured forms of on-the-job training), this White Paper nevertheless rejects the rigid distinction between education and training that has been inherited from the past, which equated education with knowledge acquisition and training with operational skills development. This division was in the past associated with the split between tertiary education and skills training by training institutions. It is now national policy that tertiary institutions must also take responsibility for skills training within a competency framework. In line with international trends as expressed most clearly in the Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy, training and education should be seen as equally weighted components of the entire learning process.

1.5.2 In line with these trends and developments, the WPPSTE will therefore be based on the assumption that training and education are equally weighted components of a holistic capacity building process that should become the foundation for all programmes that cater for the training and education needs of the public service, no matter who is responsible for delivering them.

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1.6 CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR PSTE

1.6.1 Challenges

6.1 Challenges

1.6.1.1 In developing a coherent, relevant and needs-based system of PSTE, capable of playing an integral and strategic part in the process of building a new public service for a new and democratic society in South Africa, a number of important challenges and constraints will need to be faced and overcome. Chapter 2 provides greater detail on such constraints.

1.6.1.2 At the general level, key challenges that will need to be addressed by the policy framework for PSTE proposed in the document include:

1. The need to achieve a sufficient increase in productivity to realise the twin and potentially conflicting goals of fiscal restraint and improved service delivery.
2. The need to develop a system of PSTE that is accessible to all levels of personnel (senior management, middle management and professional staff, and front-line workers), and capable of meeting their specific and distinctive needs.
3. The need to replace the current fragmented system of PSTE with a more coherent and coordinated one, without resorting to a highly centralised and prescriptive framework that could easily stifle initiative and replace one set of inefficiencies with another.

1.6.2 Opportunities

1.6.2.1 It is equally important to recognise that there are positive opportunities, as well as challenges, that can be exploited in transforming the current system of PSTE. What is needed is a pro-active and visionary approach which recognises and addresses problems, but which also exploits opportunities and builds upon current strengths.

1.6.2.2 Amongst the strengths and achievements that can be built upon are the improvements in PSTE that have taken place in recent years. Examples include the restructuring and reorganisation of the South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI), and the introduction of an improved set of principles and procedures for guiding PSTE in the form of the amended Chapter L (on "Training") of the Public Service Regulations.

1.6.2.3 Significant opportunities for PSTE are also presented through the emerging National Qualifications Framework (NQF), and through the new skills development strategy outlined in the Department of Labour's recent Green Paper.

1.6.2.4 The Department of Labour's Skills Development Strategy provides the most significant framework for guiding the development of a policy framework for public sector training and education. In particular, the strategy allows for a multiplicity of providers who are required to operate within a uniform qualifications framework. This allows for the standardisation of outputs without undermining flexibility when it comes to choice of training and education providers. Furthermore, it allows for the establishment of Sectoral Education and Training Organisations (SETOs) that will develop qualification specifications that are directly relevant to the sector, but consistent with the NQF in general.

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1.7 MAIN STAKEHOLDERS

The main stakeholders who are deemed to have a stake in this White Paper and who will play a role in its formulation, adoption and eventual monitoring and evaluation during implementation are as follows:

• Cabinet
• Provincial Legislatures and Executive Councils
• Inter-Governmental Forum
• Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on the Public Service and Administration
• The Ministry and Department for the Public Service and Administration
• The Ministries and Departments of Education, Labour and Finance (including State Expenditure)
• Public Service Commission
• The political and administrative heads of departments at national and provincial levels
• Presidential Review Commission
• The Coordinating Bargaining Council and Sectoral Bargaining Councils
• Workplace Forums
• The South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) and associated bodies and councils
• Statutory Agencies such as the Finance and Fiscal Commission, the Gender Commission, and the Human Rights Commission
• Office on the Status of Women in the Office of the Deputy President
• Office on the Status of Disabled Persons in the Office of the Deputy President
• South African Federal Council on Disability (SAFCD)
• Departmental Training Committees
• Transformation Units and Forums
• The South African Management Development Institute (SAMDI)
• Provincial training bodies
• External training providers in the NGO and private sectors
• Tertiary education institutions
• Professional Councils and Bodies in the training and education field
• Relevant civil society stakeholders and business organisations (including industry training boards)

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PROBLEM STATEMENT

2.1 DIMENSIONS OF THE PROBLEM

2.1.1 In developing this policy document, primary and secondary research was undertaken to identify the dimensions of the current problems and the implications for the process of transforming PSTE. Although the primary research focus was on transversal training and education in those parts of the public service covered by the Public Service Act 1994, evidence was also collected on public sector training more generally (including sector-specific training and education in national departments such as Education, Health and Safety and Security, as well training in local government).

2.1.2 Despite recent improvements that have been introduced in the system of PSTE, the research revealed a wide range of current problems related to the quantity and quality of training and education provided to public servants, and public sector employees more generally.

2.1.3 This chapter summarises the magnitude of the current problems by drawing on relevant literature and legislation, discussions and interviews with various stakeholders and intensive investigations by officials from the DPSA. Further details, especially of a quantitative and statistical nature, are provided in Appendix A.

2.1.4 While care has been taken in assessing the problem and highlighting the main problem areas, considerable difficulty was encountered in securing accurate statistics that adequately illustrates the nature, scope and depth of the problem. This in itself reflects the extent of the problems related to public service training and education, especially with regard to the monitoring and evaluation of training programmes and outcomes.

2.1.5 The main focus in this chapter is on problems relating to transversal training, although the issues raised will undoubtedly have relevance for sector-specific training and education. Although research evidence suggests that significant progress has been made with respect to sector-specific training, particularly in the area of professional development (especially in the education, health, police and defence and local government sectors), the general trend is that such sectors have not yet fully adopted new competency-based approaches to adult learning.

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2.2 KEY PROBLEM AREAS

The main problems and concerns raised during the process of research and discussions with stakeholders will be considered under the following broad headings:

• The low priority accorded to training and education, and the low level and uneven nature of provision.
• The lack of funding and effective management of training budgets.
• The lack of coordination and communication.
• The number and quality of trainers.
• Discriminatory barriers to access and entitlement.
• Inflexible and discriminatory rules and regulations.
• The overly prescriptive, supply-driven and outdated nature of training and education.
• Lack of effective systems of accreditation and quality assurance.
• Lack of effective systems for strategic planning and review.

2.2.1 Low Priority and Uneven Nature of Provision

Historically, PSTE has been accorded relatively low priority, particularly in the area of transversal training and especially at the lower levels. This has manifested itself in a number of related ways:

• The low level of investment in PSTE, compared to countries at a similar level of development (See Note 1 of Appendix A), resulting in generally low levels of participation in structured training and education activities.
• The uneven nature of provision - capacity building has tended to focus on management and operational staff to the exclusion of front-line workers, for whom minimal training opportunities are provided (See Note 2 of Appendix A). Unevenness in training provision also exists between different provinces and national departments.
• The relatively low status enjoyed by training components and trainers (See Note 3 of Appendix A).
• The lack of top management support to managerial and supervisory staff to encourage and enable them to take a more effective and pro-active role in the management of staff training and development (See Note 4 of Appendix A).

2.2.2 Financial Problems

2.2.2.1 National and provincial departments, and local authorities have failed in general to make adequate financial and human resource provision for training components within their organisational structures (See Note 5 of Appendix A). External donor funds, where these have been available, have often been fragmented and poorly managed. As a result, many training units are seriously understaffed and under-resourced, and have very limited administrative, organisational and financial capacity to handle and service the training and education needs of their departments.

2.2.2.2 Annual expenditure on training as a percentage of the annual salary bill reveals the very small amounts devoted to training and education by most national departments and provincial administrations. In the majority of cases, the actual expenditure on training and education represents less than 1% of annual salary expenditure (See Figure 1 in Note 6 of Appendix A). Training expenditure per employee, as well as the frequently insignificant sums spent on training and education by different national departments and provincial administrations, also demonstrate tremendous unevenness (See Figure 2 in Note 7 of Appendix A).

2.2.2.3 Despite the low level of funds committed to PSTE, many departments and provincial administrations still fail to effectively utilise their entire training budget (See Figure 3 in Note 8 of Appendix A). While a range of factors (lack of suitable courses, the pressures of rationalisation, transition, etc.) might help to account for this, many stakeholders are of the view that unspent funds are a reflection of the reluctance by senior management to provide decisive and visionary leadership with respect to training and education.

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2.2.3 Lack of Coordination and Communication

2.2.3.1 The existing institutional regime for training and education lacks a commonly binding strategic focus and well coordinated institutional arrangements. This results in confusion, duplication, and overlapping of functions, responsibilities and powers (See Figure 4 and Tables 1 & 2 in Note 9 of Appendix A).

2.2.3.2 Poor communication, conflicting information and a lack of coordination of training and education between and among different levels of training structures and providers, complicate training delivery (See Note 10 of Appendix A).

2.2.3.3 The absence of a central and provincial database for human resource development and training related matters inhibits information sharing and dynamic interchange. Many stakeholders consulted in the preparation of this documented expressed concern that information about training opportunities is often poorly communicated to staff.

2.2.3.4 Establishing a harmonious and integrated relationship between human resource development, strategic planning, organisational realignment and budgeting is extremely difficult under the existing institutional training regime.

2.2.4 The Number and Quality of Trainers

2.2.4.1 The low and inadequate ratio of training officers to staff complements (1:3 818 for the service as a whole, rather than the PSC's approved ratio of 1:2 000), places training staff and infrastructure under considerable pressure with attendant consequences on quality and impact (See Table 4 & 5 in Note 11 of Appendix A).

2.2.4.2 The relatively low number of professional training staff is compounded by the absence of continuous and effective programmes of training and development for public service trainers. Present policy does not allow for the professional development of trainers and training units, thereby limiting the potential contribution of training and education to the broad transformation goals of reconstruction, development and social empowerment. This has made it difficult for trainers to meaningfully contribute to changing the ethos and culture of the public service (See Figure 5 in Note 12 of Appendix A). As a result, the training of trainers was identified in all provinces as a key priority area (See Note 13 of Appendix A).

2.2.4.3 The current racial and gender profile of public service trainers (predominantly white and male) also has a potential to compromise the ability of training providers and institutions to play a pro-active role in changing the ethos and culture of the bureaucracy (See Note 14 of Appendix A).

2.2.5 Concerns on Internal and External Training and Education Providers

2.2.5.1 Most universities and technikons provide degree and certificate programmes to potential and serving public servants. Given that there is often no needs analysis to determine the needs of government, it has been established that in many cases these programmes are outdated and not relevant to the competency needs of the Public Service. There is no mechanism to allow for interaction between external providers and the government on needs and accreditation.

2.2.5.2 Perceptions about the role, image and status of internal providers in the administration, design and delivery of courses/programmes varied along the favourable-unfavourable continuum. The reason for this is part historical and partly shaped by the perception that the internal provider’s previous role of monopoly training provider and course developer placed them in an inordinately powerful position to dictate the content, scope, depth and packaging of courses which impacted (and continues to impact) very profoundly on the ethos, culture and policy adaptability of the public service (See Note 15 of Appendix A).

2.2.5.3 Concern was also expressed on the lack of clarity with respect to the role, responsibilities and functions between internal training providers at national and provincial level and external training providers. Such confusion is exacerbated by the nature of South Africa's transition and the consequent absence of firm policy guidelines in this regard. This seriously hampers the provision and delivery of training, resulting in no training taking place at all in some instances, and unnecessary duplication in others. Where training does take place, it tends to be executed on an ad hoc or crisis intervention basis without clear strategic goals.

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2.2.6 Barriers to Access and Entitlement

2.2.6.1 The lack of effective training opportunities for all or most staff, and especially for front-line workers, is compounded by a number of existing discriminatory barriers. Until earlier this year (1997), for example, bursaries for formal studies were not available for courses at the pre-tertiary level thereby restricting the access of many employees at the lower levels to effective training and education opportunities (See Note 16 of Appendix A). This anomaly has now been rectified, however.

2.2.6.2 Similarly, current regulations pertaining to the recruitment and appointment of people with disabilities, serve to confine many disabled workers to the status of temporary rather than permanent employees, effectively precluding such employees from participating in the full range of training and education opportunities (See Note 17 of Appendix A). The temporary status of disabled employees and the limited range of training and education opportunities available, restrict disabled employees to particular occupational classes, with very little prospect for upward mobility. Such prospects are further constrained by the fact that special provision is not made for them in the various courses and programmes that they are able to access (See Note 18 of Appendix A).

2.2.7 Inflexible and Discriminatory Rules and Regulations

2.2.7.1 In many instances (including those cited in Section 2.2.6 above), regulations and procedures governing training in particular and personnel issues more generally, reinforce historical patterns of discrimination, domination, manipulation and control. By so doing, they help to augment a regimented and mechanistic bureaucracy that stifle innovation, creativity and individual initiative, thus constituting a significant obstacle in the way of implementing new policy proposals (See Note 19 of Appendix A).

2.2.7.2 Key examples of inflexible and discriminatory rules and regulations include the current systems of:

1. performance appraisal: The current system is overly formalistic, with insufficient attention to the developmental and capacity building needs of staff (See Note 20 of Appendix A);
2. recruitment and selection: Current procedures overemphasise the importance of formal qualifications and experience, and under-emphasise the value of competences acquired through less formal means. This is to the detriment of previously disadvantaged groups, and have implications on the development of effective affirmative action programmes (See Note 21 of Appendix A);
3. promotion: Current procedures rely more on seniority and the possession of formal qualifications, rather than on competency. This serves to impede the promotion prospects of formerly disadvantaged groups, again with serious implications for the effective implementation of affirmative action policies and programmes (See Note 22 of Appendix A);
4. Personnel Administration Standard (PAS): Current regulations regarding the operation of the PAS system serve to impede mobility between occupational classes and the development of flexible forms of career pathing envisaged in this White Paper and the Department of Labour's Green Paper on a Skills Development Strategy (See Note 23 of Appendix A).

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2.2.8 Prescriptive, Supply-driven and Outdated PSTE

2.2.8.1 Concern was expressed by many stakeholders that many current training courses and programmes continue to be prescriptive and supply-driven. What is really needed is a flexible, needs-based, outcomes-based and competency-based approach to PSTE.

2.2.8.2 Consultation with stakeholders revealed a number of problems with the current system of prescribed training courses. These generally refer to the fact that training policy is overly prescriptive and lacks flexibility in relation to the changing work environment, organisational development and strategic planning. Problems identified, include:

• a lack of flexibility within departments, provincial administrations and training providers in tailoring prescribed training and education programmes to suit local conditions and satisfy individual and institutional needs;
• a lack of correlation between training courses and the actual competences required to perform effectively at a particular level;
• a lack of recognition of relevant competences acquired through prior learning (See Note 24 of Appendix A);
• a lack of cost-effective use of alternative and less expensive forms of staff development;
• a lack of motivation among staff who feel that they are compelled to attend such courses (See Note 25 of Appendix A); and
• demands on the limited time of DPSA staff in considering the many requests from departments and provincial administrations for deviations from the prescribed norms.

2.2.8.3 Concern was expressed that the content of many training courses lacks relevance to the needs of the new public service (See Note 26 of Appendix A), and that teaching and learning methodologies are often outdated and not in line with new experiential and interactive approaches to adult learning (See Note 27 of Appendix A).

2.2.9 Problems with Accreditation and Quality Assurance

2.2.9.1 The current system of accreditation of training providers and their products is too ad hoc to permit the development of effective uniform standards across the public service as a whole. The absence of commonly accepted norms for evaluating training courses and programmes impact negatively on the timely and effective delivery of training.

2.2.9.2 Lack of clarity regarding accreditation has frustrated provincial governments' planning with respect to staffing, human resource development and organisational capacity building, tailored to service delivery needs and broader RDP goals. Provincial government officials are unclear about who is responsible for setting the norms and standards for training.

2.2.9.3 The ad hoc nature of the current accreditation system has contributed to the rapid increase of training courses and programmes, offered by private external providers. The quality and effectiveness of many of such courses and programmes are generally not controlled through accreditation requirements and there are no follow-up or impact studies. Concern has therefore been expressed about the quality, standards and relevance of such programmes (See Note 28 of Appendix A).

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2.2.10 Lack of Effective Systems for Strategic Planning and Review

2.2.10.1 Many of the above problems point to a central weakness in the current system of PSTE - the absence of effective systems of strategic planning and review, both at the departmental, provincial and local government levels, as well as in terms of the strategic direction and coordination of the PSTE system as a whole.

2.2.10.2 Until recently, few departments and local governments employed a strategic approach to the planning of their training and education provision, based on a systematic analysis of individual and organisational needs. Few attempted to link plans for training and education to broader plans of institutional development and service delivery, or to the budget planning cycle. Although a number of national departments, provincial administrations and local governments (especially the larger ones) are now moving in this direction, a considerable scope for improvement still exists.

2.2.10.3 An indispensable part of the move towards more effective forms of ongoing planning and review of PSTE will be a significant improvement in current systems of monitoring and evaluation, many of which are ad hoc and rudimentary. The introduction of improved mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation will need to be accompanied by improved forms of data collection and retrieval.

2.3 CORE POLICY PROBLEMS

2.3.1 Unleashing the transformation potential of training and education in accord with the principles contained in the Constitution, the developmental objectives of current government policy and the strategic priorities of the different provinces and departments will necessitate a decisive and radical overhaul of the training and education regime inherited from the past.

2.3.2 The core problem that this White Paper seeks to address comprises three related elements:

• The fragmented and uncoordinated approach to training and education across the public service, resulting in the absence of resources and accountability for ensuring that public servants are empowered and developed to take on the challenges they face.
• The lack of a strategic, needs-based, outcomes-based and competency-based approach to PSTE, directly related to the developmental needs of the public service as outlined in the RDP, the WPTPS and other related policy documents.
• The inappropriate nature of the training and education that is provided by many in-service and external providers.

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 VISION, MISSION AND GOALS

3.1 VISION

3.1.1 Public service training and development will be founded on the following vision:

3.1.2 This vision is based on the belief that any organisation is only as strong as the people who work for it, and in particular on the conviction that training should and must play an integral and strategic part in the processes of building a new public service for a new and democratic society in South Africa.

3.1.3 Whilst acknowledging the danger of seeing training and education as the solution to all organisational problems, the Government nevertheless recognises the significant contribution that training and education can make, as part of a broader strategy for human resources development, to the efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, responsiveness and representivity of the public service. In particular, training and education, if properly conceived and structured, can:

1. help to equip all public servants, whether workers or managers, with the necessary knowledge, skills and competences to carry out their jobs effectively in pursuit of the new vision and mission for the public service, as outlined in the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service;
2. enable public servants to deal effectively and pro-actively with change and the challenges of a dynamic work and external environment;
3. form an integral part of the process of increasing the representivity of the public service in terms of race, gender and disability, by facilitating respect for and accommodation of diversity in the workplace;
4. enable public servants to acquire a new development oriented professionalism and the appropriate skills and knowledge with which to implement the RDP;
5. assist public servants in reorienting many of the values and practices which they acquired under the previous dispensation;
6. help to address issues of diversity, while also promoting a common organisational culture to support unity at the workplace and the ethos of a single public service;
7. be a powerful instrument for anticipating, as well as facilitating the introduction of institutional changes within the public service;
8. assist public servants in developing a better understanding of the needs of the communities which they are serving, as well as a capacity to respond to these needs.

3.1.4 The above vision is based on the underlying values and principles expressed in the Constitution, the RDP, the WPTPS, the Department of Labour's Skill Development Strategy, and other policy statements. In summary, the relevant principles include the promotion of -

• equality of access by all personnel at all levels to meaningful training and education opportunities;
• empowerment of previously disadvantaged and marginalised groups;
• democratic, non-racist and non-sexist policies, practices and values;
• Lifelong learning, particularly through the NQF framework;
• effective career paths for all public servants;
• broad participation and involvement by all relevant stakeholders, including the public;
• mutual understanding and respect, and tolerance for diversity;
• quality and cost-effectiveness in human resource utilisation;
• efficiency, effectiveness and responsiveness;
• professional service ethos;
• accountability and transparency;
• flexibility and decentralisation within national norms and standards.

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3.2 MISSION

3.2.1 In pursuit of the above vision, the Government sees its mission as:

3.2.2 Through the creation of such a national policy framework for training and education, the Government will seek in particular -

• to enable all public servants to develop their knowledge, skills and attitudes in ways which serve to maximise performance in their current roles;
• to allow them to regularly review their training and education needs and requirements, and to provide ways of meeting these;
• to provide opportunities for them to prepare themselves for changing roles, duties and responsibilities within the public service;
• to increase job satisfaction and facilitate career progression;
• to motivate and enable all public servants to contribute positively to the transformation and operation of the new public service in South Africa.

3.3 GOALS

3.3.1 In putting the above vision and mission into practice, the central goals will be:

1. To establish clear and effective national norms and standards with particular reference to training and education principles, priorities and guidelines.
2. To establish appropriate institutional arrangements for the formulation, implementation and evaluation of policy, and to ensure in particular that such arrangements are strategically linked to the broader processes of human resources development, institution building and transformation in public sector organisations.
3. To ensure that the implementation of the policy framework and recommendations set out in this document is effectively monitored and evaluated, in accordance with realistic and relevant performance measures, targets and time-frames.
4. To ensure that departments at national and provincial level are supported to develop appropriate institutional support programmes to address the current and future needs of the public service, its diverse clients and the people who work for it.
5. To secure adequate financial provision for the implementation of the new public sector training and education policy, and to ensure that training budgets are not the first thing to be sacrificed in times of financial stringency.

These five goals form the subject matter of Chapters 5 to 9 respectively in Part 2 of this document.

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3.4 POLICY INDICATORS

3.4.1 The realisation of the above vision and mission will be evaluated in terms of the following indicators on an annual basis.

3.4.2 Vision

Output: Whether the capacity of public servants has improved in accordance with an agreed measurement.

Impact: Whether improvements in the capacity of public servants have improved the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the public service from a citizen point of view.

Means: Annual reports of the Public Service Commission and the Public Service Education and Training Organisation (PSETO) that will be delivered to Parliament in the case of the former and to the Minister for Public Service and Administration in the case of the latter.

3.4.3 Mission

Output: Whether an efficiently and effectively coordinated framework for ensuring the provision of appropriate and adequate public service training and education has been established and sustained.

Impact: Whether the training and education needs of public servants have been met.

Means: Annual reports of the Department of Public Service and Administration, Public Service Commission and PSETO.

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POLICY ALTERNATIVES

4.1 SCENARIOS

4.1.1 Four broad scenarios have been drawn from the international context and have been used here to identify an appropriate institutional framework for public service training and education:

Option 1: Centralised Model

A centralised and prescriptive training and education system, pertaining in countries such as France, whereby all public servants are required to go through a single state-controlled institution.

Option 2: Decentralised State-Provision Model

The introduction of a fully decentralised system of internal state provision under which national departments and provincial administrations would have the resources and freedom to design and deliver their own internal training programmes independently from each other.

Option 3: Decentralised Non-State Model

The introduction of a fully decentralised non-state system, pertaining in countries such as the United States, under which national departments and provincial administrations would be free to select external providers that meet their needs without interference from higher levels of authority.

Option 4: Coordinated Flexible Competency-Based Model

This is an approach based on the Department of Labour's proposed Skills Development Strategy, which combines -

• strong central strategic direction, accountability, coordination and the adherence to national norms and standards; with
• the increasing decentralisation to departments and provincial administrations of day-to-day managerial responsibility and decision-making.

Such an approach would be based on the understanding that actual provision would be provided by in-house and external providers on an equal and competitive basis.

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4.2 ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES

4.2.1 Whilst affording the opportunity for central strategic direction and coordination, the first option would undoubtedly encounter the problems associated with the prescriptive rigidities of the past (see Chapter 2). Moreover, it would be in sharp contrast to the declared intention of the Government, expressed for example in the RDP White Paper and the WPTPS, to encourage flexibility and creativity in meeting local needs through the devolution and decentralisation of managerial responsibility. The first model is also potentially very costly and is often unable either to meet specific needs or to do this in a flexible manner.

4.2.2 The second and third options would offer the benefits of decentralisation and maximum flexibility, but at the serious risk of the emergence of an uncoordinated and inefficient provision of public service training and education characterised by an uneven adherence to national norms and standards, and a potentially wasteful duplication of programmes and activities.

4.2.3 For these reasons, the Government will base its institutional arrangements for the new public service training and education policy on the fourth option above. This should ensure a balanced mix between-

• a uniformly applied set of national norms and standards;
• flexibility at the departmental and provincial levels to design and deliver programmes tailored to meet specific needs;
• a competitive environment for providers (both in-house and external) who will be required to deliver high quality products if they want to secure contracts for the delivery of training and education programmes.

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CHAPTER 5

TRAINING PRINCIPLES, PRIORITIES & GUIDELINES FOR PSTE

5.1 GOAL STATEMENT

The purpose of this Chapter is to establish a clear and effective basis for the development of national norms and standards to inform and guide public service training policy, particularly in relation to such issues as training priorities, certification and accreditation, access and entitlement, and the relationship of training to policies on job grading, remuneration, probation, promotion, performance appraisal, and recruitment and selection in the public service.

5.2 OBJECTIVES

The key objectives of the Chapter are:

1. To set out the broad principles and priorities that the Government believes should guide the new approach to PSTE.
2. To identify a number of more specific and detailed operational guidelines for its successful implementation.
3. To review some of the key implications of this new approach, with respect to such issues as performance appraisal, accreditation, and the relation of training to policies on recruitment, promotion, grading, and remuneration; and to make appropriate recommendations for changes in existing regulations and prescripts governing public service training and education.

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5.3 NORMS AND STANDARDS

5.3.1 The principles, priorities, guidelines and recommendations set out below will help to provide the basis for the development of new and revised national norms and standards for public service training and education. Standards in this context refer to benchmarks of best management practice, rather than to specific training and education standards and qualifications which will be discussed in Section 5.7.9 of this document.

5.3.2 The principal responsibility for drawing up such norms and standards, and embodying them in revised regulations for the public service, will rest with the Department of Public Service and Administration, following a process of consultation with all relevant stakeholders at the national and provincial levels and, where appropriate, following negotiation with employee organisations in the Coordinating Bargaining Council.

5.3.3 In developing such norms and standards, the Department will be mindful of the need to avoid the over-centralised and prescriptive rigidities of the past, and to give effect to the decentralised forms of managerial responsibility and accountability called for in the White Paper on Public Service Transformation and the Green Paper on Policy Proposals for a New Public Service Statute.

5.4 SCOPE

5.4.1 The principles, priorities and guidelines outlined below will apply specifically and directly to transversal training and education in those parts of the public sector, both national and provincial, which are regulated by the Public Service Act of 1994 (Proclamation 103/94).

5.4.2 However, it is the Government's intention that these principles, priorities and guidelines should also guide and inform, where appropriate, the provision of sector-specific training and education in those parts of the service covered by the Act, as well as the provision of training and education more generally in those parts of the public sector which fall outside it.

5.5 LEARNING PRINCIPLES

5.5.1 The formulation, implementation and evaluation of programmes of public service training and education will be carried out in accordance with the following broad principles:

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1. Access and entitlement - all public servants will be entitled to ongoing and meaningful opportunities for training and education, on recruitment and throughout their working lives (This broad principle will also be extended to cover potential recruits to the public service through the development and improvement of the current bursary schemes).
2. Needs analysis - programmes of training and education will be based on a detailed assessment of the needs of individual organisations and employees, and will be designed in particular to secure an optimal fit between these two sets of needs.
3. A competency-based approach to learning outcomes - the new approach to public service training and education will focus on outcomes rather than inputs, with particular reference to the competences required at different levels to build individual and organisational capacity.
4. Integration between policy-formulation, strategic planning and transformation - far from being marginalised, as in the past, it will be expected of government departments and provincial administrations to systematically link training and education to the broader processes of policy formulation, strategic planning and transformation, at national, departmental and provincial levels, particularly in relation to service delivery, institution-building and management, human resources development, and representivity and affirmative action.
5. Adequate resourcing - will be vital for the success of the training and education system, and will be ensured in particular by integrating plans and priorities for training and education as a central element in the budget planning process, at national, departmental and provincial levels.
6. Flexibility and decentralisation - to ensure that programmes of training and education are designed flexibly to meet the individual and changing needs of particular departments and provinces, responsibility will be decentralised as much as possible, within agreed national norms and standards.
7. Career pathing - programmes of training and education will be targeted in particular at facilitating career paths for all staff that promote progression (vertical and lateral) and productivity, and for this reason such programmes will need to be positively related to policies on recruitment, promotion, grading, remuneration and performance appraisal.
8. Lifelong learning - public service training and education will be linked to the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in ways which promote lifelong learning and the development of portable skills and competences. PSTE will also be linked to the Department of Labour's Skills Development Strategy, particularly through the development of appropriate learnerships for the service.
9. Learning organisations - training, education and development will be promoted in ways which enable public service institutions to become learning organisations, capable of continuous development and adaptation through the creative integration of learning with work at all levels.
10. Quality and cost-effectiveness - will be promoted through the effective utilisation of available resources; the avoidance of duplication; the establishment of effective structures and mechanisms for the coordination of training and education at national and provincial levels; the introduction of improved forms of standard setting and accreditation; and the targeting of training and education at activities that add value by developing skills, knowledge and attitudes that can be readily transferred to the job.
11. Equity and empowerment - training and education will be linked to broader plans and programmes for promoting employment and occupational equity, and will be targeted in particular at the empowerment of historically disadvantaged groups.
12. Consultation and participation - to ensure broad commitment and support at all levels within the public service, plans and programmes for training and education will be formulated, implemented and evaluated with the full participation and involvement of the public service unions and all other relevant stakeholders.
13. Information and communication - information about training and education opportunities will be collected and collated, and effectively disseminated at all levels throughout the public service.
14. Effective design and delivery - to enhance the relevance, quality and cost-effectiveness of training and education, programmes will be designed and delivered in accordance with the twelve training principles set out in Chapter C of the Public Service Staff Code (see Appendix B).
15. Monitoring and evaluation - in order to ensure that plans and programmes of training and education are carried out throughout the public service in accordance with the above principles, effective mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation will be put into place.
16. Elevating the status of training and trainers - to ensure that training, education and human resources development more generally play an increasingly strategic and integral part in building a new public service in South Africa, the position, role and status of trainers as human resource specialists will need to be significantly redefined and enhanced.

5.5.2 The above principles are taken to be applicable to education as well as training activities.

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5.6 PRIORITIES

5.6.1 In line with the trend towards greater flexibility and decentralisation in the public service, the setting of priorities for training and education will be the responsibility in the main of individual departments and provincial administrations. This is to ensure that programmes of training and education are tailored effectively to meet local needs and circumstances.

5.6.2 Departmental and provincial training priorities will need to be set, however, in accordance with the principles outlined above. They will also need to conform to the broad national training priorities laid down for the short to medium term in the WPTPS, as follows:

• The induction and orientation of new lateral entrants to the public service.
• The retraining and reorientation of long-serving officials.
• The development of programmes in key areas such as the new constitutional and socio-economic framework, customer service, leadership, the management of change and diversity, policy formulation and analysis, strategic planning, project management, business planning, information technology, and effective human resources management (including participative management and teamwork); these will be targeted at senior and middle managers in particular.
• The targeting of training for the management and delivery of services in key departments and programmes linked to the RDP, especially in education, health, police and social services.
• The widespread development of ABET, competency-based training, customer care, and personal effectiveness and life skills training for front-line workers.
• The development of multi skilling especially at the lower levels of the public service, where de skilling has historically been a feature.
• Training and retraining for those displaced by the restructuring process, to enable them to take advantage of redeployment opportunities.
• The provision of accelerated and intensive skills training programmes for affirmative action appointees (women and people with disabilities in particular).
• The provision of training at all levels in gender and race awareness, public service ethics, and respect for cultural diversity and human rights.
• The training and retraining of trainers.

5.6.3 In line with the recommendations in the National Disability Strategy, priority will also be accorded to disability awareness training to enable managers and able-bodied workers to facilitate the full participation of fellow disabled employees, and to deliver more disability sensitive services to the public.

5.6.4 Given the need to ensure that the training and education strategy proposed in this document is effectively integrated into NQF and SAQA frameworks, as well as into the Department of Labour's Skills Development Strategy, an additional priority will be to arrange workshops and training courses for managers and staff (HRD managers and staff in particular) in the operation of such things as the NQF, SAQA, National Standards Bodies, Standards Generating Bodies, Education and Training Quality Assurers (ETQAs), Sectoral Education and Training Organisations (SETOs), and Learnerships.

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5.7 OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

5.7.1 Introduction

5.7.1.1 In order to realise the above principles and priorities at the operational level, policies and programmes of public service training and education will need in particular to be implemented in ways which are -

• based on a comprehensive and effective assessment of training and education needs at both the individual and organisational level;
• capable of realising positive learning outcomes which add value to individual and organisational performance;
• based on the achievement of measurable competences, linked to the NQF framework;
• systematically planned and strategically linked to broader processes of human resources development and organisational transformation;
• based on effective forms of certification and accreditation of training and education programmes and providers.

5.7.2 Needs Assessment

5.7.2.1 If programmes of training and education are to succeed in building the motivation, capacity and performance of the workforce, it is increasingly recognised, both at home and abroad, that they must be based in the first place on an objective and systematic assessment of institutional and individual needs.

5.7.2.2 The individual needs may be personal, performance-related or career-related, and will include, amongst other things -

• updating knowledge, skills and job-related competences;
• increasing job satisfaction and the fulfilment of personal goals;
• helping staff to make decisions about career choices and facilitating career progression;
• facilitating identification of personal strengths and weaknesses;
• assisting staff in identifying and achieving their work values and work targets;
• developing communication, personal effectiveness and life skills;
• enabling staff to improve their qualifications;
• facilitating individual learning and self-development;
• building self-awareness, self-confidence and motivation.

5.7.2.3 Whilst departments and provinces will devote a large proportion of their staff development resources to assisting staff in identifying and meeting their individual needs, the process will clearly need to be situated within the broader context of the institutional needs and priorities that have to be met, particularly in relation to the WPTPS goals of -

• improving service delivery and customer care;
• the creation of a rationalised and integrated public service;
• institution building to promote greater organisational efficiency and cost-effectiveness;
• representivity and affirmative action;
• the promotion of greater internal democracy and external accountability;
• the promotion of a professional service ethos.

5.7.2.4 Departments and provincial administrations will seek, where possible, to secure an optimal fit or balance between individual and institutional needs. Given budgetary constraints, this will not always be possible, however. Potential conflicts may arise -

• between the needs of different individuals;
• between different institutional needs;
• between individual and institutional needs.

5.7.2.5 In resolving such conflicts it will be important for departments and provincial administrations to prioritise their institutional and individual needs for training and education in the light of prevailing budgetary constraints, national priorities for transformation (outlined in the WPTPS), national priorities for PSTE in particular (outlined in Section 5.6.2 above), and local circumstances and strategic planning priorities. Decisions taken should be transparent and based on consultation with training committees, staff, unions and other relevant stakeholders.

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5.7.3 Personal Development Plans

5.7.3.1 In order to ensure a needs-based approach to the training and education, personal development plans will be drawn up, where feasible and appropriate, for all members of staff. These will be designed to identify the needs of staff and measures to achieve them, within the context of the individual's overall career progression, as well as within the context of the organisational objectives and priorities of the department or province concerned.

5.7.3.2 The introduction of a personal development plan system will help to ensure that the principle of access and entitlement of all staff to meaningful training and education opportunities becomes a practical reality.

5.7.3.3 Personal development plans will seek to identify in particular -

• the current competences of staff (which will help to form the basis for an effective skills audit);
• the work values of staff (e.g. career progression, helping others, creativity, being skilled and respected in one's work);
• the work and career targets of staff;
• the competences (skills, knowledge and attitudes) that will need to be developed to enable staff to successfully meet their work and career targets;
• an individually tailored programme of staff development, training, education and support (including learnerships where appropriate) designed to enable staff to acquire the relevant competences and meet their work targets and personal and career objectives.

5.7.3.4 Personal development plans will be drawn up in a negotiated way between the line manager/supervisor and the individual staff member. They will be regularly reviewed, and will be formally appraised and updated on an annual basis.

5.7.3.5 To carry out their work effectively supervisors will require training and ongoing advice and support, in particular from the organisation's human resources specialists, who will also be responsible, together with departmental and provincial training committees, for monitoring and evaluating the general operation and effectiveness of the personal development plan system.

5.7.3.6 It is recognised by Government that the introduction of a personal development plan system may place additional financial burdens on departments, and will inevitably place additional burdens on the time and capacity of supervisors and HRD departments. This is likely to be the case in particular with respect to the larger departments. For this reason the model system envisaged above may well need to be phased in over time, and to be tailored in specific detail to the particular needs and resources of individual departments and provincial administrations.

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5.7.4 Adding Value through Positive Learning Outcomes

5.7.4.1 A major shift in the process through which public service training and education programmes are designed and delivered is clearly required. In the past such programmes were essentially supply-driven and input-based. They reflected the views of the various training providers (internal or external) about what should be learned and the ways in which it should be learned. Public servants either volunteered or were required to sign-up for what were essentially predetermined programmes.

5.7.4.2 In the future, training providers will now be required to move towards a demand-driven and outcomes-based approach to their work. Such an approach will be designed to promote access to competence and accreditation by recognising that there are many different routes to obtaining knowledge and skills, and that the choice of "best route" for an individual will depend on a variety of circumstances, including the experience and learning that have occurred to date.

5.7.4.3 A key assumption of this approach is that learning will be more effective when individuals are enabled to use learning styles and contexts that most closely matches their needs.

5.7.4.4 The move towards an outcomes-based approach to public service training and education will place the service firmly in line with current developments within the NQF framework.

5.7.5 A Competency-Based Approach to Training and Education

5.7.5.1 Learning outcomes will often be expressed in fairly broad and general terms (for example, greater effectiveness in one's work, or enhanced opportunities and prospects for career progression). In order to apply such outcomes in terms of specific programmes of staff development, training and education, it will be important to express them in terms of measurable competences.

5.7.5.2 A competency-based approach to training and education will therefore be an integral part of the move towards a broader needs-based and outcomes-based approach to public service training and education.

5.7.5.3 Competence can be defined as the application of skills, knowledge and attitudes to tasks or combination of tasks to standards under operational conditions. As such competence does not refer to the unique characteristics of an individual worker, but rather serves as a measure against which individuals may be judged for the purposes of formal or informal evaluation and accreditation.

5.7.5.4 Competences, therefore, are descriptions of performance which answer such questions as:

• What do people have to be good at doing to be effective in their job?
• How does an individual know that she or he is carrying out the job effectively?

5.7.5.5 Standards, as used in Section 5.7.5.3 above, will normally be expressed as:

• A set of performance criteria which are observable, measurable and assessable;
• A desired outcome of the competence.

5.7.5.6 Appendix G provides an illustration of the kinds of competences, performance criteria and outcomes that might be expected from administrative assistants and administrative officers in the areas of management of work, working with people, and personal effectiveness. This is provided as an example, and is based on the actual competences, criteria and outcomes used for such grades by the British Ministry of Defence.

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5.7.5.7 All public service institutions will be required to conduct job evaluations or revaluations of all posts, with the purpose of ensuring that they are expressed in terms of the essential competences required for effective job performance in the context of the new vision and mission laid down for the public service in the WPTPS. This will involve both functional or sector-specific competences and core transversal competences.

5.7.5.8 In the case of core transversal competences, the definition of competence will encompass a broad range of skills, knowledge and attitudes, including -

• the ability to carry out effectively the routine tasks of the job;
• the ability to transfer skills, knowledge and attitudes to new situations within the same occupational area;
• the ability to reflect on one’s work, learn from one’s actions, and innovate and cope with non-routine activities;
• the personal effectiveness to deal effectively with co-workers, managers and customers.

5.7.5.9 The introduction of a competency-based approach will assist the development of an outcomes-led model of training and education in a number of important ways. These will include forming an effective and measurable basis -

• for the objective evaluation of current performance, and the effective assessment of current and future needs;
• for the design and delivery of training programmes and courses, as well as other staff development interventions, targeted at the achievement of specific and meaningful competences;
• for the standardisation and accreditation of such programmes and courses through the NQF framework;
• for the subsequent evaluation of the effectiveness of such programmes and courses.

5.7.5.10 The introduction of a competency-based approach will also form the basis for improvements in the current systems of performance appraisal, recruitment and selection, and promotion. Evidence from the stakeholders consulted in the drawing up of this document, demonstrated concern, for example, that the current systems of recruitment and promotion placed too much emphasis on the possession of formal qualifications and experience (which may not always be a reliable indicator of actual competency), and too little on prior learning and experience obtained through less formal means. There is no doubt that this acts to the detriment of historically disadvantaged groups, whether applying for jobs or for promotion.

5.7.5.11 This does not imply, of course, that formal qualifications and experience will no longer be used as a criteria for recruitment or promotion. For many positions within the public service, the possession of appropriate qualifications and/or experience will continue to be essential. However, departments will be encouraged in such cases to introduce or sponsor specific education and training courses for those from disadvantaged groups who show the necessary potential to attain such qualifications.

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5.7.6 Strategic Planning at Departmental and Provincial Levels

5.7.6.1 Historically human resources issues in the South African public service have been regarded as administrative or technical matters rather than the strategic management concerns that can, if properly managed, make a major contribution to the achievement of socio-economic goals.

5.7.6.2 This situation will clearly have to change if training and education are to make the kind of dynamic contribution to enhancing the individual and organisational capacity of public service institutions envisaged in this White Paper.

5.7.6.3 At the level of individual departments and provincial administrations, a number of related elements will be involved in this process.

5.7.6.4 In the first place training and education will need to be systematically linked to broader processes of human resources development.

5.7.6.5 In the second place the status of training and trainers, as well as human resources specialists more generally, will need to be significantly enhanced. Positive signs in this regard are already evident in a number of departments and provinces, particularly through the creation of new human resources divisions with a broader role and greater powers than in the past.

5.7.6.6 In the third place plans and programmes for human resources development and training must be strategically linked to broader plans for service delivery, institution building, transformation, and in particular to the budget planning process. This will be an essential step in ensuring that the training plans and programmes identified as the result of the training needs assessment are effectively prioritised, equipped with the appropriate levels of budgetary support, and provided with the necessary commitment and support from top management to ensure their success.

5.7.6.7 In the fourth place training and education programmes will themselves need to be systematically and strategically planned, monitored and evaluated. The planning and review process should be fully consultative, involving management, staff and unions, and plans for training and education will need to be effectively communicated at all levels within the institution. Steps involved in the planning and review process will include:

• Needs assessment (individual and organisational).
• Consideration of possible solutions (including training and other non-training interventions).
• Identifying training and education programmes and activities, together with their costs.
• Establish priorities in the light of prevailing budgetary constraints.
• Identify appropriate resources (human, physical and financial) to implement the prioritised training programmes.
• Formulate, communicate and implement an annual strategic plan for training and education.
• Monitor, evaluate and feedback into ongoing process of planning and review.

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5.7.7 Capacity Development Standard

5.7.7.1 To encourage departments and provincial administrations to move increasingly towards this kind of strategic approach to training and education, it is proposed that a Capacity Development Standard (CDS) will be introduced, and that annual awards will be made to those institutions who meet its requirements.

5.7.7.2 The CDS will be defined in a document that will be distributed to all heads of departments and provincial administrations. This will contain a detailed set of criteria dealing with generic issues such as the following:

• Has the department conducted a training and education needs analysis (of individual and organisational needs)?
• Has a training and education strategy been developed to meet these needs?
• Has this strategy been aligned with broader strategies for service delivery and organisational and human resources development?
• Has a budget allocation been provided for to finance this strategy?
• Is there sufficient capacity to make sure that the strategy can be effectively implemented?
• Where strategies have been implemented, are monitoring and evaluation systems in place to ensure that they are being carried out effectively?

5.7.7.3 Responsibility for drawing up the detailed criteria for the CDS will lie with the DPSA, in consultation with other key stakeholders. Once all relevant bodies have approved the CDS, an annual review of all departments will be undertaken to identify those who qualify for the award. An appropriate decision-making process will be developed in cooperation with the PSC by the DPSA to apply this approach.

5.7.7.4 The end result will be a Ministerial event whereby the Minister for the Public Service and Administration will make the annual awards of CDS status. This will give political acknowledgement and backing to the achievement of a specific notion of excellence in the field of public service training and education.

5.7.7.5 The competitive approach to this sort of institutional development is seen as a positive way of building awareness of the need for effective training and education strategies, and their value and importance.

5.7.7.6 In the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service (Chapter 9 [a]), it is proposed that the contracts of Heads of Department be tied to the achievement of specific performance-related objectives and targets. If performance-related contracts are introduced, the achievement of satisfactory progress towards the attainment of CDS status could well be included as one such target.

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5.7.8 Prescribed Competences rather than Courses

5.7.8.1 More specifically, a key strategic intervention at the national level concerns the issue of prescribed courses. In the present system, prescribed training and education courses are those deemed essential throughout the public service for appointed to or employment in a particular post grade. Such courses must conform to the curricula and/or other prescripts pertaining to the relevant courses set in the Training Course Standards (TCS) which form part of the Public Service Staff Code.

5.7.8.2 With respect to transversal training, responsibility for prescribing such courses was formerly the business of the PSC, but now rests with the DPSA. The DPSA is also responsible for registering training institutions that wish to conduct prescribed training courses.

5.7.8.3 Consultation with stakeholders has revealed a number of problems with the current system of prescribed training courses. These include the lack of flexibility in tailoring training and education to local needs and circumstances; the frequent lack of congruity between training courses and the actual competences required to perform effectively at the particular level concerned; the lack of recognition for suitable competences acquired through prior learning or experience; and the lack of cost-effectiveness when the relevant competences could be acquired through alternative and less expensive forms of staff development experience.

5.7.8.4 It is therefore proposed that the public service will move from a system of prescribed courses to a system of prescribed core transversal competences at different grade levels, linked wherever possible to the NQF framework.

5.7.8.5 Initially the DPSA will take responsibility for drawing up such competences in partnership with national departments, provincial administrations, and employee organisations. This role will be taken over by the Public Service Education and Training Organisation (PSETO), once this body has been established. Recommended competences at the different grade levels will be submitted by the PSETO to the DPSA for approval and dissemination throughout the service.

5.7.8.6 The fact that the majority representation on the managing board of the PSETO will take the form of representatives from national departments, provincial administrations and employee organisati