The Skills Development Act (No. 97 of 1998) in South Africa : a case study of policy implementation by the office of the premier, KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2007
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Abstract
The study explores the ways in which Skills Development Act is implemented in South Africa. This study provides skills development policy by looking at policy implications and policy implementation in the Office of the Premier: Human Resource Development directorate.
The need for skills development in South Africa carries the potential for policy development as an essential feature for economic growth and service delivery. Not only to the field of public policy, but to every sector including science and technology. The passing of the Skills Development Act, (No. 97 of 1998) (SDA) and the Skills Development Levies Act (No. 9 of 1999) highlighted the need for more skills in South Africa to meet the demands of a changing global world economy.
The purpose of the study is to provide a policy understanding of the SDA and its implementation using the Office of the Premier in KwaZulu-Natal as a case study. The study will illustrate the importance of skills development in the public sector of South Africa and how skills can be further developed in the public sector. Research in skills development policy primarily focuses on the private sector ignoring its relevance to the public sector.
The primary research objective of this study is
• To describe the need for skills development in the public sector in South
Africa and
• To critically analyze the Skills Development Act in South Africa.
• It will also analyze national programmes and policies designed for skills
development in South Africa.
The theoretical basis of this project is found on theories of public policy and policy implementation. The crux of this study is to determine the extent to which the Office of the Premier's skills development policy seeks to implement the Skills Development Act in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
The findings of the study show a broad policy commitment to skills development programmes. However, when one take a closer look at the policy implementation of skills development in Office of the Premier, a number of gaps become clear. The Directorate HRD has experienced a number of implementation problems. The most significant is their lack of capacity as well as their in ability to monitor and assess training programmes.
Description
Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2007.
Keywords
Occupational training--Law and legislation--South Africa., South Africa--Skills Development Act, no. 97, 1998., Theses--Policy and development studies.