School of Education - Centre for Researching Education and Labour (Research reports)
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Item E-learning assessment framework for the public service sector(Public Service Sector Education and Training Authority (PSETA), 2021) Centre for Researching Education & Labour (REAL); University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgThe purpose of this research project was to develop an understanding of the change drivers and difficulties linked to implementing e-learning in the South African Public Service Sector in line with policy imperatives and global trends. The project aimed to investigate specific challenges and contextual variables that need to be addressed to strengthen skills development within the public sector. It also aimed to explore how to enhance ways in which the public sector utilises e-learning to upskill and re-skill its workforce. The research was undertaken over a 12-month period, from September 2020 to September 2021, and involved five main phases. Phase One comprised the inception and orientation of the project. The second phase involved a literature review on e-learning including an analysis of relevant public sector documents, reports, and policies on e-learning practices within the public and private sector. This contextual profile describes e-learning practices in the sector and enabled us to structure the public e-learning system as an activity system. The third phase consisted of the development of mediating tools including a comprehensive evaluation tool to offer a potential way forward to enhance strategic planning implementation for e-learning. This will assist with addressing the challenges faced by the public sector in terms of training and the processes of change involved in transitioning the conceptualisation of e-learning to contextualised capacity building. The e-learning criteria framework provides basic guidelines for designing an optimum e-learning experience in the public sector. The elearning review tool (Appendix A) supports and complements the criteria as a tool for analysis of the e-learning programme. The e-learning criteria and tool were sent to ten e-learning experts in the same field of research for comments on further development and improvement. Phase Four consisted of data analysis. Insights from stakeholder engagement and framework development processes were assessed and key emergent themes to inform the e-learning needs of the public sector were identified. In the final phase the findings were reviewed and recommendations proposed and the final report presented here is based on reviewer feedback.Item An assessment of skills supply and demand for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and regional energy integration(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022) Centre for Researching Education & Labour (REAL); University of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgThe SADC region relies heavily on energy produced from coal and water and has grappled with an energy crisis over the years, seen through insufficient and inefficient energy supply. This crisis is mostly a result of a changing climate, including droughts, outdated infrastructure, and the depletion of natural resources. These natural resources include coal and gas, and their use for power generation further contributes to climate change, who’s impacts are being faced globally. There has therefore been a desire and a call to shift towards renewable energy (RE) in the SADC region, which has the resources and conditions to make this shift. This is driven by the SADC Protocol on Energy and the various national policies. The SADC Protocol on Energy (SADC 20) identifies a number of strategic plans over the last 10 years which build on previous policies. These include “the Regional Energy Access Strategy and Action Plan 2020 to 2030 (SADC, 2020), the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action Plan 2016 to 2030 (SADC, 2016), the SADC Industrial Energy Efficiency Programme and the development of the Regional Gas Master Plan” (SADC, 1996). Implementation has occurred at different rates in the various member states, and the 2018 SADC Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Status Report states that “Since 2015, SADC Member States have greatly increased their commitment to renewable energy and energy efficiency, including important innovations to stimulate mini-grids and distributed renewable energy” (SADC, 2018). This is also the case in regional integration as per the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 2020–2030 (SADC 2020) and through the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) and its regional electricity plans, trading platforms, and policy and regulatory alignment initiatives (SAPP, 2017) together with the SADC Regional Electricity Regulatory Association (RERA, 2022). This transition to RE, however, needs to be just, thereby ensuring that the current workforce is protected and that the skills ecosystem is prepared not only to respond to current demands but those required to transition to a more just and resilient energy system.Item Review of professional competency frameworks in the Public Service sector(2022) Centre for Researching Education & Labour (REAL); University of the WitwatersrandThis report reviews four competency frameworks (CFs) that are in operation in the Public Service Sector (PSS) - Senior Management Services (SMS), Middle Management Services (MMS) CF, Financial Management (FM), and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) –to understand how these are conceptualised, used, and applied to improve the sector’s performance. In reviewing the CFs, this report investigates the major challenges and issues that explain what in CFs works and what does not. It also identifies the key issues that need attention with suggestions and recommendations on how to deal with them. It does this by examining three issues related to the use of CFs and public service performance.