| Summary: | Bibliography === Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. === ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Since the advent of the 21st century the world has been experiencing rapid changes in
knowledge, technology and information. These changes pose challenges to the
providers of education and training in general and vocational education and training in
particular. The impact of technological advancement and the nature of organisational
changes in the workplace demand skills of an increasingly higher level – particularly
skills in the areas of information technology, problem solving and communication. The
problem identified in this study was that graduates from vocational training centres
(VTCs) in Namibia did not have appropriate employability skills needed at the
workplace, as indicated by Namibian employers. The aim of this study was to identify the types of employability skills considered
important by employers at the workplace and to determine how such skills could be
integrated into the vocational education and training curriculum in Namibia. A literature
review conducted revealed that employers require workers with the following key, core
or employability skills: communication, information technology, working with numbers,
working with others, problem solving and improving one’s own learning and
performance.
The population for this study was 493 employers providing on-the-job training or
employing vocational training centre graduates. A total of 244 out of the 493
employers responded. The population of the study represented the following
occupational sectors: auto trades, building construction trades, metalwork trades and
electrical engineering trades.
Data for the study were collected through reviewing the literature on employability
skills, a survey questionnaire to employers and face-to-face interviews conducted with
selected employers during the research. The following questions were explored in the
questionnaire and structured interviews: i) Which employability skills are important at
the workplace? ii) Who is responsible for developing employability skills? iii) If it is the
responsibility of vocational training centres to foster employability skills, at which
educational level should employability skills education be introduced? iv) How should
the acquisition of employability skills be promoted? v) How should employability skills
be assessed? The study found that employers in Namibia considered employability skills such as
teamwork, time management, a positive attitude, problem solving, planning, and
coping with multiple tasks as the most important skills they required from vocational
training centre graduates. Employers further indicated that employability skills could
be developed at family/home settings as well as at school and vocational training
centres and suggested that employability skills education be introduced from level 1
during the first year of training. It was also found that portfolios, observation and
practical assessment were credible approaches for assessing employability skills and
that this should be done in real-life contexts.
Based on the conclusions arrived at in the study, it is recommended that a policy
framework for employability skills be developed and implemented in the Namibian
vocational education and training system. Specific recommendations are made
regarding the following aspects: the type of employability skills; whose responsibility it
is to develop these skills; at which level of training the development of employability
skills should be implemented; how they could best be learned and how the learning of
employability skills could be assessed. === AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die snelle veranderinge op die gebied van kennis, tegnologie en inligting sedert die
begin van die 21ste eeu bied groot uitdagings aan die verskaffers van onderwys en
opleiding in die algemeen en beroepsonderwys en -opleiding in die besonder. Die
uitwerking van tegnologiese vordering en die aard van organisatoriese veranderinge in
die werkplek vereis groter hoërorde-vaardighede as vantevore – veral vaardighede op
die gebied van inligtingstegnologie, probleemoplossing en kommunikasie. Die
probleem wat in hierdie studie aan bod gekom het, was dat gegradueerdes van
beroepsopleidingsentrums in Namibië nie oor voldoende indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede
wat in die werkplek benodig word, beskik nie, soos aangedui deur
Namibiese werknemers.
Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die soorte indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede
wat werkgewers by indiensneming van personeel as belangrik beskou te identifiseer,
en om vas te stel hoe sodanige vaardighede in die kurrikulum vir beroepsonderwys en
.. opleiding in Namibië geïntegreer kan word. Literatuuroorsig het getoon dat
werknemers benodig word met die volgende belangrike, kern- of indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede:
kommunikasie, inligtingstegnologie, syfervaardigheid,
samewerking met ander persone, probleemoplossing en die verbetering van eie leer
en prestasie.
Die navorsingspopulasie vir hierdie studie het uit 493 werkgewers bestaan wat
indiensopleiding verskaf of wat persone in diens het wat reeds hul beroepsopleiding
voltooi het. Tweehonderd-vier-en-veertig werkgewers het uiteindelik aan die
vraelysondersoek deelgeneem. Die motor-, konstruksie- en metaalwerkbedryf, asook
die elektriese-ingenieurswesesektor, is in die navorsingspopulasie verteenwoordig.
Data is ingesamel deur literatuuroorsig te doen oor
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede, en deur vraelyste en persoonlike onderhoude. Die
volgende vrae is in die vraelys en tydens gestruktureerde onderhoude gestel: i) Watter
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede is in die werkplek belangrik? ii) Wie is
verantwoordelik vir die ontwikkeling van indiensneembaarheids-vaardighede?
iii) Indien dit die verantwoordelikheid is van beroepsopleidingsentra om
indiensneembaarheids-vaardighede te bevorder, op watter opvoedkundige vlak behoort opleiding met betrekking tot indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede ingestel te
word? iv) Hoe behoort die aanleer van indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede bevorder te
word? v) Hoe behoort indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede geassesseer te word?
Daar is bevind dat werkgewers in Namibië indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede soos
spanwerk, tydbestuur, positiewe houding, probleemoplossing, beplanning en die
hantering van veelvuldige take as die belangrikste vaardighede beskou wat hulle van
potensiële opgeleide werknemers verwag. Werkgewers het aangedui dat
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede in die huis, in skole en deur beroepsopleidingsentrums
ontwikkel kan word. Hulle het voorgestel dat opleiding in
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede in die eerste jaar van opleiding by die
beroepsopleidingsentrums vanaf vlak 1 aangebied behoort te word. Verdere
bevinding was dat die assessering van kwekelinge se portefeuljes, waarneming en
praktiese assessering geloofwaardige benadering tot die assessering van
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede is en dat dit binne die konteks van die werklike
lewe gedoen behoort te word.
Daar word op grond van die bevindinge onder meer aanbeveel dat beleidsraamwerk
vir die ontwikkeling van indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede in die Namibiese
beroepsonderwys en .. opleidingstelsel ontwikkel en geïmplementeer word. Spesifieke
aanbevelings word gemaak ten opsigte van die tipes indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede,
wie se verantwoordelikheid dit is om hierdie vaardighede te ontwikkel, op
watter opleidingsvlak die indiensnemingsvaardighede geïmplementeer behoort te
word, hoe dit ten beste aangeleer kan word, en hoe die leerproses met betrekking tot
indiensneembaarheidsvaardighede geassesseer kan word.
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