Browsing by Author "Van Zyl, Daniel Johannes Rossouw"

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    The attitudes of managers and students towards adult basic education and training : a case study of the Grindrod group
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2000-12) Van Zyl, Daniel Johannes Rossouw; Kritzinger, A. S.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to explore the effective and efficient implementation of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) within a specific group of companies. A central argument underlying the study is that the attitudes of managers and students who participate in these programmes play a critical role in the successful implementation of such programmes. The specific objective of the study is to identify those factors that influence managers' and students' attitudes towards ABET within the Grindrod Group. A literature review traces the origin of ABET and its historical development within other countries as well as in the South African context. The role of ABET within the context of Human Resources Development is identified and explored. The research entails a case study of the implementation of ABET within the Grindrod Group of Companies. Quantative as well as qualitative information regarding managers' and students' attitudes were obtained. The attitudes of both the managers and students at Grindrod's were identified by using structured questionnaires during 1998-1999. The questionnaire included closed as well as open questions. In-depth interviews were also conducted with a selected group of managers and students. The aim of the interviews was to facilitate a deeper understanding of managers' and students' attitude towards ABET and the variables that might influence these attitudes. In the case of students interviews were conducted with those who had dropped out of ABET programmes. ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to explore the effective and efficient implementation of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) within a specific group of companies. A central argument underlying the study is that the attitudes of managers and students who participate in these programmes play a critical role in the successful implementation of such programmes. The specific objective of the study is to identify those factors that influence managers' and students' attitudes towards ABET within the Grindrod Group. While the attitude of both managers and students could be described as positive, the study suggests that the following variables can be seen to influence managers' attitudes towards ABET: seniority of managers, their political orientation, their educational qualifications and the number of years that ABET has been in operation in a specific company. As far as students are concerned, the following variables seem to play a role: the length of their employment, their occupational status, the level of the ABET module that they participate in as well as their formal educational level. The problem that was most commonly cited by managers was that the ABET programme resulted in operational disruptions because the programme was run in working hours. The most regularly identified benefits included improved communication between managers and employees, improved motivation of employees and identification of development potential of employees. The vast majority of all the employees that partook in ABET stated that they believed that they had benefited from the programme. The most commonly cited benefits included being able to write, speak, read and understand English. While the study focuses on a specific group of companies within a specific industrial sector and does not allow generalisations to be made, it nevertheless attempts to lay a foundation for further research to be undertaken regarding the implementation of these programmes in different sectors of the economy.