Towards a Credible Institutional Mechanism for Skills Planning in the Chemical Sector

Agenda 1 Introduction – Why do we need better skills planning? 2 The Skillogical Process – Enabling better skills planning? 3 Project Plan – How long will it take us to get there? 4 Questions

Introduction – The Need (We are not a winning nation) Add title text World Competitiveness Report 2012 1 Stats SA, LFS, 1st Quarter, 2012 The low educational levels of our human resources and the high unemployment in the country are the main contributors to the poor competitiveness rating. 50 South Africa 59

Introduction – The Need (We need skills for economic growth) The development of human capital is the key to the economic success of a nation, organisations and individuals The acquisition of skills is considered central to a country’s growth performance. The amount and kind of education and training provided should be responsive to the needs of the labour market. An up-to-date understanding of the distribution of skills is an important underpinning for the agenda of enhancing South Africa’s economic performance. Such information is essential in planning to meet the country’s skills needs and guiding investment in education and training provision.

Introduction – The Need (Assessing and anticipating skill needs) A key instrument: for the efficient functioning of labour markets and the mobility of labour; for a better match between labour supply and demand to reduce bottlenecks; and for a better definition of the content and structure of education and training systems as they seek to develop human resources, skills levels, creativity and entrepreneurship .

Introduction – The Need (Assessing and anticipating skill needs) The Challenge: The process of identifying skill needs requires a high range of information and data on both supply and demand sides of the labour market. To develop and put in place an efficient system for the identification and anticipation of skill needs requires availability of ‘hard data’ as the most important input.

Introduction – The Need (Chemical Sector LMI – Obtaining Hard Data) Why the need for Labour Market Information? CHIETA needs to have a thorough, in-depth understanding of labour market issues in the sector, in order to add value to stakeholders CHIETA must ensure that it is backed by both employers and workers CHIETA must be acknowledged as a credible and authoritative voice on skills (both demand-side and supply-side) in the sector Closer integration between Demand (Employers) and Supply (Training Providers) Side Information Research is critical to understanding the sector. The availability of Chemical Sector LMI allows for better co-ordination of research activities.

Introduction – The Need (Coordinating Research Activities without a LMIS) 100% of Chemical Sector LMI Each research initiative responsible for its own non-uniform information collection Without common LMI available to researchers, difficult to achieve synergy between research initiatives Coordinating fragmented pockets of research first and creating a LMIS from the results can lead to duplication of some info (R1 and R2) and omission of other info (R1 + R2 + R3 + R4 < 100% LMI). R1 10% R4 20% R2 10% R3 15% % of LMI used by research initiative Total % of LMI available 8

Introduction – The Need (Coordinating Research Activities with a LMIS) DEMAND → 100% of LMI ← SUPPLY Each research initiative has access to uniformLMI available via a common LMIS Possible to synergize research initiatives conducted off a common, uniform and complete LMIS First the LMIS is populated by collecting LMI from various sources. Once a comprehensive enough dataset is available, this LMI is made available to the various research initiatives R1 100% R4 100% R2 100% R3 100% % of LMI used by research initiative 9

Introduction – The Need (Skillogical – Providing a Solution) Simplify the identification of skill needs and ensure that: Fit-for-purpose development initiatives are developed and implemented. Accurate, auditable, detail level information is collected. Actual skills demand is established. Providers WSP-ATR Workplace requirements

Process Overview – The Solution Eight key steps grouped as follows: Source data 1. Collect skills planning source data 2. Map source data to occupations 3. Generate recommended workplace skills plan and annual training plan based on source data Occupation profiling 4. Profile occupations and link to source data 5. Generate recommended organisation skills profile based on source data Skills survey 6. Conduct skills survey 7. Generate actual organisation skills profile based on skills survey data 8. Generate actual workplace skills plan and annual training plan based on skills survey data

Process Diagram: Add text title Add text title Step 1 The availability of information on employment by occupation gives us insight into the skills that employers’ need Step 2 A standard system of classifying economic activity and employment is essential to any systematic attempt to assess changing skill needs. Step 3 Organisations are currently submitting source data. Deadline for submissions: 31 July 2012 Add text title

Process Overview – The Solution Source Data The availability of information on employment by occupation gives us insight into the skills that employers’ need. Most companies and organisations have some form of a system that records data pertaining to their jobs, their posts, their employees and what qualifications their employees have, want to do or have done. The process Skillogical assists employers with is to ensure their posts and employee information is structured and categorised in such a way that reporting on the data is simplified. Skillogical’s source data requirements can be categorised as follows: industry (where a person works, e.g. in the mining or construction industry) occupation (what a person does, e.g. welding) organisation structure (post and job title, including temporary, terminated or permanent appointment detail) employee biographical data (age, gender, race, disability status) employee qualification and learning data

How is Source Data Used to Compile a WSP? Add title text How is Source Data Used to Compile a WSP? Race Location Employee Information Info is aggregated into a WSP / ATR Disability Actual Training Age Gender Planned Training Occupation

Key Benefits of Collecting Source Data - Format remains fairly constant - Becomes easier every year Reduces Workload Provides more information than conventional WSP for Sector Skills Plan - Employee and occupation information enables skills surveys Promotes Further Research - Employers can start compiling their WSP even before the SETA finalizes the WSP Template Not dependent On WSP or ATR Format

   What’s next? Been there…done that Add text title Add text title    Been there…done that Add text title

Process Diagram: Steps 4 & 5 Add text title Add text title Steps 4 & 5 The notion of a job represents a basic element in the employment relationship. A job is defined as a set of tasks or duties to be carried out by the employee and recognised primarily by an associated job title. Add text title

Skillogical Process – The Solution Occupation Profiles Provide a clear indication of workplace output Research based and augmented by industry’s input Value: A clear consistent definition of workplace output Associated knowledge bases Workplace experience that would create the competence the workplace requires Assisting learning providers to develop or align learning to address the profile as defined by the sector More employer engagement to ensure that supply is responsive to demand.

Process Diagram: Step 6 3 Types of Surveys: Add text title Add text title Step 6 Surveys focussing on the occupations employers actually employ is arguably the best way to measure changing skill demands. It monitors and directly measures actual skill demand as indicated by the types of jobs employers pay people to undertake. 3 Types of Surveys: Employer Survey Occupation Survey Employee Survey Add text title

Skillogical Process – The Solution Skills Surveys Interaction between management and co-workers, focused on expected output Value: Personal Development Plans per employee. A post profile or output description for each post (the results of a survey of a filled post could be used to inform the profile of a vacant post). Learning and mentorship needs are established. WSP-ATR reports are updated, based on the requirements identified in the discussion on expected post output. Learning and development needs for future appointments are determined and included in employees’ Personal Development Plans

Project Plan – How Long will it Take? Add text title Add text title 31st July 2012 15th October 2012 20 February 2013 Sector Report Add text title 7th December 2012

Summary - What’s in it for me? (As an Employer, CHIETA or Training Provider) Simplify the identification of skill needs and ensure that: Fit-for-purpose development initiatives are developed and implemented. Accurate, auditable, detail level information is collected. Actual skills demand is established. Providers WSP-ATR Workplace requirements

Why Participate? The Skillogical process helps to provide you with a clear answer on specific outputs in the workplace. Clear outputs make identification of training needs easier. Also helps to identify providers that can offer fit for purpose training programmes. Finally, the process provides the sector with a consolidated training needs identification to inform SETA decisions (i.e. purposeful allocation and usage of funds).

relation to skills demand within their sector.” Skillogical – not a linear process, rather an interlinked system with the following focus: “The real value added by SETAs is their understanding of labour market issues in their respective industrial and economic sectors. SETAs must ensure that they are backed by employers and workers, are acknowledged as a credible and authoritative voice on skills, create interventions and shape solutions that address skills needs within their sectors. SETAs must become recognised experts in relation to skills demand within their sector.”

Questions? Thank You!