Online retail sales growing in South Africa

Online retail in South Africa seems to have moved into a cycle of sustained acceleration, based on a new research report published recently by World Wide Worx.

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SABC Education and NEMISA Bursary

SABC Education and The National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA) offer Bursary opportunities to the value of R1 500 000.00

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SA govt to encourage leaders to go for HIV testing

In a bid to raise awareness around HIV and AIDS, the Health Department plans to encourage South African leaders in various fields to undergo HIV tests in a hope that others will lead by example.

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World Bank: African economy growing

Africa’s economy is on track and could make a speedier recovery from the recession than the US. This is according to the World Bank’s Global Economic Prospects report for 2011.

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Glaziers

Glass serves many uses in modern life. Insulated and specially treated glass keeps in warmed or cooled air and provides good condensation and sound control.

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Online retail sales growing in South AfricaSABC Education and NEMISA BursarySA govt to encourage leaders to go for HIV testingWorld Bank: African economy growingGlaziers

Apr 02

Eskom launches new welding school giving hope to youth

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Artisan

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April 2, 2012

 

The newly launched Eskom Academy of Learning (EAL) Welding School will offer placements for at least 700 students to be trained as high class welders.

The new school opened its doors last Thursday and is located in Midrand.

“Over the next seven years, Eskom will train a minimum of 700 students to be welders – and not simply regular welders, but high class welders,” chief executive officer Brian Dames stated.

The school forms an important part of Eskom’s Professional Welding Capability Development Programme, which is designed to boost its capacity to train welders to international quality standards. This is to meet Eskom’s needs for the construction of brand new power plants along with the maintenance and upgrading of existing plants.

The school, which at the moment has 150 students in numerous phases of training, was established to deal with the skills shortage in the country and it is going to make certain that the parastatal will have the ability to replace skills which in fact had to be brought in from other countries with home-grown welding specialists.

 

The courses offered to welders encompasses on-the-job training at power stations along with classroom theory.

“It is essential for state institutions to develop skills in-house that will significantly help to relieve the country’s shortage as well as to stimulate economic and employment opportunity,” said Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba.

“This is a vital and strategic technical skills development programme, simply because welders will have the ability to work not only for Eskom, but will also be beneficial to the broader South African economy.”

The school is a collaboration involving the South African Institute of Welding (SAIW) and Eskom. At the conclusion of their 3 to 5 year schooling, students will receive a dual South African and international qualification accredited by the International Institute of Welding (IIW) and SAIW.

Eskom at present has a pipeline of 6 386 learners, with an emphasis on training artisans, engineers and technologists for future years with Eskom making an investment in excess of R1 billion a year, which represents more than 6% of the wage bill, in the training and development of its human resources.

Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi pointed out that Eskom is committed to delivering technical skills development targets for their infrastructure requirements, and that the welding programme would provide South Africans career and skills opportunities in a scarce skills category.

 

For more information, contact Eskom directly – click here

Source: BuaNews

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Mar 29

Spending on education continues to increase in South Africa

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Education

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March 29, 2012

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan

 

South Africa’s spending on education is growing with the help of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan allocating R207-billion to the sector for 2012/13, along with forecasts that this could possibly increase to up to R236-billion over the upcoming three years.

Gordhan explained that provincial education spending is most likely to grow by 5.9% over the next three years, from R169.9-billion this year to R183.8-billion in 2015.

 

Student financial assistance for no-fee schools

 

The government is going to also spend in excess of R18-billion of the money towards increasing learner subsidies for no-fee schools and broadened access to Grade R.

South Africa’s education authorities point out that learner overall performance in literacy and numeracy continues to be an issue, as revealed by the national assessment of grade 3 and 6 learners carried out this past year.

The assessments determined trouble spots in each school and made it possible for tailored interventions to be made, with R235-million put aside in the Budget for this purpose.

R850-million for university infrastructure

 

Approximately R850-million has been earmarked specifically for the improvement of the country’s university infrastructure, as well as student accommodation facilities.

The National Student Financial Aid Scheme, which has assisted poor students at tertiary institutions with loans, will get in excess of R17-billion over the next three years.

A Green Paper on Higher Education, published earlier this year, contains commitments by the government to construct two new universities in Mpumalanga and the Northern Cape to cope with the difficulty of space at the country’s tertiary institutions.

Despite the fact that he made no reference to the project in his budget speech, Gordhan did inform reporters that work was at this time at an advanced stage, stating that R300-million was provided in the fiscus for planning and design of the universities. Additional financial commitments will be made as the projects get off the ground.

Early childhood development programmes

 

An additional R1.4-billion is going to be invested over the next three years to help and support early childhood development programmes along with the implementation of the community-based childcare and protection programme throughout the country.

This will boost access to early childhood development from the current 500 000 to 580 000 children, with an emphasis on rural areas, with targets that more than 10 000 young adults will likely be employed resulting from the programme.

Source: BuaNews

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Mar 27

South African businesswomen making advances

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Business

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March 27, 2012

South African women are making advances in the country’s private sector with respect to taking on senior job opportunities, based on a newly released international survey.

The 2012 Grant Thornton International Business Report, which surveys trends in privately owned businesses in 40 economies worldwide, reported that 28% of senior management positions in South Africa happen to be held by women.

Furthermore this is higher than the worldwide average of 21%.

Grant Thornton’s corporate finance head in Johannesburg, Jeanette Hern, stated that this robust representation is an indication of the country’s advancement in the direction of gender equality.

The outcome in fact shows progress from 27% last year. In spite of this, it falls just short of 2007’s figure of 29%.

 

Resourceful approaches to accommodate women

 

Hern pointed out, however, that more is required to be accomplished for that number to improve.

“We require more innovative strategies to ensure a substantial dent in the number of women still ruled out from senior management,” she pointed out.

This consists of finding significantly more innovative approaches to accommodate women in the workplace. Hern revealed that just 39% of women interviewed in South Africa mentioned that their businesses offer working conditions that accommodated flexible hours and alternative working locations.

 

 

In addition, the study discovered that women have not been represented across a variety of management roles. Most were either human resource or finance directors.

Mearly 8% of CEOs and 9% of COOs happen to be women but as reported by Hern, it is really an change for the better from 2011, when only 3% of women retained positions at these levels.

 

Women have advanced, but can progress significantly more

 

As reported by Masimanyane Women’s Support Centre’s executive director, Lesley Ann Foster, the precise number of women in leadership positions ought to be taken into account when analysing such statistics.

Foster says that taken in context, the figures leave a great deal of room for improvement – but recognized that women have advanced over the past 10 years and they have occupied numerous senior positions, however, not yet to a sufficient degree.

“Women constitute 53% of the population hence they ought to at the very least take up 50% of leadership positions however this is simply not happening,” she stated.

 

 

Foster was very clear with regards to the positive aspects that equality between men and women will likely have on society. She asserted that in a society where women are on an equal basis with men progress is quicker, the standard of living is higher and quality of life improves.

“Women provide a considerable amount of expertise and value to life,” she pointed out. “If a woman works, the entire family along with the community benefit. To be on par with men, women should receive decent work, decent pay.”

 

Private sector must get up to date

 

Foster described studies carried out by the Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA) in 2010, which suggested that there are millions of women who are either unemployed or generate little or no income.

The BWASA studies have shown that 64% of women earned less than R1 000 per month, 80% earned less than R2 500 and more alarmingly, merely 45% of women were employed. Furthermore, 53% of black women are presently unemployed.

She also mentioned that there are certainly not an adequate amount of women coming from previously disadvantaged backgrounds in leadership positions.

 

 

 

BWASA East London’s chairperson, Lizelle Maurice, agreed with Foster’s comments, proclaiming that while women have progressed enormously in the public domain, with 47% currently being represented in government, they are continue to lag in the private sector.

When talking of methods to make sure women are given a much better opportunity to participate within business, Maurice suggested that Black economic empowerment status also needs to have a gender component.”

Source: mediaclubsouthafrica.com

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Mar 26

Focus is on provincial education HR management

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Education

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March 26, 2012

The Council of Education Ministers affirms that there is an urgent need to scrutinize precisely how human resource management is carried out in provincial education departments to improve accountability among principals and schools.

During a special meeting organised last week, which was attended by Minister of Basic Education Angie Motshekga, the council have agreed to the fact that there was an immediate need to scrutinize precisely how human resource management is carried out in provincial education departments to make certain that the curriculum is adequately covered to boost and improve the quality of education.

At the same time, it was agreed that the PERSAL system will be cleaned up to verify exactly who was employed by the Department of Basic Education, where these individuals are located and exactly what subjects they provide. This certainly will at the same time enhance initiatives to improve record keeping.

The council additionally affirmed its support of improved teacher accountability by way of teacher attendance, learner attendance, and class period control registers, in conjunction with continuous monitoring to be able to assist schools in the use of these accountability instruments.

Relating to the issue of human resources, the council concluded that provincial heads of department need to carry out an audit of learner and teacher numbers and finalise teacher profiles for departments in order to effectively make use of teachers within the system.

The council noted the Integrated School Health Programme, whose primary objective is health screening. The programme is going to be multi-departmental and rolled out in every school in order to do away with major health barriers to learning. The progressive implementation of the programme is going to be carried out in collaboration with the Department of Health, Social Development and National Treasury, the council mentioned.

Source: BuaNews

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Mar 20

The benefits of registering for a Hospitality Management Program

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Career Advice

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March 20, 2012

Those individuals that enjoy working with people and who would like to embark on a profession making travel a genuine pleasure can sign up for a hospitality management program. The hospitality field comprises all sorts of amenities, covering anything from major hotels and antiquated bed and breakfasts to resorts and casinos, anything that can make guests feel relaxed.

The vast majority of individuals employed in this industry possess a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree, and graduates who would like to progress rapidly within their career carry on with a Master’s degree in Hospitality management. Despite the fact that a higher education is not required, individuals who hold a Master’s degree experience an advantage given that they will often have a background in business operation along with carrying out supervisory roles. Consequently, their additional education and learning in addition to experience more often than not results in better-paying positions.

 

Hospitality management programs are readily available all over the country at legitimate technical schools, community colleges, career colleges, colleges and universities and even online. The degree programs which range from certificate to master’s degree make it possible for individuals to select an area to focus on to enable them to boost their earning potentials in the foreseeable future, and this includes having significantly more opportunities to work in a variety of settings such as casinos, spas, catering, and resorts.

Certificate programs, along with associates degree programs, can provide individuals an excellent basis for commencing a career in the field of Hospitality Management. You can choose from courses that include appropriate computer programs, hotel maintenance, front office procedures, housekeeping, tourism sales, accounting, and leadership.

A bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management is of interest to those people who would like to enjoy a prosperous career in this field. And students typically carry on with a bachelor’s degree in a college or university which is able to provide you with a good all round background in a variety of skills essential for a secure career in hotel and travel management.

 

In most cases, the syllabus for this degree can be split into two categories, namely general business management and hospitality-specific topics. Lessons within general business management include things like accounting, management, marketing human resources, and communication. Courses within the 2nd category tend to be more specialised and unique, frequently focusing on hospitality law and ethics, food service, and public relations for hotels.

This specific mix of courses is a result of the very nature of the job. Being a diverse industry, a hospitality management program provides a broad range of opportunities. Whilst there will probably be jobs within this field that happen to be somewhat routine for instance managing hotels and their employees, a handful of positions are significantly more specific. By way of example, a hospitality manager could possibly be in charge of managing the marketing department of a large hotel chain or even more specifically the staff catering at a bed and breakfast.

Various other jobs could possibly be those associated with front desk customer service, banquet services, housekeeping, or security. Those involved with large hospitality chains end up finding themselves in an environment where there a wide range of opportunities in addition to providing them with a considerably better odds of advancing in their careers.

 

One of the primary underlying factors that attracts many people to hospitality management is the working hours. Generally speaking, this is not a 9-to-5 schedule. Staff often work not merely during night shifts but additionally on weekends. Individuals should at the same time be ready to work extended hours during special events. Having said that, the profession also comes with a considerable amount of bonuses. It gives you much better options available for meeting many people and living an extremely active lifestyle.

Generally speaking, job opportunities are estimated to grow in the field of hospitality management. Careers in this field can include managerial and corporate administration positions. To take advantage of this favorable market, interested individuals will need to begin preparing simply by signing up for a hospitality management program. Always check the credentials of any school and make certain that they are accredited simply because this will provide a higher value in the job market. Schools offering career placement services will also be an excellent choice simply because they will give students a better chance of landing a job immediately after they graduate.

 

To view Hospitality Management Courses – click here

 

Source: Andy West

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