Date: 14/10/2003
Source: Department of Labour
Title: Mdladlana: Investors in People gala evening
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF LABOUR, MMS MDLADLANA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INVESTORS IN PEOPLE GALA EVENING, Gallagher Estates, 14 October 2003
Programme Director,
Government department representatives,
Representatives of employer and worker organisations,
Community members,
Education and training providers, and Members of the National Skills Authority,
Chairpersons and CEOs of the SETAs,
Ladies and gentlemen: good evening.
It is with great pleasure that I address you tonight on the progress that has been made with the implementation of Investors in People in South Africa.
Those of you who have attended the events of earlier today would have been both encouraged by the enormous strides that have been made so far, and also challenged by the road that still lies ahead.
In the five years that have passed since the establishment of the Skills Development Act, millions of people have literally been trained under its banner. Many of these are the workers who keep our economy running and we believe that, through their training, the productivity and competitiveness of their organisations have improved, as have their own job security and future prospects.
One of the most common criticisms our detractors throw at us is that our goals are too ambitious. They tell us we are over-stretching ourselves. You know, Thomas Edison once said: "If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." I don't know about you, but I'm all for being astounded; let us reach as far as we possibly can. As I said in my address to Parliament last month, we are engaged in revolutionising the way in which the labour market operates, a revolution that will impact on every workplace, every worker and every employer. It is a revolution that will contribute to a stronger economy, safer workplaces, more representative workforce and a more equitable distribution of wealth. To achieve this we need to be ambitious.
Yes, we still have a way to go, but we have also come a long way in achieving our vision of Skills for Productive Citizenship for all. This is all the more reason why I am so glad to be here this evening to celebrate one of the many success stories of the National Skills Development Strategy.
Building a culture of lifelong learning means creating learning enterprises. This, in turn, means changing negative attitudes and encouraging employers and workers to accept skills development as a vital contributor to productivity and competitiveness.
But where does Investors in People fit into all of this? A key aspect of the National Skills Development Strategy is the development and implementation of a national standard for enterprise-based people development. Investors in People is a standard, developed in the UK, that sets a level of good practice for improving an organisation's performance through its people. It's a standard that has been developed, not by academics, not by civil servants, not even by management consultants, but has been designed in consultation with employers and unions. The aim is to recognise those organisations that value the contribution of their people and who manage them well and develop them effectively. Investors in People is based on the simple equation that better people equals better business.
Possibly one of the main reasons for Investors in People's success is that it measures an organisation by its outcomes and not by the processes it followed to achieve those outcomes. In other words, it does not prescribe one particular approach for all organisations, but instead asks them to consider which approach suits them the best.
In a country where dire skills shortages continue to threaten businesses' survival, a standard such as Investors in People can significantly enhance the chances of organisational success. However, it is not only a case of attracting people with crucial skills, maintaining status, as an employer of choice is sometimes even more vital. It is for this reason that organisations need to ensure that they proclaim their vision to everyone in their organisation. Before people can change, they need to know where they are going and why they are going there ... and they need the skills to get there.
Many employers in South Africa invest huge sums in skills training, but fail to assess its value to their organisation. The Investors in People standard helps organisations to link staff development to strategy. People are at the heart of organisational performance and what Investors in People does is to provide a simple model that reflects the critical influences of development on people's performance.
So, what does it mean to be an Investor in People? * It means that the organisation is achieving higher levels of productivity and is reaching its business goals
* It also means that it is managing change more successfully
* It points to the achievement of better value from the organisation's investment in other quality models
* And lastly, it means that the organisation is better able to address skill shortages, including recruitment and retention issues.
Investors in People (UK) was selected as a partner for South Africa following a thorough tendering process by the Department and the European Union. In all private and public sector organisations, irrespective of the product or service they provide, there is room for improvement. And this is why we decided to pilot Investors in People in this country. It is an international standard that is already recognised in 27 countries. We wanted to ensure that our people development practice compares well with our international competition. Since the launch of Investors in People in South Africa in April 2001, significant progress has been made and that is why we're all here tonight. Over the past two years, the standard has been integrated successfully into South Africa's National Skills Development Strategy. Above this, as I also indicated this morning in my opening address to the conference, the Department of Public Service and Administration is looking into including Investors in People in the Batho Pele award system for government.
Last year the first eight organisations were recognised as Investors in People. Several have made enormous strides forward in implementing the standard in other organisations in their industries. The BANKSETA, for example, has introduced Investors in People to 69 banking units, covering all the large banks of SA. And SA Breweries, whose Newlands Brewery was recognised last year, is now rolling out the standard into all of its other business units.
At tonight's gala event, no fewer than 24 organisations and autonomous business units of organisations are being recognised as Investors in People. I am delighted to inform you that one government organisation and two more SETAs are among those being honoured here. We continue to be excited about the way the pilot organisations have embraced Investors in People. As with all other skills development efforts, I have no doubt that the time and effort employers put into this initiative will reap enormous rewards.
After all technology may enable business to leap ahead, but it is people and not machines that are the driving force behind successful businesses. Because no matter how much you invest in new equipment or new systems, the key to your success lies in the attitudes, skills and support of your people. It's your people who will help you to respond to the pressures of a changing world and deliver the benefits you seek. And we are here tonight to again recognise those firms that are successfully translating this principle into their practice.
To the other organisations that have yet to achieve the standard I want to say: Press on, it's worth the effort. It may be difficult but it's definitely do-able. Achieving Investors in People recognition brings organisations together, gives them a common purpose, a shared set of values and pride, not only in the organisation, but also in the achievement of becoming an Investor in People.
In closing, I would like to extend my gratitude to the European Union, without whose generous funding the continued success of the Investors in People project in South Africa would not have been possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I now present these plaques to the 24 organisations and autonomous business units of organisations that have shown their commitment, not only to Investors in People, but to wider aims of the National Skills Development Strategy.
After delivering his key note address, Minister to stay on stage and call Dr Baloyi to the stage to assist him with the handing over of the plaques and certificates.
Minister to announce the recognised organisations one by one. Dr Baloyi to hand over certificates and plaques.
The Minister, recipient, and Dr Baloyi to be photographed after each organisation has received their plaque and certificate.
Presentation to organisations recognised as Investors in People:
* Corporate College International
* FASSET
* FEDUSA
* FNB Banking Operations
* FNB Rural
* Gremick Consolidated Security Services
* Metropolitan Health Group
* Nedcor Group - Corporate Finance
* Nedcor Group - Internal Audit
* Nedcor Group - Peoples Bank
* Nedcor Group - Retail & Wealth
* SAQA
* Simeka TWS Communications
* South African Breweries - Central Region
* South African Breweries - Isando Region
* South African Breweries - KwaZulu-Natal Region
* South African Breweries - Limpopo Region
* South African Breweries - Training Institute
* South African Breweries - West Region
* South African Breweries - Western Cape Region
* South African Breweries -Rosslyn
* Transport SETA
* Volkswagen SA
* X-Pert Group
Source: Department of Labour
(http://www.labour.gov.za)
Source: Department of Labour
Title: Mdladlana: Investors in People gala evening
ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF LABOUR, MMS MDLADLANA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE INVESTORS IN PEOPLE GALA EVENING, Gallagher Estates, 14 October 2003
Programme Director,
Government department representatives,
Representatives of employer and worker organisations,
Community members,
Education and training providers, and Members of the National Skills Authority,
Chairpersons and CEOs of the SETAs,
Ladies and gentlemen: good evening.
It is with great pleasure that I address you tonight on the progress that has been made with the implementation of Investors in People in South Africa.
Those of you who have attended the events of earlier today would have been both encouraged by the enormous strides that have been made so far, and also challenged by the road that still lies ahead.
In the five years that have passed since the establishment of the Skills Development Act, millions of people have literally been trained under its banner. Many of these are the workers who keep our economy running and we believe that, through their training, the productivity and competitiveness of their organisations have improved, as have their own job security and future prospects.
One of the most common criticisms our detractors throw at us is that our goals are too ambitious. They tell us we are over-stretching ourselves. You know, Thomas Edison once said: "If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves." I don't know about you, but I'm all for being astounded; let us reach as far as we possibly can. As I said in my address to Parliament last month, we are engaged in revolutionising the way in which the labour market operates, a revolution that will impact on every workplace, every worker and every employer. It is a revolution that will contribute to a stronger economy, safer workplaces, more representative workforce and a more equitable distribution of wealth. To achieve this we need to be ambitious.
Yes, we still have a way to go, but we have also come a long way in achieving our vision of Skills for Productive Citizenship for all. This is all the more reason why I am so glad to be here this evening to celebrate one of the many success stories of the National Skills Development Strategy.
Building a culture of lifelong learning means creating learning enterprises. This, in turn, means changing negative attitudes and encouraging employers and workers to accept skills development as a vital contributor to productivity and competitiveness.
But where does Investors in People fit into all of this? A key aspect of the National Skills Development Strategy is the development and implementation of a national standard for enterprise-based people development. Investors in People is a standard, developed in the UK, that sets a level of good practice for improving an organisation's performance through its people. It's a standard that has been developed, not by academics, not by civil servants, not even by management consultants, but has been designed in consultation with employers and unions. The aim is to recognise those organisations that value the contribution of their people and who manage them well and develop them effectively. Investors in People is based on the simple equation that better people equals better business.
Possibly one of the main reasons for Investors in People's success is that it measures an organisation by its outcomes and not by the processes it followed to achieve those outcomes. In other words, it does not prescribe one particular approach for all organisations, but instead asks them to consider which approach suits them the best.
In a country where dire skills shortages continue to threaten businesses' survival, a standard such as Investors in People can significantly enhance the chances of organisational success. However, it is not only a case of attracting people with crucial skills, maintaining status, as an employer of choice is sometimes even more vital. It is for this reason that organisations need to ensure that they proclaim their vision to everyone in their organisation. Before people can change, they need to know where they are going and why they are going there ... and they need the skills to get there.
Many employers in South Africa invest huge sums in skills training, but fail to assess its value to their organisation. The Investors in People standard helps organisations to link staff development to strategy. People are at the heart of organisational performance and what Investors in People does is to provide a simple model that reflects the critical influences of development on people's performance.
So, what does it mean to be an Investor in People? * It means that the organisation is achieving higher levels of productivity and is reaching its business goals
* It also means that it is managing change more successfully
* It points to the achievement of better value from the organisation's investment in other quality models
* And lastly, it means that the organisation is better able to address skill shortages, including recruitment and retention issues.
Investors in People (UK) was selected as a partner for South Africa following a thorough tendering process by the Department and the European Union. In all private and public sector organisations, irrespective of the product or service they provide, there is room for improvement. And this is why we decided to pilot Investors in People in this country. It is an international standard that is already recognised in 27 countries. We wanted to ensure that our people development practice compares well with our international competition. Since the launch of Investors in People in South Africa in April 2001, significant progress has been made and that is why we're all here tonight. Over the past two years, the standard has been integrated successfully into South Africa's National Skills Development Strategy. Above this, as I also indicated this morning in my opening address to the conference, the Department of Public Service and Administration is looking into including Investors in People in the Batho Pele award system for government.
Last year the first eight organisations were recognised as Investors in People. Several have made enormous strides forward in implementing the standard in other organisations in their industries. The BANKSETA, for example, has introduced Investors in People to 69 banking units, covering all the large banks of SA. And SA Breweries, whose Newlands Brewery was recognised last year, is now rolling out the standard into all of its other business units.
At tonight's gala event, no fewer than 24 organisations and autonomous business units of organisations are being recognised as Investors in People. I am delighted to inform you that one government organisation and two more SETAs are among those being honoured here. We continue to be excited about the way the pilot organisations have embraced Investors in People. As with all other skills development efforts, I have no doubt that the time and effort employers put into this initiative will reap enormous rewards.
After all technology may enable business to leap ahead, but it is people and not machines that are the driving force behind successful businesses. Because no matter how much you invest in new equipment or new systems, the key to your success lies in the attitudes, skills and support of your people. It's your people who will help you to respond to the pressures of a changing world and deliver the benefits you seek. And we are here tonight to again recognise those firms that are successfully translating this principle into their practice.
To the other organisations that have yet to achieve the standard I want to say: Press on, it's worth the effort. It may be difficult but it's definitely do-able. Achieving Investors in People recognition brings organisations together, gives them a common purpose, a shared set of values and pride, not only in the organisation, but also in the achievement of becoming an Investor in People.
In closing, I would like to extend my gratitude to the European Union, without whose generous funding the continued success of the Investors in People project in South Africa would not have been possible.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I now present these plaques to the 24 organisations and autonomous business units of organisations that have shown their commitment, not only to Investors in People, but to wider aims of the National Skills Development Strategy.
After delivering his key note address, Minister to stay on stage and call Dr Baloyi to the stage to assist him with the handing over of the plaques and certificates.
Minister to announce the recognised organisations one by one. Dr Baloyi to hand over certificates and plaques.
The Minister, recipient, and Dr Baloyi to be photographed after each organisation has received their plaque and certificate.
Presentation to organisations recognised as Investors in People:
* Corporate College International
* FASSET
* FEDUSA
* FNB Banking Operations
* FNB Rural
* Gremick Consolidated Security Services
* Metropolitan Health Group
* Nedcor Group - Corporate Finance
* Nedcor Group - Internal Audit
* Nedcor Group - Peoples Bank
* Nedcor Group - Retail & Wealth
* SAQA
* Simeka TWS Communications
* South African Breweries - Central Region
* South African Breweries - Isando Region
* South African Breweries - KwaZulu-Natal Region
* South African Breweries - Limpopo Region
* South African Breweries - Training Institute
* South African Breweries - West Region
* South African Breweries - Western Cape Region
* South African Breweries -Rosslyn
* Transport SETA
* Volkswagen SA
* X-Pert Group
Source: Department of Labour
(http://www.labour.gov.za)
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