The prison system needs managers unafraid of making controversial decisions, Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour said on Monday.
Balfour was speaking at the launch of the Junior and Middle Management Development Programme at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). The programme is for training of management to close the skills gap hampering the Department of Correctional Services.
”We require managers that have the ability to add value and be efficient enough to fully comprehend the dynamics and challenges of operating in a volatile environment,” Balfour said.
Research in recent years confirmed that junior and middle managers are the least demotivated and demoralised. ”That is why executive management needs to look and recognise excellence among junior management.”
There are no quick fixes to the unique challenges faced by Balfour’s department.
”It is for this reason that our intervention had to be properly packaged and tailor-made to suit conditions that are compatible with the corrections and security environments,” Balfour said.
Social worker Olga Small, who attended the programme, said the training broadened her view on management. ”It gave me a wide scope to exercise what I learnt and also gave insight on how to deal with things best,” she said.
About 230 junior and middle managers took part in the programme, at a cost of R32 000 per person over a one-year period.
The programme was in partnership with the TUT, which provided facilitators for the training of the managers at a cost of R4-million.
The trainees had seven modules to complete. They included mandates in corrections, business process management and interpersonal competencies.
The vice-chancellor of the TUT, Professor Errol Tyobeka, said: ”I foresee a vibrant partnership with the department of labour that will inevitably lead to prosperity.”
He hoped the training would enable the trainees to cope with upcoming challenges meaningfully. — Sapa