Career path management is a planned, logical progression of jobs within one or more professions throughout a person’s working life. A career path can be planned with great assurance in stable market conditions where change is manageable, but in times of uncertainty — like we are experiencing across the globe at present — a planned career path is a luxury few can afford.
In order to maintain employability, people should look at supplementing their existing skills or acquiring new skills through lifelong learning. South Africa is experiencing a skills crisis at present. This was again made clear in a speech by deputy president Kgalema Mothlanthe to the HIP Alliance some weeks ago where he stressed that education is one of the government’s four main priorities.
The skills shortage reaches across the boundaries of public and private sectors and even into the informal sector where single skilled individuals find their own way to enter the economic market place. Programmes such as Asgisa have been put in place to address these shortages, but there are other options available.
People who enter jobs and then find themselves unable to cope can turn to continuing education to equip them to move up the career ladder or even enter a completely new career without the impediment that a lack of knowledge or skills brings.
Career path management lies at the basis of coping with new challenges. By investing time and resources in continuing education the skills gap can be breached. Short courses, year courses and company-specific training are ways of transcending the after-hours degree slog, and are specifically aimed to fill gaps by offering practical and career-orientated training that is a valuable addition to basic secondary and tertiary education.
Says Deon Herbst, CEO of Continuing Education at University of Pretoria Trust (CE at UP Trust): “We are in the position to draw on the academic expertise of the University of Pretoria’s staff, creating a centre of excellence. It is our quest to empower people and companies with the human energy that drives business. The main advantage we have over traditional further education training is that we can customise training products focused at meeting the insufficiencies in the workplace. For instance, we have seen an emerging trend in the area of project management. CE at UP’s Project Management course is widely acclaimed and internationally accredited. Continuing education has become a guaranteed method of enhancing productivity, providing customer service excellence, empowering employees and addressing ongoing skills shortages in various industries.”
Herbst points out that the skills shortage experienced in both the public and private sectors is compromising competitiveness, and that the spiral is deepening with ever poorer service being rendered. This ultimately inhibits South Africa from responding positively to changing market conditions. “It becomes even more critical as the international financial crisis continues to create havoc in the global economy,” he says.
The institution offers more than 450 short courses and year programmes across all industry sectors, and in 2008 registered more than 24 000 delegates.
Says Herbst: “Competent people are usually more motivated and positive — and this alone creates energy in a company that drives the human resources aspect of doing a day’s work — competent staff members are happier and fewer complaints arise since the overall stress levels are diminished. By stimulating human energy organisational energy will develop which aims itself at overall optimised output.”
CE at UP has a footprint in 27 countries in Africa and the company is positioned to address skills shortages and provide career path management across the spectrum.