CATHSSETA SEES THE FIRST COHORT OF ITS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME CANDIDATES GRADUATE
Johannesburg 19 June 2018
A total of 67 candidates will be graduating from the CATHSSETA Global Executive Development Programme – a programme that culminated from a strategic partnership between CATHSSETA and Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS).
The custom-made Global Executive Development Programme (GEDP) was aimed at building a talent pipeline of senior executive management and to support transformation in the CATHSSETA subsectors. The Skills Audit commissioned by CATHSSETA and the Department of Tourism in 2016 identified a shortage of senior executive skills in the management structures of Hospitality, Tourism, Sport, Arts, Culture and Heritage, Conservation and Gaming sectors. Fulfilling its mandate of skills development within its diverse sectors, CATHSSETA forged a partnership with GIBS and crafted an executive development programme with the aim of closing the identified skills gaps thus contributing to economic development and growth of the sectors.
Acting CEO of CATHSSETA, Ms Keitumetse Lebaka says, “This is a great milestone for CATHSSETA in that we were able to award 72 bursaries for an executive development programme. In the past our focus was mainly on disbursing funds for bursaries for mostly undergraduate programmes, for learnerships, for internships and for work integrated learning but through our ongoing engagement with our stakeholders, we then identified a skills gap and took it upon ourselves to address it.”
The 12-month GEDP afforded candidates time to attend formal classroom modules over a five week study blocks including travelling to international destinations offering best practice and learning opportunities in our subsectors. The cities visited are Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Berlin and Warsaw.
The graduation ceremonies will take place in Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal and will be preceded by 15-minute individual presentations on Action Learning Projects completed by the candidates. The research completed will go a long way in supporting CATHSSETA research.
Commenting on behalf of GIBS, Ms Lerato Mahlasela – Director of Custom Programmes said, “Senior leaders are continually faced with the challenge of enabling the business of today while preparing it for the future. This requires that they are able to make sense in an ever shifting business environment, make appropriate strategic and ethical choices and align people for execution. CATHSSETA delegates have, through this programme, been exposed to best and next practice thinking as well as experiences that assist them to reflect on not only their way of doing but being in the world. Their world will continue to be disrupted; we believe, however, that they leave the programme with a treasure chest of tools and confidence to lead their organisations successfully and create further shared value. We wish them well as they go on to apply their learning recommendations in their various organisations.”
GRADUATION DETAILS
Gauteng | Western Cape | KwaZulu-Natal |
Date: 19 June 2018
Venue: GIBS Campus – Classroom 2, Illovo, Johannesburg
Time: 18:00
|
Date: 21 June 2018
Venue: Taj Hotel – The Reserve Room, Cape Town
Time: 19:20
|
Date: 22 June 2018
Venue: The Garden Court, Umhlanga, Durban
Time: 19:20
|
GEDP is one of CATHSSETA’s flagship programmes. Ms Lebaka said, “This is but one of the many ways in which CATHSSETA is responding to the skills gap challenges and making a difference to our valued stakeholders. One of our values as a SETA is stakeholder orientation. Our stakeholders are therefore at the heart of everything we do. CATHSSETA is made up of very diverse sectors where a lot of times it becomes a challenge to grow a pipeline of leaders who will grow the sectors further.” There is great potential but there are no sufficient skills to get the managers to a level where they can sustain the ever growing sectors.
Managing Director of Batsumi Travel, Ms Lisa Sebogodi is one of the GEDP beneficiaries. She had this to say, “The programme has assisted me personally and in my business. My business is growing from strength to strength and is able to create job opportunities through best practice I have been exposed to through this programme. There is a paradigm shift – I am able to think out of the box.”
GEDP has attracted a lot of interest from our stakeholders and as such a similar programme is in the pipeline for the class of 2018/19.
For more information about the Global Executive Development Programme, please contact Ms Lebogang Mpye – Acting Executive Manager: Skills Management via email lebohangm@cathsseta.org.za.
For more information about CATHSSETA, please email Ms Nosipho Poshy Damane via email poshy@cathsseta.org.za.
-ends-
About CATHSSETA
CATHSSETA, the Culture, Arts, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Sector Education and Training Authority was established under the Skills Development Act (No 97 of 1998) [the Skills Act] for the Tourism, Hospitality and Sport Economic Sector.
CATHSSETA’s main function is to contribute to the raising of skills – to bring skills to the employed, or those wanting to be employed, in their sector. They have to do this by ensuring that people learn skills that are needed by employers and communities. There is no value in training people if they cannot use the skills they have learnt. Training and skills development is not just for young people starting their first jobs though it is important for them too! The skills of people already in jobs must also be enhanced.