This study focuses on the determinants for the development of a human resource strategyin the Provincial Government Western Cape (PGWC).The context is that a new regulatoryframework for human resource development in South Africa, namely the National HumanResource Development Strategy (NHRDS) was developed by the National Ministries ofEducation and Labour in 2001. The purpose of the NHRDS was to provide a plan to ensurethat people in South Africa are equipped to fully participate in society, to be able to find orcreate work, and to benefit fairly from it. At the heart of the NHRDS is the belief thatenhancing the general and specific abilities of all citizens is a necessary response to thecurrent situation in South Africa.The hypothetical point of departure of this study is formulated in such a way thatacceptance of it constitutes support for the findings obtained from the literature andobservations on HRD strategies as well as the implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC.The problem for the purpose of this dissertation focuses on the research question: What isthe role and context of HRD in the South African public service and does theimplementation of the NHRDS justify the need and development of a HRD strategy in thePGWC?The qualitative research method that was chosen for this dissertation is the triangulationof grounded theory and a specific case study (mixed method). In this case, data used toprovisionally assess the extent of implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWC, are specifickey documents.To facilitate the research, to identify the core theoretical concepts and to investigate theproblems identified in this study, the focus was subdivided into five research objectiveswhich are analysed in chapters two to six of the dissertation. These are:· To provide an analysis of the nature, development, scope and concepts of HumanResource Management, Human Resource Development (HRD), training, and education,in order to examine the influence of these important external variables on the process of HRD in a public sector organisational setting and to provide context to the need fora NHRDS in South Africa.· To provide an overview of the relevant trends of transformation in South Africa with afocus on the origin, nature and implications of the transformation of South Africa after1994 as well as the impact of the public service transformation HRD interventions ingeneral.· To provide a systemic exploration of the scope and legislative and policy framework forHRD in the public sector in South Africa in general through an overview of the NHRDSand other HRD education and training strategies in order to provide an exposition ofthe rationale of the NHRDS and to get clarity on the conceptualisation of HRD in termsof skills for service delivery in the public sector.· To provide an exploration of conceptual knowledge of the variables influencing HRDthrough the application of a literature and documentary study of the present strategies(both internal and external) of the PGWC to develop its human resources, in order todescribe and analyse the outcomes of the NHRDS process in the PGWC as well as thestrategies and procedures employed to implement the NHRDS in the PGWC.· To develop a set of indicators against which the interaction of the variables influencinga successful strategy for HRD can be measured through the implementation of theNHRDS in the PGWC.The last chapter presents a synthesis of the study, taking into account the key findings.This dissertation is an attempt to make a contribution, in general, to the understanding ofthe role of the development of human resources through the NHRDS and is completed inthe trust that the findings recorded here and the proposals made will be useful for futureresearch.The potential benefits that can arise from the implementation of the NHRDS in the PGWCare significant. It could create a virtuous circle of increased economic growth andemployment, an improved standard of living, and a more educated and trained citizenry.In conclusion, it can be stated that the hypothetical point of departure that wereformulated for this study, was proven to be correct in theory and practice.
