| dc.description.abstract | It is a well-known fact that skills development is central to improving productivity and
that significant improvements in productivity as well as competitiveness can be obtained
by improving the skills levels of employees through training or job rotation. Education,
training and lifelong learning foster a virtuous circle of higher productivity, a higher
employment rate and better quality jobs, income growth and development.
The nature of the work in the manufacturing sector specifically has changed
dramatically during recent years. New technology and new work processes have
changed the skills requirements of many jobs, and employees need access to regular
training to provide them with the necessary skills, including advanced specialist skills, if
they want to perform well in their jobs. Simultaneously, some workers need assistance
with language, literacy and numeracy to cope with learning new processes and
technology, or as a foundation to allow them to acquire new skills.
The aim of this study was to identify the essential skills and technical competencies
critical to manufacturing performance. The researcher used firm-level data from a
sample of manufacturing workers at a printing and packaging firm in Gauteng, West Rand District.
In this study the focus was on shop-floor workers (those who work on the factory floor),
including machine minders, engineers, trade artisans, technicians, supervisors, forklift
drivers and truck drivers.
The concept of education can generally be defined as the activities directed at providing
the knowledge, skills, moral values and understanding required in the normal course of
life. Education is the all-encompassing basis of these terms and includes elementary,
middle and high school education, as well as college or tertiary education. It teaches
one the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and then systematically goes on to teach
an individual how to use his or her intellectual ability to its fullest. Having an education
puts one on the road to a prosperous life as well as eventual success in any number of
careers.
The concept of development refers to employee development rather than the
development of an individual in general. Employee development is directed mainly at
creating learning opportunities and making learning possible within an enterprise.
Training in contrast is much more specific than education. It is task-oriented and
focuses on the work performed in an enterprise. Training teaches specific skills that will
assist an individual to develop proficiency in a specific job or job category (Erasmus &
Van Dyk, 1999:3). | en_US |
