South Africa welcomes global HRM experts from the rest of the world to visit the country and think about the role they can play in developing the economic growth of South Africa and the rest of Southern Africa.

South Africa has experienced a transformation during the last 12-years; working to rebuild a nation and to improve its ability to compete within business. A lack of skilled workers has slowed down the country’s economic growth and the South African government, committed to addressing this, has launched a broad Human Resource Development Strategy for 2005-2010.

The Joint Initiative on Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA) is part of the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa where the SA government identified six issues, which obstruct economic growth.

JIPSA focuses on one of these issues, the lack of skills. Strategies to deal with this problem include special training programmes, bringing South Africans who live abroad back, making use of retired workers and import immigrants where needed.

South Africa would like to encourage global HRM experts from the rest of the world to visit the country and think about the role they can play in developing the economic growth of South Africa and the rest of Southern Africa, especially in helping to manage big infra-structural projects like the world cup soccer in 2010.

External HR professionals and personnel experts will be able to contribute to finding answers using their practical knowledge and experience. These skills will be used to implement skills exchange programmes and learning projects to all South Africans.

OAVM Organisation & Consultancy, a Dutch company, in conjunction with Southern African Chamber of Commerce (SANEC) have initiated a trade mission, the Human Capital Management and Skills Development.

Development is not easy and innovation is a question of looking at things from a different perspective. Therefore, putting development and innovation together, OAVM developed this programme and so far has received an overwhelming response.

During the trip Dutch delegates will spend one week in a developing country and spend part of the time working on business problems that companies face. OAVM is already in the planning stage for further trips to South Africa with different HR themes and participants from other countries and is interested in hearing from retired experts and students with a HR or business degree or almost graduates who are willing to participate in projects in South Africa.   

The goal of the mission is for the professional development of the participants and to give potential investors in knowledge and finances an insight in the complex but very interesting Human Resource Management culture of South Africa. Participants can also present themselves and their companies to the African Leadership Group and the CEO of the group Eric Mafuna, regarding participation in various sustainable projects of this new leadership organisation.

The African Leadership Group and Eric Mafuna, the CEO was recently featured in a leading HR publication while being the guest of OAVM at the RAI HRM Live Event in March, and will be actively participating in this mission.  During the visit of the Human Resource Development Africa convention (HRDA) participants can network with HR specialists from all over Africa.

The coordination and organisation from the HCM and Skills Development trade mission is in the hands of OAVM and SANEC.

They actively work together with the Dutch embassy in Pretoria, the Consulate-General in Cape Town, the South African Embassy in The Hague and the EVD, an agency of the Dutch Economic affairs..

Participation

If you want to know more about the initiatives of OAVM, or you would like to participate in this trip or one of our upcoming events please visit our website at www.oavm-africa.com 

22 May 2007

Marc Habets is Managing Director OAVM.

For more information visit:
www.oavm.eu / www.africanleadershipgroup.com

[Copyright Expatica 2007]