27 May 2008

SENIOR managers from the Gauteng Provincial Government, including municipalities, attended a two-day conference to explore various ways of responding to challenges of skills development and capacity of the state.

Senior managers at the conference, which took place from 15 to 16 May, shared experiences and ideas with experts and academics on various issues pertaining to the effective and efficient functioning of provincial government.

The conference also sought to identify the core skills and competencies required to successfully manage Gauteng as a globally competitive province.

The Director General in the Office of the Premier, Mogopodi Mokoena, told the conference that both the provincial and local government needed to urgently address the challenge of skills development and capacity of state to meet the needs of a globally competitive city region.

"As the initiative to develop Gauteng as a globally competitive city region is fast gaining momentum, the government, both provincial and local spheres need to take urgent and decisive steps to ensure that the province has the requisite skills and competencies to meet socio-economic and political needs of a globally competitive city region," Mokoena said.

MEC for Education, Angie Motshekga, said government was committed to build a corps of skilled public servants to drive the province's development and transformation agenda.

"If we talk about managing and planning through an integrated and co-ordinated approach, then we need a skilled civil service corps.

"As senior managers it is incumbent upon you to not only re-skill yourselves but also those that you manage," said Motshekga.

Premier Mbhazima Shilowa used the opportunity to launch the Gauteng City Region Academy (GCRA), which will play an important role in ensuring a continuous supply of skills to both the provincial government and municipalities.

The provincial government has allocated about R90 million to the establishment of the GCRA, which aims to drive critical skills development required by the economy and the public service.

The academy will also equip public servants with the tools to analyse and find solutions to complexities of their work.

Gauteng Head of Education, Malelle Petje said the decision to establish the academy emerged from government's need to improve service delivery including the need to ensure that current projects be sustained and that new ones are rolled out.

The Gauteng City Region Academy was conceived by a partnership forged between government, business and higher learning institutions.

Source: BuaNews