Annual Human Resource Learning Forum

Date: 4-5 Mar 2008
Venue: Saint George Hotel, Pretoria

Theme: "Co-operation and collaboration in institutionalizing strategic HRM in the Public Service"

Background

The DPSA hosted the Public Service Human Resource Forum in Port Elizabeth on 19- 20 June 2006 with the theme: Re-conceptualizing human resource management for purposes of improved service delivery. This forum was the first step towards the establishment of the human resource learning and sharing platform. The forum recommended greater co-ordination between Provincial forums and National clusters and proposed more opportunities for interaction and sharing of best practices.

The functional steering committees with provincial and national departments were consequently conceptualized with the aim of institutionalizing the HR learning network. The steering committees were officially launched in a joint meeting held on 21 June 2007 and sought inter alia to communicate and discuss the intended system with delegates from provincial and national departments.

The objectives of the annual HR learning forum are:

• to serve as a mechanism for communicating, interrogating and strengthening compliance with HR prescripts at all levels in the Public Service;
• to discuss new policy initiatives by the DPSA, such as repositioning the human resource function, compensation strategy, etc.
• to continuously support and build capacity of human resource managers through sharing of information and best practice models as well as learning networks to improve service delivery;
• to ensure that human resource managers in the public service have a complete understanding of Public Service human resource policies and are able to translate them into implementable programmes.

Programme

Day 1: 4 March 2008

• Keynote address
• Mr K Govender, DDG: Management of Compensation- DPSA
• Public Service Amendment Act, 2007
• Adv E Van Schoor, Chief Director: Legal Services-DPSA
• Recruitment practices in the education sector
• Mr J Slater, Director: Education Labour Relations Management- Department of Education
• Strategic Framework for Repositioning HRM
• Mr S Ntombela, Chief Director: Employment Practices and Career Management- DPSA
• Strategic framework for repositioning HRM
  • Break away sessions 1 & 2:
  • Facilitators: Mr S Ntombela, Mr G Pillay
    • Organizational Structure for HRM
    • Competency based recruitment for HR
  • Breakaway sessions 3 & 4:
  • Facilitators: Ms S Rowney, Ms L Neethling
    • Key performance indicators for improving performance of the HR function
    • Training and development of HR Practitioners
• Closure

Day 2: 5 March 2008

• HR planning
  • HRP Strategic Framework and E-HRM
    Mr G Pillay, Chief Director: HR planning-DPSA
  • Case Study: The development and implementation of an HR Plan
    Ms R Wentzel, Senior Manager: Corporate Services- Department of Agriculture: Western Cape
• Strategic HRM as a key ingredient for an effective organization
  Prof S Zinn, Director HR-Nedbank
• Compensation Strategy
  • Vision for the Public Service and the link to Occupational Specific Dispensations (OSD)
    Ms V Vumendlini, Chief Director: Management of Compensation-DPSA
  • Case Study: The development and implementation of an OSD for nurses
    Mr H Groenewald, Director: Workforce Management- Department of Health
• Occupational Specific Dispensations
  • Break away sessions 1 & 2
  • Facilitators: Ms V Vumendlini, Mr E Harris
• HR Planning
  • Breakaway sessions 3 & 4
  • Facilitators: Mr G Pillay, Mr S Ntombela
• Closure, way forward and vote of thanks
  Mr S Ntombela

• Attendance register