The attitudes of managers and students towards adult basic education and training : a case study of the Grindrod group

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The aim of this study is to explore the effective and efficient implementation of Adult BasicEducation and Training (ABET) within a specific group of companies. A central argumentunderlying the study is that the attitudes of managers and students who participate in theseprogrammes play a critical role in the successful implementation of such programmes. Thespecific objective of the study is to identify those factors that influence managers' andstudents' attitudes towards ABET within the Grindrod Group.A literature review traces the origin of ABET and its historical development within othercountries as well as in the South African context. The role of ABET within the context ofHuman Resources Development is identified and explored. The research entails a case studyof the implementation of ABET within the Grindrod Group of Companies. Quantative as wellas qualitative information regarding managers' and students' attitudes were obtained. Theattitudes of both the managers and students at Grindrod's were identified by using structuredquestionnaires during 1998-1999. The questionnaire included closed as well as openquestions. In-depth interviews were also conducted with a selected group of managers andstudents. The aim of the interviews was to facilitate a deeper understanding of managers' andstudents' attitude towards ABET and the variables that might influence these attitudes. In thecase of students interviews were conducted with those who had dropped out of ABETprogrammes.ABSTRACTThe aim of this study is to explore the effective and efficient implementation of Adult BasicEducation and Training (ABET) within a specific group of companies. A central argumentunderlying the study is that the attitudes of managers and students who participate in theseprogrammes play a critical role in the successful implementation of such programmes. Thespecific objective of the study is to identify those factors that influence managers' andstudents' attitudes towards ABET within the Grindrod Group.While the attitude of both managers and students could be described as positive, the studysuggests that the following variables can be seen to influence managers' attitudes towardsABET: seniority of managers, their political orientation, their educational qualifications andthe number of years that ABET has been in operation in a specific company. As far asstudents are concerned, the following variables seem to play a role: the length of theiremployment, their occupational status, the level of the ABET module that they participate inas well as their formal educational level.The problem that was most commonly cited by managers was that the ABET programmeresulted in operational disruptions because the programme was run in working hours. Themost regularly identified benefits included improved communication between managers andemployees, improved motivation of employees and identification of development potential ofemployees. The vast majority of all the employees that partook in ABET stated that theybelieved that they had benefited from the programme. The most commonly cited benefitsincluded being able to write, speak, read and understand English. While the study focuses on a specific group of companies within a specific industrial sectorand does not allow generalisations to be made, it nevertheless attempts to lay a foundation forfurther research to be undertaken regarding the implementation of these programmes indifferent sectors of the economy.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University