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Theses and dissertations (Management Sciences)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/14

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Vocational education--South Africa

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    The significance of technical education in basic education : a case of high schools in Umlazi, Durban
    (2023-08) Sosibo, Nhlakanipho Mncedisi; Fagbadebo, Omololu M.
    Education is a fundamental building block of economic growth. The quality of education in South Africa remains extremely poor, mostly in the historically-deprived areas; the schools do not even meet the basic learning infrastructure requirements, such as access to laboratories, libraries, and internet connections; and schools have fewer qualified educators than qualified ones. As a result, learners experience learning deprivation, higher-grade repetition, and dropout rates (Statistics South Africa, 2015 and 2016). The inadequate quality of primary education accounts for many secondary dropouts. Primary education in townships and remote areas fails to prepare children for secondary and tertiary education. For instance, primary education has not fully transformed from educating Black children to being “hewers of wood and drawers of water,” as said by Hendrik Verwoerd. The demand for skills necessary for employment and socio-economic development created the demand for some form of technical education and training in South Africa. The technical education and training system in South Africa is influenced by the history of the apartheid government. There is a lack of information and research on the contents of the technical education curriculum in secondary schools. It is evident that there is a huge gap between technical and secondary schools in Durban in terms of learner service delivery, such as performance, skill, and matric pass rates. The concentration should not be in urban areas only; learners in rural areas should be exposed to such education as well. To assess the nature of technical education in secondary schools in the Umlazi district, this study examined the significance of technical education in lower-level grade curriculums. Data was collected through a qualitative method with participants drawn from the community and schools in the area.
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    The impact of organisational integrated marketing communication tools for vocational opportunities from a graduate perspective : case of Durban University of Technology
    (2018-11-22) Reddy, Tessa; Maharaj, Mandusha
    Appropriate integrated marketing communication tools are utilised to disseminate messages regarding products, services, and brands to targeted audiences in order to attract attention, develop interest, and ignite a desire for action. With the rising levels of graduate unemployment, employers seeking quality graduates to fulfil various vocational roles within organisations. However, there is a limited understanding of the effect integrated marketing communication tools have on graduate employment. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of organisational integrated marketing communication tools for vocational opportunities for graduates of the Durban University of Technology. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of marketing communication tools adopted by graduates of the Durban University of Technology. The secondary objective was to determine the relationship between work-integrated learning and graduate employment. A quantitative approach was utilised and data were collected through a structured self-developed questionnaire. The study population, for the purposes of this study, was graduates of the Durban University of Technology. A sample of four hundred and fifty questionnaires was administered to graduates from all faculties at the university. The findings revealed that the communication media adopted by the respondents were generally appropriate and effective. The findings indicated that traditional communication tools (newspapers and career magazines) and non-traditional communication tools (amongst others social media, the internet and electronic database and email systems) were adopted by graduates. It was also interesting to note that the university adopts both traditional and non- traditional media to engage with graduates and the world of work. However, it was found that the recruiting organisations’ used mainly traditional communication media. Clearly, communication systems used by recruiting employers should be revisited and enhanced by including non-traditional communication media to the technology oriented graduates. This study will be of benefit to recruiting organisations by emphasising innovative communication tools to be adopted for graduate recruitment. Furthermore, respondents suggested that non-traditional communication will be able to foster strategic community engagements and partnerships with the University of Technology in recruiting high-calibre graduates. Interestingly the majority of the respondents participated in experiential training and work-integrated learning. A positive relationship between work-integrated learning and graduate employment was found
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    Student expectations and perceptions about further education and training colleges with respect to college of choice in KwaZulu-Natal
    (2016) Mbambo, Sbongiseni Nelson; Pillay, Magalingam Atheeshey
    The South African Further Education and Training (FET) sector is facing the challenge of being rated and considered by many young school leavers and the community as a second choice institution, while universities are their first priority. This study aimed to investigate and explore student’s expectations and perceptions of Colleges in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) with respect to their choice of college. The main objective of this research was to identify students’ expectations and perceptions, and the factors that encourage enrolment at FET colleges, as well as to identify the different expectations and perceptions, according to demographic factors. The SERVQUAL model was employed to establish students’ expectations against perceptions of FET colleges in KZN. The study design was quantitative in nature, using a descriptive technique, cross sectional, and collected data through the application of non-probability sampling with census, quota and convenience sampling methods being utilized to obtain data from a sample of 301 respondents. Data collected from the respondents were analysed with SPSS version 20.0 and interpreted with the use of descriptive and inferential statistics. The questionnaire measured students’ expectations and perceptions in five dimensions of service, namely tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy. The findings demonstrate that students had higher expectations of service quality with lower perceptions of the actual service received. The negative gaps within the five SERVQUAL service quality dimensions, implies that the students were dissatisfied with the level of service in their FET colleges. The gaps, from largest to smallest, were Reliability, Assurance, Tangible, Responsiveness, and Empathy. FET College management is advised to attend to these above-mentioned gaps and to ensure that the necessary strategies are immediately implemented, as these would improve the FET brand and ultimately position FET Colleges as the institution of first choice in KZN.