School of Higher Education Studies
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Browsing School of Higher Education Studies by Author "Chipunza, C."
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Item Open Access Labour market expectations of University of Technology graduates in human resource management: implications for programme planning(University of the Free State, 2016-12) Ncokazi, Tebogo Abram; Teise, V. N.; Chipunza, C.English: Globally, the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) evolved from a support endeavour into a strategic counterpart for the effective functioning of organisations. The evolution of HR has determined various changing roles in the field. HR basically has reacted to external challenges and constant changes such as technological advances, globalisation and dwindling economies globally, a competitive market environment, increasing organisational complexity, increased external competition, reduced budgets and tougher demands from business. This study investigates the evolution of human resource management competencies, knowledge and attributes, and how these changes dictate the manner in which HR curricula need to change in order to be responsive to the needs of the South African labour market and elsewhere in the world. This also takes cognisance of the fact that the world has become a global village, and therefore organisations operate across the global spectrum. HR curricula in institutions of higher learning, especially the universities of technology (UoTs) need to adapt and include the HR qualities that the world of work perceive as fundamental in the execution of duties of HR professionals and the training of HR students. The revised and reformed HRM curriculum and subsequent changes ideally will reflect changing knowledge and competencies, and required attributes being aligned with the professional requirements demanded by the world of work. This study, therefore, focused on several HR competency models and relevant competencies and skills sets, as well as attributes that were exposed as meeting the evolving world of work. The researcher applied a qualitative analysis that involves a process of designing condensed raw data into categories or themes based on valid inferences and interpretation. This enabled the analysis of HR job requirements, since a purposeful sample of organisations in the South African labour market had been selected. The data were coded and analysed to identify core consistencies and meanings, revealing those competencies and skills, knowledge and attributes that characterise the contemporary HR specialist. The identified characteristics, competencies and skills sets, as well as behavioural attributes that reflect an ‘ideal’ HR professional and HR graduate were scrutinised in terms of the perceived HR requirements indicated by the world of work. This was done with the purpose of recommending the linkage of HR requirements according to the perception of the labour market to the curriculum design and planning of HR training programmes in higher education institutions. This also was done to elucidate to the higher education institution what needs to inform HR training in terms of the development of knowledge, competencies and attributes to be responsive to the requirements of the world of work. This study finally integrates the criteria and requirements for higher education qualifications with the demands of the profession and accordingly illustrates how the curriculum could balance academic knowledge, societal pressures and employer needs and thus produce graduates who fulfil a responsible role in the global field of HR profession.