A qualitative assessment of the impact of bursary granting as a form of skills development among employees in a public service department: Experiences and perceptions

Abstract

Effective employee development is more than just mentoring or holding seminars. Ideally, it takes an individualised approach in which the organisation talks to an employee, finds out his/her goals and builds a plan to achieve them. Staff development involves sponsoring programs that offer training or continuing education to employees, or help employees plan their own professional growth. Organisations that support staff development expect to benefit from having employees with greater skills and deeper expertise. Staff development can include inhouse training, tuition assistance or policies that make it easier for employees to take continuing education classes. The aim of this present study was to explore the perceptions and experiences of Fisheries branch employees who benefited from bursary programme. The study utilised in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect data. Fifteen participants from the department consented to be part of the study. These were recruited using purposive sampling. The ethics considerations of the study adhered to the guidelines stipulated by Ethics committee of the University. Data was transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that beneficiaries reported different forms of impact as a result of staff development in the form of bursary grants. Findings also vary according to form and stage of study in terms of undergraduate or post graduate. Personal attributes also come into play as tertiary education impacts on both the personal and organisational levels. Implications of this particular study include contributions to government policy decision making with regards to funding as well as training and development practices