An exploratory study of the problem of training and skills development in the public health sector: The case of two district hospitals in the Limpopo province

Abstract

Public health sectors across the globe are usually faced with challenges of adopting creative ways to improve performance and service delivery in the form of investing in employee skills development and training. During the apartheid era, employee training and skills development were reserved for the white minority group. The South African dawn of democracy in 1994 did not automatically result in a change in the status quo. In spite of various regulatory frameworks that emphasise skills development and training, skills development is still a problem, more than 25 years later. Amidst the high unemployment levels, there is also a short supply of critical skills or scarce skills in key sectors such as health.